Dr Paul Allen

Do unbelievers get a second chance at salvation after death? Can you explain 1 Peter 3:19–20 and 1 Peter 4:6, this idea that the gospel was preached to the dead? Some go so far as to imply second-chance salvation. Is there one?” I don’t have complete confidence that I know what Peter is referring to when he says that Christ in the spirit preached to those who are now in prison. Here’s what that verse says so everybody can be up to speed with us. Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which [that is, in that spirit] he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal ...

One recurring question regarding women in the church goes something like this:  What does the Bible say about women teaching and prophesying?  The follow-up question is usually, And what does that mean for us now? LET’S START WITH DEFINITIONS Teaching : Imparting truth to another person. The truth can be spiritual in nature, explaining things of God, but also practical in applying Gods word to life. Prophecy: A direct message from God, mediated through an individual and directed at a person or group, intended to elicit a specific response. As the spokesperson of God, a prophet held great spiritual authority with the people. Forthtelling: Exhorting the audience to obey God, encouraging them that God would save and provide for them. In the Old Testament, prophets were truth-tellers, often blended their speeches with foretelling and forthtelling.  In the New Testament, prophecy is listed as one of the most desired spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12) and is generally understood to ...

My very good friend, Pastor Kindah Greening tell me that the essential content of Christian preaching, the mystery of the gospel is simply  missing from our churches. The Apostle Paul writes that the preaching of the Word of God is seen in "the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations but has now been manifested to His saints" (Col. 1:26).  A mystery? All around Asia Minor and the ancient world at this time, there were mystery religions and mystery cults , and there were some who thought, especially from the Roman perspective, that Christianity was just another one of them. After all, it had its mystery. And Paul said, "Guilty as charged." Yet this is not a mystery of esoteric knowledge. This is not a gnosticism of elitist intellectuals. No, this is a mystery that was hidden by God until it could be publicly revealed in the incarnation of Jesus Christ , in His death, burial, and resurrection. This is a mystery! There is something de...

With our cultural analysis behind us, I would like to consider the role of preaching in a secular age , particularly preaching as a survival strategy for the church. Many today are reconsidering the role and nature of preaching, especially given the massive changes that now characterize our culture. All sorts of new plans and strategies have been created in order to reinvent preaching in light of demographics, sociology, and even management theories. But I want to posit that the only answer to our current crisis in preaching is to recall how many of our forebears approached the task of standing behind the “sacred desk.” In a secular age, preaching will be met with one of three responses.  First, we will find ourselves preaching in a context of hostility. This will not necessarily take the form of overt action. But, at least in the immediate future, much of this hostility will look like cultural marginalization. Those who listen to us will now do so by paying social capita...

My most influential mentor always told his charges that Bible teachers come to the text with one of two questions: either 1) “What can I say about this?” Or 2) “What does this say?” He saw these questions as a continental divide, and he urged us to be guided by the latter question. I completely agree. But “what does this say?” can be answered at various levels of depth. One fantastic little book on the Song of Songs , Ruth, Lamentations , Ecclesiastes , and Esther, a book in the NSBT series called Five Festal Garments , lasts 151 pages. This little volume says what those five Bible books say at a level of depth appropriate for 151 pages. But there are commentaries on every one of those five Bible books which are 200 pages plus. (Hey, there’s even a 500-page commentary on the tiny epistle to Philemon !) Is Five Festal Garments, then, “ dumbing down the Bible ”? How many times did this mentor of mine finish his own richly expository sermons without getting to the end of his notes? ...

Vertical is how we talk about godwardness, transcendence, holy moments, the reverent hush of the sanctuary. Horizontal describes handshakes, exhortations, brotherly affections, the cheerful chatter of the lobby. I am not altogether dissatisfied with these two words as a device to describe elements of corporate worship. But at times I find myself at a complete loss how to divide certain activities in our services. Which kind of moment is passing the communion bread? Should singing to God build up my neighbor? Can I worship while greeting or ushering? These two planes intersect in these remarkable words from John: If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20) John writes his first letter to help readers increase confidence in their faith (1 John 5:13). He weaves together these simple and profound tests for Christian legitimacy. One of the tests is affecti...

Sometimes it happens that preaching the Word is met with antipathy and resistance. Why? Because "the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:12a). And as the Lord spoke to His prophet Isaiah, "[My Word] will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire" (55:11b). Sometimes this means that God uses the Word to rebuke and correct His people. And it is the preacher who must speak that word and reap the response. Sometimes preachers are ejected and fired. That is simply one of the realities of pulpit ministry. And it is not just conflict and controversy. Sometimes, preachers experience persecution or even martyrdom. The man who wrote the letter to the Colossians was himself to be a martyr for the faith. In giving his final instructions to Timothy, he speaks of being poured out as a libation. He is ready to be offered as an offering. The sufferings of which he speaks in Colossians1:24 are going to be realized in ...

Dispute of Jesus and the Pharisees over tribute money (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Christ and The Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 12:38-42 "He answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah'" ( v. 39 ). A Christian and his friend, who did not know Christ , were discussing Jesus and His claim to be the only way to the Father ( John 14:6 ). The believer humbly shared the Gospel with his friend to no avail. "If only I could see Jesus do a miracle," the non-Christian said, "then I would believe Him." Such conversations have occured repeatedly throughout history, beginning with Jesus and the scribes and the Pharisees . In today's passage, these scholars, no doubt enraged at His harsh words about them ( Matt. 12:1-37 ), ask Jesus for "a sign" ( v. 38 ) - a miracle that unambiguously demonstrates the messianic anointing of Jesus. ...