Dr Paul Allen

Do you know God? Do you have the assurance that you have eternal life? Knowing that we know God is paramount because salvation ultimately can be boiled down to this one thing: knowing God. In John 17, Jesus, before going to the cross, was praying to the Father for His disciples – both those present at that time and those who would believe in future generations through the preaching of the apostolic word of the gospel. In verse 3, Jesus defines eternal life for us, praying,  “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” “Eternal life” is a phrase used forty-one times in the New Testament. And in John 17, we see what it means: to know God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is not merely to live forever and never die. It includes that, of course, by definition. But eternal life is not simply an eternal existence of isolation or independence. It is eternal life in a relationship with God. It is a life th...

Christian discipline is not about self-improvement.  As much as we may feel drawn to make growing in Christ the goal of our various spiritual disciplines, or habits of grace, we have something far greater that warrants our explicit focus. Now, to be sure, growing in Christ is a wonderful thing. It is important, as Paul celebrated to the Thessalonians: “your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). It is essential, as Hebrews makes plain: “Strive . . . for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). It is a command, as Peter instructs, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). We should never minimize the value or vitality of growing in Christ. It is indeed important, essential, and commanded. Yet we should often clarify, for ourselves and for others, who it is that makes it happen, how we go about pursuing it, and what is the greater ...