Dr Paul Allen

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love.” ( 1 John 4:16 ) It is said that the most quoted verse in all the Bible is the passage in John 3:16: “ For God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son , that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Surely that is a magnificent testimony to the love God has for us, and without it none of us would know God. “We love him, because he first loved us” ( 1 John 4:19 ). But God “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” ( Hebrews 1:9 ). How is it that God “commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” ( Romans 5:8 )? “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” ( 1 John 4:10 ). Human love is usually reciprocal. That is, we love if and when we are loved in return. Yet those of us who are twice-born are commanded to love each other, and the godly husband is

English: Illumination of Christ before Pilate Deutsch: Jesus vor Pilatus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Paul’s preeminent concern in his letter to the church of Philippi is that they would bring the practice of their lives into conformity with the position they enjoy as sharers in the Gospel of Christ . In reflecting on this command, two implications become immediately apparent. Sanctification is the Necessary Fruit of Justification The first implication of this text is that sanctification is the necessary fruit of justification. The one who has been justified by grace through faith in Christ alone—the one who has been declared righteous in his position before God—will grow and progress with respect to practical righteousness in his life. This is the consistent testimony of the New Testament , and especially throughout Paul’s letters. After celebrating for three chapters the wonderful privileges of the Christian’s exalted position in Christ, in Ephesians 4:1 Paul turns to say, “The

Philippians 1:1 “Paul and Timothy , servants of Christ Jesus , To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi , with the overseers and deacons” ( v. 1 ). There is much similarity between the English term for the assembly of God ’s people and the terms for the same concept in other languages. Church in English, kirke in Dutch, and kirche in German all sound alike and are even, in some ways, spelled alike with the hard k or ch sound at the beginning and the r in the middle. The reason for this is that all of these words find their origin in kuriake, which is itself Greek in origin. Literally, kuriake means “belonging to the Lord” and is a derivation of the Greek word for “Lord,” kurios. It makes perfect sense that English would look to kuriake as the root for the word church because, after all, what is the church if it is not that group of people who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ ? Kurios in the Greek language can also refer to the master of slaves or servants. This exp

To All of My Friends... (Photo credit: Viewminder ) What is one of the most well-known and often-quoted verses in the New Testament ? What is one of the most popular verses in evangelical culture today? Ideas? It has been printed on posters and inspirational wall art. A quick internet search reveals that you can buy key chains, rings, buttons, t-shirts, stickers, postcards, bracelets, handbags, and other Christianized trinkets with the words of this verse emblazoned, embroidered, or embossed upon them. But the irony is that, by taking this verse out of context, many people have actually turned it on its head—making it mean the opposite of what it actually means. They have turned it into a slogan of personal empowerment—a declaration of self-achievement, ambition, and accomplishment. For many, this verse has been trivialized into some sort of motivating motto for material prosperity, career advancement, or athletic success. By now, you may have guessed that the verse is Philippi

(Grace of God ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” ( 2 Corinthians 9:8 ) Jesus said: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” ( John 10:10 ). This well-known promise is sometimes misapplied, being interpreted to mean that the Christian life would normally be a life of material prosperity, popularity, and happiness. The words “abundantly,” “abounding,” and similar terms are all based on the same Greek word, which does, indeed, mean “abundant.” But it can apply to sorrow as well as happiness. The Christian life, as our text indicates, should be abundant in good works for the simple reason that God’s saving and keeping grace has been manifested abundantly toward us. Having been “stablished in the faith,” we are to be “abounding therein” ( Colossians 2:7 ). Christians, of course, should also “abound in love.” “

English: St. Paul by El Greco, c. 1608-1614. Originally taken from artchive.com (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The way Paul addresses the Philippians in this verse is unparalleled in his writings. It is a piling up of no less than five terms of endearment, and it illustrates the love and affection that can and should exist between believers. Those final two terms are particularly noteworthy. His Joy He calls the Philippians themselves his joy. And that is a striking designation for a number of reasons. First, given Paul’s overwhelming emphasis on joy throughout the letter (there is some reference to joy and rejoicing 16 times in these four short chapters), it’s significant that he would identify his joy as the Philippians themselves. It’s also striking, secondly, because of where Paul is as he expresses that the Philippians are his joy: chained 18 inches away from a Roman soldier under house arrest, waiting to stand trial before the Roman Emperor. Paul’s joy is unshakable, because h

“Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ , to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi . . . Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ .” ( Philippians 1:1-2 ) The church at Philippi was birthed on one of Paul’s missionary journeys. He was summoned there in a vision by an unidentified man in Macedonia (now Greece) pleading for him to come and help them ( Acts 16:9-10 ). Recognizing the call was from the Lord, he went immediately. Paul’s European ministry began with the conversion of Lydia, who worshipped God and readily followed Paul’s teachings ( Acts 16:14 ). Paul soon traveled to Thessalonica , Berea, and Athens, where he encountered much hardship and persecution. But the work he had begun in Philippi continued, eventually spreading throughout the continent. The intensely personal letter he later wrote to the Philippian church contains some of the most important doctrinal truths concerning Christ and our victorious l

Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio. The early Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God . He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." ( Deuteronomy 32:3-4 ) It is a thrilling exercise to note all the holy and gracious attributes attached to the name of God by the writers of Holy Scripture . In our text, for example, taken from the song of Moses , God is called a "God of truth." According to the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is a "God of judgment" ( Isaiah 30:18 ). David called God both the "God of my righteousness" and "the God of salvation" ( Psalms 4:1 ; 68:20 ). In the New Testament , Stephen called Him "the God of glory" ( Acts 7:2 ). Paul called Him both "the God of hope" and "the God of patience and consola

The prophet Hannah in the temple, Samuel's prayer testing (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Continue in prayer , and watch in the same with thanksgiving." ( Colossians 4:2 ) There is no set time to pray, for it is always appropriate. Our text tells us to "continue" in prayer, and this is the same word as in Romans 12:12 , which urges us to be "instant in" prayer. In fact, the admonition of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is to "pray without ceasing." Children should pray, as did little Samuel . When the Lord called him, he could answer: "Speak; for thy servant heareth" ( 1 Samuel 3:10 ). Young people should pray, as Timothy, who was exhorted by Paul to make "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks . . . for all men" ( 1 Timothy 2:1 ). Adult men should pray, as did Paul himself, who could say to the Christians of Philippi that he was "always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy"

 Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). : Wikipedia ) "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus ." ( 2 Timothy 1:13 ) There are several significant pieces to this important command. We must "hold firm" to the "pattern" of the "wholesome words" that have been given to us. And that firm hold must rest in the faith and love that we have in Christ Jesus. This is not an option. We are to hold to the form of the sound words. Hupotuposis  is the Greek term, only used one other time in the New Testament , where Paul insists that his life was to be "a  pattern  to them which should hereafter believe" ( 1 Timothy 1:16 , emphasis added). We are to be "under" ( hupo ) the "outline" or "pattern" ( tupos ) of the wholesome words. The purpose of the two le