Dr Paul Allen

Matthew 18:21–35 “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” ( v. 35 ). A discussion of church discipline must recognize two errors often made in the interpretation of Matthew 18:15–20 . First, we err if we divorce the church’s authority from its biblical basis, since this inevitably exalts church tradition above Scripture and binds people to confess many unbiblical doctrines. Yet as the Westminster Confession of Faith aptly states, church authority is inseparable from the Word of God , which alone binds the conscience absolutely (1.10). Scripture, and the events it records, establishes the church; therefore, Scripture stands in authority over the church. Church decisions bind only when they are biblical; to violate God’s Word for tradition’s sake is evil ( Matt. 15:1–9 ). The second error thinks 18:20 guarantees Jesus ’ approval of anything two or more believers agree upon in prayer. However, the verse’s context...

Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane), oil painting by Heinrich Ferdinand Hofmann (Heinrich Hofmann). The original is at the Riverside Church (Riverside Church, New York City). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 11:25–30 “No one knows the Son except the Father , and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (v.27). The biblical view of man sees all people (except Christ ) since Adam and Eve as born corrupt and therefore lacking in a desire to please God . No one is righteous ( Rom. 3:9–18). In fact, this corruption exists from the moment of conception (Ps. 51:5), and we are happy to stay dead in sin and blind to the kingdom of heaven apart from God’s grace (John 3:1–8; Rom. 6:17; 9:14–16). What is remarkable about the opposition Jesus faces in Matthew 11 is not that some hate Him (vv. 16–24); rather, it is a miracle that He is embraced at all. This is one of the many points of this passage. In pr...

Timothy Keller ’s recent work, Center Church (CC) , is a substantive book on ecclesiology and philosophy of ministry. It has received a lot of attention since it was released last September. With its graphic, glossy hardcover, and double columns throughout, the 395-page volume has the look and feel of a textbook. I believe that is what it was intended to be—a textbook for pastors (particularly in an urban context) to maximize their fruitfulness for the sake of the gospel. Keller’s popularity and acceptance within mainstream evangelicalism have positioned this book to hold significant influence on the American church. After thoughtfully considering this book and weighing it against Scripture, I have a few concerns. In spite of areas of agreement, I found the heart and soul of the book to be biblically off-center. I fear that the theological vision of CC will cause more harm than good in American churches. I don’t regard the differences that I see between CC and the Bible as ...

Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator), a 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai. NB - slightly cut down - for full size see here (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Before he created our world, God decided what was going happen in it, from the moment of creation on into eternity. The Westminster Confession of Faith , in the section on God's eternal decree puts it like this: God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass . . . . God's eternal decree is his all-encompassing plan for the universe. That God ordainsthings simply means that he planned for them to happen. According to the WCF, God planned from eternity past for everything that will happen to happen. The Westminster Divines got this truth from scripture. God's plan is mentioned in  Ephesians 1:11 : In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who...

Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Bible is the Holy Spirit ’s book. He is involved not only in the inspiration of Scripture , but is also a witness to Scripture’s truthfulness. This is what we call the “internal testimony” of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit provides a testimony that takes place inside of us—He bears witness to our spirits that the Bible is the Word of God . Just as the Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God ( Rom. 8:16 ), He assures us of the sacred truth of His Word. The internal testimony of the Spirit is subject to misunderstanding. One of these misunderstandings relates to how we defend the truthfulness of the Bible. Do we need to provide an apologetic—a defense—for sacred Scripture that relies on evidence from archaeology and history, on demonstrating the Bible’s internal consistency, and on logical argumentation? S...

The Temptation of Christ, 1854 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (v. 1). The Messiah who would defeat the Devil ( 1 John 3:8b) and bring back God’s people from exile came to Israel around 4 B.C. As the prophets foretold, Jesus was the Son of David , had a miraculous birth, and was opposed by many of His own brethren (Matt. 1–2). Despite this opposition, Jesus still identified Himself with His people and confirmed His ministry through His baptism (chap. 3). In  Matthew’s gospel  chapter 4, it describes Jesus’ testing in the wilderness. Before we look at His testing in detail, we must first place this event in its historical and theological context in order to understand clearly what occurred when Satan tempted the Christ. The Westminster Confession of Faith , chapter 7, says God made a “ covenant of works ” with the first human being. In ...

1 Corinthians 10:14–22 “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (v. 16). Given that transubstantiation and consubstantiation are found wanting, it remains for us to try to define how Jesus is present in the Lord’s Supper . Some believe the Lord’s Supper is only a memorial; thus, Christ is not present in a unique way when we take the sacrament . Yet more is going on in the Lord’s Supper than the remembering of our Savior’s death, as important as that may be. For example, this passage speaks of participation or fellowship in the body and blood of Christ when we come to the Lord’s table (1 Cor. 10:16). Something is happening besides the simple remembrance of the cross. Moreover, as Dr. Keith A. Mathison observes, the fact that many of those who took the sacrament in Corinth unworthily became ill or died (1 Cor. 11:29–30) proves “that th...