Dr Paul Allen

Satan emerges throughout Scripture as a multifaceted adversary whose nature and activities shape Christian understanding of evil. He is portrayed as a high angelic creature who rebelled against the Creator before humanity’s creation and became the chief antagonist of God and humanity. 1  He has been sinning from the beginning, holding no truth, and when he lies, he speaks his native language as the father of lies. (John 8:44) Biblical accounts depict Satan engaging in several destructive activities. He leads the whole world astray (Rev 12:9–10), while he accuses believers before God day and night. (Rev 12:9–10) He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Pet 5:8)  He masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), and he blinds the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the gospel’s light. (2 Cor 4:4) In the Old Testament, he roams throughout the earth seeking to do injury, opposes God’s people and incites disobedience, and accuses the elect before ...

Christianity is a religion irreducibly and uniquely fixated on the death of its Saviour. Every Sunday, in every corner of the globe, Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper and in so doing proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again (1 Cor. 11:26). We often think of Christ’s death as an atonement for sin, but it is also worth reflecting here that Christ suffered on the cross not just for our sin but for our shame. We tend to focus on the physical pain of crucifixion, and it was horrendous. It was an unbelievably cruel way to kill someone. It was a gruesome ordeal where naked criminals died in excruciating pain. Even many of the Romans spoke out against crucifixion as a hideous and barbaric instrument. But the Gospels don’t focus on any of that. Yes, Jesus suffered physical torment. But so did two other men on that hill, and so did hundreds of criminals who were crucified by Rome. In fact, what’s physically remarkable about Jesus’s death on the cross is that he died so quickly (Mark ...

It had been over three hours by now. Three hours with the crown of thorns pressed into His head. Three hours with the nails piercing His hands and His feet. Three hours with His raw and bleeding back pressed against a rough, wooden cross. Three hours of anguish and suffering. Now, though, at about three in the afternoon, it was coming to an end.  Those who stood within shouting distance of the cross heard the first scream: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” They thought He was calling for divine intervention, a miracle of salvation from God to deliver Him from imminent death. Jesus had one last word to say, but His throat was parched, so He called for a drink, fulfilling the words of the prophets. Then, onlookers heard a second and final scream: “Tetelestai!” It is finished. With that utterance, Jesus bowed His head and delivered over His Spirit. The Apostle John was close enough to hear what Jesus had cried aloud seconds before He died. What must have been going through J...

  Biblical literature portrays Satan as a powerful adversary operating across multiple dimensions—spiritual, moral, and relational. Satan is depicted as “the ancient serpent” who “leads the whole world astray" ( Rev 12:9–10 ) while his character centres on deception, as “there is no truth in him” and “he is a liar and the father of lies". ( John 8:44 ) Satan’s methods reveal a calculated strategy. He “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" ( 1 Pet 5:8 ), yet he “masquerades as an angel of light" ( 2 Cor 11:14 ), suggesting his deceptions operate through disguise rather than overt force. In the Old Testament, Satan appears as one “roaming throughout the earth” seeking to cause harm, opposing God’s people by inciting disobedience, and accusing the elect before God’s throne. New Testament writers describe him tempting believers to sin, ensnaring the naive, delighting in harming believers, blinding the minds of unbelievers, and masquerading as ...

  In traditional Christian understanding, demons are typically identified as fallen angels 1 , though ancient Judaism and the early church held varying perspectives—some viewing demons as the spirits of the Nephilim, the hybrid offspring of angels and human women mentioned in Genesis 6 1 . From this perspective, Satan and other fallen angels were originally created by God as good beings but chose rebellion and self-assertion 1 . Demons function as personal spiritual beings actively working to advance evil throughout creation 1 . While fundamentally morally ambivalent in broader religious traditions, demons in Christian theology belong primarily to the sphere of evil and exert harmful influence on humans, animals, and nature 2 . The biblical record portrays demons as intelligent agents capable of recognizing Jesus and resisting his authority. In one account, a demon-possessed man lived among tombs, could not be restrained by chains, and would cry out and harm himself ( Mark 5:1–20 )...

 

 

 

 

 

As Christians, we grieve. Oh, do we grieve. Being a Christian does not mean that our sorrows go away or are minimised, or that we pretend that the many sorrows of this life are no big deal. In fact, we Christians actually grieve more. God has taken out our old, dead hearts and put new hearts in us. In Christ, the insensitivities and imbalances of our old selves are being renewed day by day into the likeness of Jesus (Col. 3:10). With the help and healing of the Holy Spirit, we feel more, not less. More than joy alone, we feel, at new depths, the seemingly negative emotions of anger, fear, shame, guilt, and sorrow. With sin still indwelling us, we often err in the timing, focus, and intensity of our feelings. But in Christ, we really can, and really do, grow to feel holy anger, holy fear, holy shame, holy sorrow—a holy grief that is wholly different from worldly despair. All joy, no grief? In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, the Apostle Paul writes with the longing that Christians “not grieve as o...

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” the prophet Isaiah asks (Isa. 53:1). The promise of salvation had gone out. God’s mighty arm—His power to redeem—was being revealed. But no one could have imagined that it would come this way. Weakness, obscurity, rejection, sorrow—this is how God chose to unveil His strength. The mighty arm of the Lord would be extended not in conquest but in crucifixion. The Servant of the Lord “grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground” (v. 2), not like a towering oak or conquering king. There was no majesty, no spectacle, no beauty that would draw the eye. Nothing in Him looked like deliverance. He was common—so common that we despised and dismissed Him. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (v. 3). This should make the beleaguered, sorrowful sufferer pause. This promised Christ didn’t come to observe our pain from afar. He came t...

Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”   Matthew 26:42 “Is there no other way?” It’s the kind of question we ask when life reaches its most difficult points: when a long, slow illness steals the strength and vitality of a loved one; when a deeply troubled marriage stands on the cliff of divorce; when a desperate search for work, food, and shelter results only in hunger and homelessness or crime and begging; when an addiction becomes a fast track to rock bottom and despair; when depression closes in and makes the whole world dark … again.  In these times, the question sneaks into our minds and sometimes escapes our lips: “Is there no other way?” Have you ever asked God that question? When the brokenness of this world and our lives reaches its most intense, most threatening moments, we are tempted to think we are the only ones who have asked that question or felt that sorrow.  But would it surprise you to...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Greek word used to refer to the Spirit by John is paraklētos , often translated as Counsellor . It is not used by any other NT author but was widely used before John. Given that the word is capable of several translations, it may be more appropriate to use the transliteration of the Greek ( paraclete ) rather than offer a translation.  Nevertheless, several translations could help define characteristics of the Spirit. Fundamentally, the metaphor is intended to leave the reader awestruck by the comprehensive nature of the conscientious compassion of the Spirit for believers. The term paraklētos is made up of two elements that may provide an insight into its meaning, referring to one who has been called ( kaleō ) alongside ( para ) another. Although the breakdown of a word and its etymology may not necessarily reveal its best translation in a given era or context, it can provide some insight into its meaning.  The word paraklētos was used in various ways in the first cent...