Dr Paul Allen

“Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” ( Philippians 4:1 )   Several adjectives precede the command contained in this text. Not only does Paul twice use “dearly beloved” to describe his relationship with the Philippians, but he also insists that he longs for them and anticipates joy at the recognition of the “crown” he will receive in heaven.   These are intense words.  Agapetos  is the descriptive Greek term translated “dearly beloved.” The Heavenly Father uses  agapetos  to express His love for His “beloved Son” ( Matthew  3:17 ). Most of the New Testament letters freely use  agapetos  to describe various personal relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ . That unique and deeply spiritual love is what demonstrates our difference to the unsaved ( John 13:34-35 ).   Since Paul is separated from the Philippian church (probably w...

Rembrandt - Apostle Paul - WGA19120 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Does Luke intend us to regard Saul’s conversion as typical of Christian conversion today, or as exceptional?  Many people dismiss it as having been altogether unusual, and as constituting no possible norm for conversion today. ‘I’ve had no Damascus Road experience,’ they say. Certainly some features of it were atypical.  On the one hand, there were the dramatic, supernatural events, like the flash of lightning and the voice which addressed him by name. On the other hand, there were the historically unique aspects, like the resurrection appearance of Jesus , which Paul later claimed it was, although the last (9:17, 27 and 1 Cor. 15:8), and his commissioning to be an apostle, like the call of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel to be prophets, and more particularly to be the apostle to the Gentiles. In order to be converted, it is not necessary for us to be struck by divine lightning, or fall to the ground,...

Andrei Rublev's Trinity, representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a similar manner. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The word for “spirit” is ruach in Hebrew and pneuma in Greek. The former is used roughly ninety times for the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament . The latter is employed more than 250 times as a reference to the Spirit in the New Testament . Both words can refer to wind or breath. The general idea is the same: ruach and pneuma express energy, motion, life, activity. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit set apart, belonging to God . He is God’s power and presence among his people.1 The Holy Spirit, though more “visible” in the New Testament, was also at work in the Old. He was present at creation, hovering over the face of the waters, poised to order and complete what the Father had purposed and planned (Gen. 1:2). The Holy Spirit was instrumental in the exodus (Isa. 64:7–14). He gifted God’s people for service, equipping Bezalel and Oholiab not just with artistic exce...

The Temptation of Christ, 1854 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Have you ever stopped to consider the sheer strength and power of God ? It is good for us to reckon with how his strength surpasses everything else that can seem so strong compared to us. Whether it’s Olympic weightlifters, or the muscular frame of a 400-pound gorilla, or the jaws of a great white shark , or the remarkable eroding power of falling water, or an earthquake or volcano, it’s not too difficult for us to be impressed by such strength, and then easily reason that the creator of such things much be infinitely stronger. But we can only go so far in trying to wrap our minds around infinite strength. And yet God doesn’t mean for us to think of his power merely as a physical thing. If he did, the Bible would be a very different book. It would read more like a science textbook and spend more time telling us about the kind of things we learn from the natural world. Romans 1:19–20 says that “what can be known about God is...

Church of the Holy Ghost in Ryazan (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The first effect which followed this baptism of fire is thus described: “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost .” This expression is so closely joined with the record of the miracle, that we easily suppose that it is itself intended to express miraculous inspiration; but this is not its constant, nor even its most frequent, use in the New Testament . It is sometimes employed to describe an inspiration antecedent to a miraculous manifestation, and sometimes one antecedent to a purely moral manifestation. Examples of the latter occur in several cases of “speaking the word of God with boldness,” when the circumstances were such that human nature unassisted would have shrunk from the danger. John the Baptist wrought no miracle: yet of him it was said that he should be “filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb.” Here the expression denotes some inward and spiritual operation, which may take place in the silence o...

Plate 22 of 22 for the Macklin Bible after Loutherbourg. Bowyer Bible. Satan Bound (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.” ( Luke 4:5 ) It is interesting that there are just three “moments” mentioned in the New Testament and that there are three different Greek words so translated, each used one time only in the Bible . Furthermore, each of these three “moments” is used in a context which is anticipatory of the future. First of all, Satan tempted Jesus by flashing before His eyes a vision of the whole world, offering it to Him immediately without His having to endure the cross, if He would rule it for the devil. Here the Greek word for “moment” is stigme, meaning a “point,” like a period after a sentence. In an infinite “time line,” it would be just a dot on the line , a “point” in time. Satan’s apparent dominion over this world, though it lasts six thousand years or...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) What if you really believed that God is 100% for you? That he not only accepts you, but accepts you  fully , because of the perfect person and work of his Son? That your best successes can’t earn you any more access, and your worst failures can’t take any of it away? If you did —  really  did — it might change everything for the pursuit of joy in your life. The Christian doctrine that deals with God’s acceptance of us into right relationship with him is called justification . It’s the long j-word that has so much to do with the short j-word that we’re all seeking in our own way:  joy . Justification by Faith Alone Justification deals with how we get right with God. Here the setting is the law court. There’s a defendant (you), and there’s a Judge (God). And we’re all rightly charged with unrighteousness — a treasonous offense against the Judge himself. To be  justified  means that the J...