Dr Paul Allen

  This segment of Eph 4 is verses 4–6, where Paul says, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” We can see that this passage is brought to us by the number 1; Paul is really emphasising the oneness of the body of Christ, the oneness of the church. Of course, this is an implication of much of the argument through chapters 2–3—Jew and Gentile being brought together [and] forming the one temple of God, the one building in which God would dwell by His Spirit. The Church as the Body of Christ So the oneness of God’s people has already been developed theologically. This is kind of a recap, emphasising the point in this chapter about the body of Christ. But it’s worth going through each of these elements that Paul lists. He says that “There is one body” in verse 4. In 1:22–23 he refers to Christ’s body as being the church, the people of G...

     By Rich Gregory Feb 11, 2025   I recently faced what should have been a “simple” plumbing repair. Those who have attempted such a repair know this statement is laughable, as there is never anything “simple” about “plumbing.” Those are two words that should never be put together. No matter how hard I pushed and pulled, the pipe assembly that needed replacement wouldn’t come apart. After looking up my problem on YouTube (which is what every good weekend warrior does when faced with a snag), I discovered that my issue could be resolved with a small plastic tool costing about $1.50. After my fifth trip to the hardware store that day, my problem was solved in five seconds flat. Without that tool, a self-inflicted flood was right around the corner, but armed with it, the job proved incredibly simple.   That principle – get the right tool for the job! – is transferable to the church. In Titus 1, Paul gave Titus what seems to be a relatively straightforward task: H...

Keith A. Mathison Why in the world should I care about theology?  All I need is the Bible.  I can follow Jesus without having to learn all kinds of obscure words. Have you ever heard another Christian say something like these statements? Have you ever said something like that yourself? Ever thought of such things? If so, you’re not alone.  The vast majority of professing Christians have little to no interest in theology. In the minds of many Christians, there is no necessary connection between theology and their everyday Christian life. Theology, they believe, is irrelevant. The disconnect between theology and the church and between theology and the Christian has had disastrous results. One need only look at recent polls examining the level of theological knowledge among professing Christians to know that something has gone awry.  When large numbers of professing Christians start telling their friends and family, “You just have to read The Shack! I learned so much ab...