Dr Paul Allen

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. (Jer. 46:1) I’m persuaded that much of our fear, anxiety, discouragement, and hopelessness is the result of bad theology. At its core, what is the Bible all about? The existence, character, and plan of God. Every other aspect of Scripture flows out of the reality of who God is. A bad or weak theology of God will lead to weakness in other areas of theology, and spiritual weaknesses in daily living.  I had this experience again and again in counselling. I would be working with someone who was struggling to trust God, but, as I listened to him describe who he thought God was, I immediately understood why he had trouble trusting him. I would often think, “If I thought that this was who God is, I would have trouble trusting him too.” One common mistake in our functional theology of God is thinking he is too small.   The God in our minds lacks the awesome, glorious, and incalculable power and authority th...

In 1977, California pastor Jack Hayford and his wife visited England during the Silver Jubilee — the twenty-fifth anniversary — of Queen Elizabeth’s 1952 accession to the throne. They were struck by the grandeur of the celebration and the manifest joy of the people in their monarch. While there, they visited Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill and famous for the magnitude and stateliness some non-UK people today know only through watching Downton Abbey. Driving away from the palace, overcome with awe, Hayford found himself reaching for words — language that would transpose the weight of the earthly experience into the key of heaven. As he stretched, the word that seemed most fitting to describe the stunning magnificence of the palace and how it pointed to the superiority of the reigning Christ was majesty. According to a California newspaper’s retelling of the story, As the Hayfords pulled themselves from that regal palace and drove away, Dr Hayford asked his wife to t...

  The term “glory” refers to the visible splendor or moral beauty of God ’s manifold perfections.   The “glory” of God is the exhibition of his inherent excellence; it is the external manifestation of his internal majesty. To “glorify God” is to declare, draw attention to, or publicly announce and advertise his glory. Piper explains that:   “another term which can signify much the same thing is ‘the name of God.’ When Scripture speaks of doing something ‘for God’s name’s sake’ it means virtually the same as doing it ‘for his glory.’ The ‘name’ of God is not merely his label, but a reference to his character. The term ‘glory’ simply makes more explicit that the character of God is indeed magnificent and excellent. This is implicit in the term ‘name’ when it refers to God” (Desiring God, 227). Again, there are numerous passages that support this assertion. 1. Rom. 11:36—“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen...

Moses ’ Encounter with the Glory of God In Exodus 33, we have one of the most remarkable passages in the Old Testament concerning God’s glory, filled with as many enigmas as clarities. The context of the passage is the sin with the golden calf. While Moses has been on the mountain receiving the law, the people, under Aaron’s leadership, have indulged in false worship, either the worship of a false god or the worship of Yahweh in a false way. In either case, they break the first two commandments and deserve God’s judgment. They have broken the covenant (as indicated by Moses’ smashing the tablets of the law ).  The Levites respond to the call to come to “the LORD’s side” (Ex. 32: 26). They execute God’s judgment on their brothers and sisters. In his continuing anger, God also sends a plague on Israel (Ex. 32: 35). In a word, the continuing covenant relationship between God and his people is thrown into question. Will God continue to be with his people as they travel tow...

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. [Rom. 11:36] Why did God create the world? One of the most foolish answers advanced is that God was lonely and needed someone with whom to have fellowship. The doctrine of the tri-unity of God utterly opposes any such idea. God has eternal fellowship within himself, and has no need to create anything. Creation results completely from his sovereign will. Others said the purpose of creation was to prepare the way for redemption: God created it and predestined the fall of humanity so Jesus could redeem the world. This notion looks pious, since it focuses on Jesus and his work, but it is inadequate to explain God’s purpose as the Bible sets it out. Looking at Genesis 1, some have said that the purpose of creation was to provide a world for human glory and happiness—that humanity is the crown of creation so that the world was made just for people. This distorts the truth that humanity was created...

When we discuss God’s glory there are basically two ways we can speak. First, God’s essential glory: the sum of his attributes makes him the “God of glory” (Acts 7:2). His glory is the “sparkling of the deity.” God’s life lies in his glory, and his glory cannot increase or decrease, for his glory is infinite, unchangeable, eternal, etc. This glory belongs to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit because each person shares in the divine essence. Second, there is a glory which is ascribed to God in terms of what his creatures aim to bring to him (1 Chronicles 16:29). This latter glory has in view our praise, worship, obedience, delight, etc., as we keep the name of the Lord holy in all that we do (Matthew 6:9). In terms of God’s essential being, we must acknowledge that, even apart from sin, human beings cannot behold the glory of God and live. The triune God’s infinite glory is too high, illustrious, and marvellous for us. It is utterly beyond our powers, and even a small drop of his gl...