Dr Paul Allen

All Scripture is God -breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. [2 Tim 3:16] Authority in the Bible comes from God. The human writers of the books accepted as Scripture claim nothing less than divine inspiration for their own works and for certain of the writings of others. What an audacious assertion for them to make. What did they mean, and what do we mean today, by saying these words are “God-breathed”? God-breathed does not mean that God somehow took over their bodies or pushed them out of the chair and took up their pens. That is the sort of inspiration Muslims claim for the Qur’an . Rather, inspiration means that God breathed his own words through their personalities and pens. He gave them the insight and understanding so that the finished literary product had two authors, one human and one divine. God’s words seem more meaningful and relate to us on our human level so well, because they have been translated through the liv...

Leviticus is full of gruesome, bloody rituals performed by priests on behalf of God’s people. Unless you’re a butcher (and maybe even then), the descriptions of the gory mess created by sin and guilt make for uncomfortable reading. Leviticus confronts us with the cost of our sin against God and others. It can be challenging to see past the brutality to redemption. We can find a new perspective on Leviticus by tracing the ideas of guilt and sin throughout the Bible. In the process, we will learn three steps that will allow us to transition Old Testament concepts into modern faith applications—without the need to burn a bull on an altar. www.hopecollege.com Step 1: Get a Sense of the Entire Book and Its Purpose To understand Leviticus, or any Old Testament book, we need to first get a sense of the book as a whole. There is no substitute for reading a biblical book in its entirety. It’s hard work—especially with a book like Leviticus. Yet it helps us understand God’s Word and his w...

The word joy appears over and over again in the Scriptures. For instance, the Psalms are filled with references to joy. The psalmists write, "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Ps. 30:5b) and "Shout for joy to God, all the earth" (Ps. 66:1). Likewise, in the New Testament , we read that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22), which means that it is a Christian virtue . Given this biblical emphasis, we need to understand what joy is and pursue it. Sometimes we struggle to grasp the biblical view of joy because of the way it is defined and described in Western culture today. In particular, we often confuse joy with happiness. In the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–11), according to the traditional translations, Jesus said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit.… Blessed are those who mourn.… Blessed are the meek …" (vv. 3–5, emphasis added), and so on. Sometimes, however, translators adopt the modern vernacular and tell us Jesus sai...

Wise Counsel One of the biblical names for Jesus is “ Counselor ” (Isa. 9:6). It reveals His nature and character as One who reveals His will and way through counseling. His name is also “Everlasting Father” and “ Good Shepherd ,” because of pastoral and parental counseling—godly advice from those wiser and more mature than ourselves—is an important way of determining the will of God . Numerous Scriptures confirm the necessity of seeking counsel before making major decisions: “He who listens to counsel is wise.” “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” “Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many counselors bring success.” “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” “Every purpose is established by counsel, and with good advice go to war.” “Don’t go to war without wise guidance; there is safet...

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14). By the time the author of Hebrews was compelled to write his letter, his original audience was not in good shape. They had received the Gospel , but persecution and other hardships had made them question the validity of Christ ’s claims. They had begun to neglect their own pursuit of maturity and, consequently, had forgotten many of the basics of the Christian faith .  Many of them should have been teachers, but their ignorance made it necessary for them to live on a diet of milk consisting of the basics of the Christian faith instead of on the meat of the Word of God designed for more mature believers (5:12–13). Having seen the characteristics of those who must live on a diet of milk, today we will examine what the author of Hebrews has to say about those who live on solid food in 5:14. He tells us first of all that s...

Hard words are not harmful words—when they come from Jesus . This is important to keep in mind when we read: If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. ( Matt. 17:8–9) Here, Jesus is calling us to personal holiness, however costly and painful, as His path for us “to enter life.” The Lord is not telling us literally to maim ourselves . After all, the Apostle Paul condemned “asceticism and severity to the body” (Col.  2:23 ). But our Lord’s point is this: we must resolve that, whatever the personal cost, we will follow the upward call of God in Christ ( Phil.   3:14 ). Yes, the Lord is working in us that which is pleasing in His sight (Heb....

A recent bipolar diagnosis shocks the group. Cancer ravages the health of a young wife and mother. An impending divorce threatens to tear apart a marriage, family, and community. A member struggling with same-sex attraction searches for ways to share his struggle. The lone black man in the small group is peppered yet again with questions about racism. The single mom cries out for help with her teenage son. A young couple struggles to accept that they can’t have biological children. The widow, married for more than six decades, gropes for reasons to go on. A father of six children shares the news of his recent layoff. Life is hard and broken. Christian clichés aren’t going to cut it in the unavoidable messiness of realities like these. Community Is Messy Christian community — in the local church, in small group, missional community , or wherever else — is messy. If our friends are plunging headlong into a dark place, someone needs to go after them. And we have no quick fixe...

It is virtually impossible to exaggerate the importance of love. Nothing is more basic to true spirituality than this singular virtue. Nothing is more central to Christian living. At the very heart of authentic discipleship is love. Without love, we are nothing. When Jesus was asked, “Which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matt.  22:36 ), He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (v. 37). Christ then added a second commandment that follows directly from the first: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 39).  In this, Jesus asserted that our love for one another is the identifying badge of discipleship (John  13:35 ). The Apostle Paul further maintained that such love is the fulfillment of the Law (Gal.  5:14 ). That is to say, love meets every requirement of the divine standard. It is a debt that can never be repaid, so love must be given continually (Rom. 13:8). In ...

As he approached the final days of his ministry, the Apostle Paul set his thoughts on the future well-being of Timothy, his "beloved child" in the faith (2 Tim. 1:2). He wrote to him about the things that matter most for life and ministry. Not only did Paul commend to his young protégé the glorious gospel of God (vv. 8–10) and the divinely inspired Scriptures ( 3:16 –17), but he also instructed Timothy regarding the importance of sound doctrine: "Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus .  By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you" ( 1:13 –14). According to Paul, doctrine is among the things that matter most for the well-being of the Christian and the church. Sound, or "healthy," doctrine provides a pattern that, when followed, promotes healthy faith and love. Sound doctrine is a valuable heritage that is to be treasured in this gene...

Regarding ministry longevity, we can look at the apostle Paul ’s life, where he gives nine characteristics of an enduring ministry. To endure in ministry, the New Covenant is embraced as superior. It’s fitting that this first point is deeply theological. How does it promote an enduring ministry? The Old Covenant was the Law, which exposed men to sin and condemnation and could not save. The New Covenant of the Person and work of Christ is different. It brings life, righteousness, and salvation. And, it is the everlasting covenant. Further, the New removes the veil of the Old. The New Covenant is also Christ centered. Thus, it centers on him who is the fullness of redemptive history. Finally, the New Covenant is empowered by the Holy Spirit . He is endowing God ’s work of the New Covenant in redemptive history at this time. When we embrace these things, we are rightly positioned for a ministry empowered by the true God, which is key to an enduring ministry. To endure in minis...