Dr Paul Allen

Paul understood that his Corinthian audience faced powerful sexual temptations. In Corinth , the sights and sounds of sex were almost as prevalent as in our own sensual society. He knew that the opportunity to act on such stimulation would be a normal part of life, just as it is today for those of us who live and work in this society. Consider the brazen obedience of Joseph in Genesis 39:7–13. We imagine that as he did each day, Joseph dutifully cared for the small palace. As he entered the cool, dark bedroom, someone roughly pushed him from behind. As he fell forward onto the bed, he didn’t even need to turn around to see who assaulted him. He knew. Even if he couldn’t smell her alluring perfume, he would have know that Potiphar’s wife was making another brazen sexual advance towards him. He rolled off the other side of the bed, rising to see the flushed face of his master’s wife. There was no small talk this time—she came straight to the point, indelicately demanding that ...

English: Ripe Meyer lemons, Citrus × meyeri. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Oftentimes problems with the fruit on a tree are not because of problems with the fruit on the tree. Below the soil’s surface, there is usually a sickness present. Things like fungus, poor nutrient content in the soil, insufficient watering, and pests can plague the roots and subsequently damage the tree. So goes the root, so goes the fruit. Neglect the root, neglect the fruit. Imagine an orchardist who addressed sickly trees by only addressing the fruit. He approaches the sickly lemon tree , puts up his ladder, and inspects the lemons. Some of the lemons are flaccid, some shrunken, and others cracked open and rotten. Then, imagine, that he breaks out a syringe with store-bought lemon juice and injects the emaciated lemons to fill them out a bit. To repair the sickly, split lemons, he breaks out some band-aids and closes up those holes. Finally, he notices some fruitless branches. So, he breaks out hi...

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil ." ( Genesis 2:9 )   It is significant that the first reference to "science" in the Bible is in connection with the tree of the "science" of good and evil. The English word "science" comes from the Latin   scientia , meaning "knowledge." In both Old and New Testaments , "science" and "knowledge" translate the same Greek and Hebrew words respectively. Science--properly speaking--is what we know, not naturalistic speculation (as in evolutionary "science"). Adam and Eve knew a great deal about God and His creation, and all of it was "very good" ( Genesis 1:31 ); they did not need to have a knowledge of evil, and God warned them against it ( 2:17 ).   But they partook of the evil tree anyway, and t...