Dr Paul Allen

The pope has a problem with the Bible. Again. Here’s an excerpt from The New York Times (December 8, 2017 ) “Lost in Translation: The Pope Ponders an Update to Lord’s Prayer” Pope Francis said the common rendering of one line in the prayer—“lead us not into temptation” —was “not a good translation” from ancient texts.“Do not let us fall into temptation,” he suggested, might be better because God does not lead people into temptation; Satan does. “A father doesn’t do that,” the pope said. “He helps you get up right away. What induces into temptation is Satan.” In essence, the pope said, the prayer, from the Book of Matthew , is asking God, “When Satan leads us into temptation, You please, give me a hand.” French Catholics adopted such a linguistic change this week, and the pope suggested that Italian Catholics might want to follow suit. The problem with the Pope’s position is that the Greek does, in fact, say “Lead us not into temptation.” That is a good translation. The words “al...

Prayer is the language (Photo credit: Lel4nd ) This prayer, often called the “ Lord’s Prayer ,” when it could more accurately be titled the “Disciples’ Prayer ,” is not a set group of words to repeat. When Christ said to “pray, then, in this way,” He didn’t mean pray with these exact words. His intention was to give them a pattern for the structure of their own prayers , especially since He had just warned them of the dangers of meaningless repetition. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recite it, as we do with so many passages in Scripture. Memorizing it is actually helpful so you can meditate on its truths as you formulate your own thoughts. The prayer is mainly a model we can use to give direction to our own praise, adoration, and petitions. It is not a substitute for our own prayers but a guide for them. The initial benefit of this prayer is the way it exhibits the believer’s relationship with God . “Our Father” presents the father/child relationship; “hallowed be Thy name,” the...

The Prophetess Anna, Rembrandt, 1631 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Nineteenth-century pastor and author E.M. Bounds, who is well-known for his writings on the subject of prayer, said it best, “Prayer honors God ; it dishonors self” ( Purpose in Prayer [ Chicago : Moody, n.d.], 43). The scribes and Pharisees never understood that truth, and I fear the same is true for much of today’s church. The waves of our indulgent, selfish, materialistic society have washed ashore on Christian theology in many forms, including the prosperity gospel. Although the Bible teaches that God is sovereign and man is His servant, the prosperity gospel implies the opposite. Teaching that claims we can demand things of God is spiritual justification for self-indulgence. It perverts prayer and takes the Lord ’s name in vain. It is unbiblical, ungodly, and is not directed by the Holy Spirit . Prayer begins and ends not with the needs of man but with the glory of God (John 14:13). It should be concerned pri...

English: Detail of stained glass window created by Louis Comfort Tiffany in Arlington Street Church (Boston) depicting the Sermon on the Mount. March 2009 photo by John Stephen Dwyer (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 7:7 –11 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (v. 11). Knowing God as judge has a sanctifying and restraining effect on our lives. In other words, reflecting on God’s perfect holiness drives us to recognize our own sin and deal with it before we judge others ( Matt. 7:1–5). We begin to see who we are — depraved men and women who cannot merit the Lord’s forgiveness. This helps us to be merciful. If our Father in His infinite goodness can pardon us, surely we sinners can forgive others. However, we still often find it hard to show mercy even when we know the  Lord’s character. We still need wisdom to distin...

The Lord's Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words." ( Matthew 6:7 ) Jesus was saying here that we must not regard prayer as some kind of magical incantation, for that is how pagans pray. They recite certain phrases over and over again, with no understanding of what the words mean. In these contexts, prayers are used as mantras, with the hope that they will change the environment or the circumstances in which a person lives. New Age thinking is filled with this type of thing. Jesus did not commend such exercises as godly forms of prayer; rather, He linked the use of vain repetitions to paganism. Christians can easily fall into a pattern of praying in a repetitious fashion, without engaging their minds. It bothers me sometimes when Christians gather for a meal and the host will say to someone there, "John, will you please say the grace for...

The Lord's Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." ( John 16:24 ) Jesus promised that "whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you" ( John 16:23 ). This condition for answered prayer and its resulting fullness of joy is not just a formula with which to end a prayer. "In my name" implies representing Him and what He stands for, so that our prayer could truly be His prayer as well.  For example, our prayer must be in His will. "If we ask any thing according to his will . . . we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him" ( 1 John 5:14-15 ). We need also to recognize that God 's great purpose in creation is of higher priority than our own personal desires, so this should be of first order in our prayers . Jesus said: "When ye pray, say, Our Father. . . . Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heave...

Image via Wikipedia We have to guard against taking a fatalistic view of prayer. We cannot allow ourselves to dismiss prayer from our lives simply because it might not seem to have pragmatic value.  Whether or not prayer works, we must engage in it, simply because God Himself commands us to do it.  Even a cursory reading of the Bible, particularly the New Testament , reveals a deep emphasis on prayer, supplication, and intercession.  It is inescapable that prayer is an expected activity for the people of God. Furthermore, our Lord Himself is the supreme model for us in all things, and He clearly made prayer a huge priority in His life. We can do no less. WHETHER OR NOT PRAYER WORKS , WE MUST ENGAGE IN IT, SIMPLY BECAUSE GOD HIMSELF COMMANDS US TO DO IT. But it is also true that Scripture teaches us that prayer does “work” in some sense. Let me cite three examples. We all know that the apostle Peter boldly declared that he would never betray Jesus , that he was...