Dr Paul Allen

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. — Galatians 3:13 Great hymns have the ability to unite the family of God , throughout history and the world, in the truths about God that matter most. But when voices from within the church begin to question or deny what the church holds most dear, great hymns become flashpoint of controversy. Such is the case with “In Christ Alone.” Some say they find it offensive enough to change one uncomfortable line, or abandon the song altogether. But I want you to see that the original line is deeply biblical and profoundly good news. The second verse says, Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied Some find this line so troubling they have changed it to “the love of God was magnified.” Love Magnified It’s certainly true that the love of God was magnified at the cross. Romans 5:8 says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners , Christ died for us.” And in Galatians 2:2...

c. 1500-1510 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) ow Bethany was near Jerusalem , about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house. Martha therefore said to Jesus, “ Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” … And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here, and is calling for you.” And when she heard it she arose quickly, and was coming to Him.… Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”   —John 11:18–21, 28–29, 32 Mary and Martha, for all their time spent with the Son of God , were still human to the core. They wanted to know one thing: “Jesus, where in the world have You been?” They had no doubt that Jesus could have hea...

You can’t be neutral when it comes to Jesus . He doesn’t give you that luxury. If you really listen to what he says, you either need to believe that he is the Preeminent Son of God and worship him, or you need to get as far away from him as you can. He demands a hot or cold response and spews anything lukewarm (Revelation  3:15 –16). The Shocking Claims of Jesus In John chapter 5 , Jesus throws down the gauntlet. First, he healed a man who had been disabled for 38 years. On the Sabbath (verse 9). On purpose. Then when the Jewish leaders objected, Jesus didn’t even attempt to correct their faulty interpretation of Sabbath work, as he did at other times (see Luke 14:1–6). Instead, he responded with this provocative statement: “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This would have drawn audible gasps. And the leaders correctly understood Jesus’s point: he really was “making himself equal with God” (verse 18). This declaration, on top of the Sabbath healing, fue...

Ruins of the synagogue in Capernaum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The view from Tiberias, Galilee, Israel, northward across the Sea of Galilee. The snowy peak in the distance is Mount Hermon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The reason the geography of Israel is important is because of what it tells me about Jesus . You can see on the map towards the top is the Sea of Galilee . This is where Jesus lived, in a town called Capernaum .  The thing I want you to notice is how far down Jerusalem is from the Sea of Galilee on the map. In a car today, you can get from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem in little over 2 hours.  But in the time of Jesus, there weren’t any cars. And so to get there, you walked. This journey would typically take around 7 days. John 21 tells the event of Jesus appearing to the disciples at the Sea on Galilee after he had been crucified.  Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. He was buried in Jerusalem. He came back to life in Jerusalem. ...

English: Fresco illustrating the Aocalypse (Book of Revelation) Osogovo Monastery, Macedonia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God , and to his throne.” ( Revelation 12:5 ) This remarkable scene was part of a great vision given to the apostle John as the Lord was revealing to him “the things which shall be hereafter” ( Revelation 1:19 ). He had seen an amazing “sign” in heaven—a woman “clothed with the sun . . . travailing in birth,” with “a great red dragon” awaiting the delivery and ready “to devour her child as soon as it was born” ( Revelation 12:1-4 ). Although the whole vision is richly symbolic, the figure of the man child clearly refers to Jesus Christ , because it is He alone who must eventually rule all nations “with a rod of iron” ( Revelation 19:15 ). Thus, the symbolic “woman” must suggest His human mother, Mary, but also Eve, the “mother of all living” ( Ge...

English: A 14th-century of Jesus Christ bearing the cross, from the monastery in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified . Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit . He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” - John 12:23–26 - Jesus is acknowledging that the time for His crucifixion is near. We learn from the next verse (which we’ll look at in a minute) that He was troubled. And that’s not terribly surprising. It’s not that He’s just going to die an agonizing and ignominious death at the hands of those who have perverted His Father’s holy Law, and have subjugated His people under a yoke of slavery that no one in his...