Dr Paul Allen

“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” ( Isaiah 53:9 ) It is generally recognized that the amazing 53rd chapter of Isaiah, written over 500 years earlier, is the most explicit and complete exposition of the substitutionary suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ in all the Bible, including even the New Testament accounts. And this prophecy that His death and burial would be with both the “wicked, and with the rich” is surely one of the most remarkable. How could such a prediction possibly come to pass? Yet it did! Unjustly condemned, not for any violent or deceitful acts, but only for telling the truth, Jesus was crucified between two wicked criminals, yet He was buried in a garden tomb lovingly built by a rich member of the council that had condemned Him to death. Furthermore, that elaborate tomb had almost certainly been personally designed and built ahead of time by Jose...

“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” ( Colossians 3:10 ) Man’s body is made of the same “earth” material ( Genesis 2:7 ) as the animals (v. 19) and as the earth itself ( Genesis 1:10 ). Furthermore, he shares the created “soul” ( Hebrew nephesh) and “spirit” (Hebrew ruach, same as “breath”) with the animals (compare 1:21; 7:15, where nepheshand ruach respectively are used of the animals). However, he shares the created “ image of God ” (1:27) only with God Himself. Ever since Adam and Eve first sinned, all people have been born in innate rebellion against Him. The image of God in man has been grievously marred, and we are “dead in trespasses and sins” ( Ephesians 2:1 ). However, as our text reminds us, the image of God in man can be “renewed” through the great miracle of the new creation ( 2 Corinthians5:17 ). And this includes more than just our soul/spirit nature, for we have His gracious promise that our own resu...

“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” ROMANS 7:24–25 Christians have been delivered from sin’s power and will one day be delivered from its presence. The godly Puritan writer Thomas Watson once said that a sure sign of sanctification is a hatred and loathing of sin. It was his hatred of sin that caused Paul to cry out as he wrapped up his spiritual autobiography, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” That cry expresses the distress and frustration the apostle experienced in his spiritual battle. David expressed that same frustration in Psalm 13:1–2: “How long, O Lord? Wilt Thou forget me forever? How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day?” When he exclaimed, “Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Paul referred to his physical body that was subject to sin a...

“For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin . For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.” ROMANS 7:14–17 Believers have been freed from sin’s power, but not from its presence. Romans 7:14–25 is perhaps the most autobiographical passage in all of Scripture. In this poignant account Paul describes in vivid, striking language his battle with indwelling sin. So powerful is that language that some believe it refers to Paul’s life before his conversion. But the apostle describes himself as one who seeks to obey God ’s law and who hates evil (vv. 15, 19, 21), who is humble and broken over his sin (v. 18), and who acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord and serves Him with his mind (v. 25). None of t...

In a culture of consumerist expectations and values, even people in strong, Word-centered, gospel-proclaiming churches can think of church loyalty in terms of payment and receipt. “We pay our dues and expect a certain return” is the unspoken mindset. So, when things get difficult, reasons to leave begin multiplying: “I’m not being fed here.” “I’m not on the same page with the leadership right now.” “I’m not being useful here. Perhaps I could serve better if I were somewhere else.” The list goes on. It’s true that there are plenty of  Christians  whose lives don’t resemble Christ ’s. There are pastors who abuse their authority or lead poorly. There are churches that implement changes quickly, without the consent of key leaders, which then breeds disunity and quarrels.  Leadership fumbles, personality conflicts, relationship breeches — they all exist in the church. That’s why, for many churchgoers, the temptation is strong to seek refuge and peace in another church a...

Many Christians recognize the name of Augustine of Hippo from his valiant defense of the biblical doctrine of divine sovereignty against the man-centered heresy of the British monk Pelagius. And we know that the Reformers made exceedingly frequent references to Augustine’s work as they fought against the man-centeredness of the Roman Catholic Church . But what many don’t know about Augustine was his consistent emphasis on the centrality of the affections—and particularly  joy —in the believer’s life. In fact, he even defined love for God in terms of enjoying Him:  “I call [love to God] the motion of the soul toward the enjoyment of God for his own sake, and the enjoyment of one’s self and of one’s neighbor for the sake of God.”  [1] It was this pursuit of his own pleasure—indeed, his own pleasure  in God Himself —that strengthened Augustine to engage in the many debates and altercations of the Pelagian controversy. When a friend asked him why he even bot...

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ ." ( Philippians 1:6) Philippians 1:6 develops the theme of God 's preserving grace—which ensures the perseverance of His own—in three points. First, Paul reminds us that since God has begun our salvation , we can rely on Him to complete it: "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion." God always finishes what He starts, especially the salvation of His people. It is in this way that God's preserving grace fits with the other doctrines of grace. God the Father chose us in eternity past, and the Bible says that God's purpose in election must prevail (Rom. 9:11). God the Son offered an atoning sacrifice for these same elect people. Should they fall into condemnation, then His blood would have been shed for them in vain. But He insists that not one of them shall perish and none shall be plucked from His hand (John 10:2...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The great unmentioned subject at the heart of much of Pauline theology is God himself. Paul most fully celebrates the glory of God when he presents his gospel, not simply as a message of how individuals get saved from sin and death, but how God has brought Jew and Gentile together into one body. Romans 15:1–13 states this great aim: that Jew and Gentile alike “may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ” (Rom 15:6).  Mutual welcome is mandatory within the body of Christ —...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Eternal life means I have God 's supernatural grace within me that enables me to live the Christian life. His power strengthens me to run the race in a way that glorifies Him. Paul said, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" ( Philippians 4:13). God's power indwells us in the person of the Holy Spirit , whom we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Our problem is that we so often fail to tap into His power that is always there. We are like the man who was pushing his car up a hill only to discover he merely needed to turn the key and ignite the powerful engine. How much better it is to turn on the power and enjoy the ride. So it is in the Christian life. Running is a demanding sport, draining every ounce of energy a person possesses. Running God's race saps all our power. We soon become depleted mentally, emotionally, and physically. That is the nature of running. It is full of uph...

Religious syms (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) This appeal to “tolerance” is the way our secular culture responds to the reality in which we now live. We find ourselves today in a brave new world. If a mosque has not yet opened in your town, it will probably not be much longer before the minaret appears in the skyline. Perhaps your next-door neighbor today is a Christian. Do not be surprised if a practicing Buddhist moves in tomorrow. You might hear a knock at your door from a friendly Mormon missionary as you read this article. The world, with all its vast religious diversity has come to our neighborhoods, opening up all sorts of new economic and social opportunities. Taking advantage of this situation requires us to get along with those holding these vastly different worldviews, and the easiest way to get along with these individuals is to avoid “rocking the boat.” Of course, the only way to avoid rocking the boat is never to tell someone that they might be wrong, especially in thei...

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) There are three essential components of saving faith : notitia, assensus, and fiducia. Faith always has an object, namely, Jesus Christ . To believe in Jesus , we must first know something about Him. This content comprises the notitia of faith, and it is delivered to people through the church’s teaching ministry ( Rom. 10:14–17 ). Knowing a body of content, however, is not enough for saving faith. We must also affirm the truth of this content. Millions of people know something about Christianity but do not believe it is true. Saving faith requires assensus, the conviction that the content of the notitia is truth. Finally, even knowing the facts and believing them to be true are not enough in themselves to make us Christians . Demons affirm the truth of what God has said, but they do not trust Him ( James 2:19 ). Fiducia — the entrusting of ourselves int...

Frans Floris - The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Gathering and Protecting Mankind - WGA7949 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God . I am crucified with Christ : nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God , who loved me, and gave himself for me.” ( Galatians 2:19-20 ) One of the greatest doctrinal truths of the Bible is that the Christian life is one of victory over sin. The law of God has condemned us as lawbreakers ( James 2:10 ), but Christ died for our sins, and “ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ” ( Romans 7:4 ). We should live in victory over sin, but somehow we still stumble. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” The remedy for such lapses is at hand, of course. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to clean...