Dr Paul Allen

Why is the great “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11 so amazing? Answer: It speaks of faith.  “What is faith?”  It might seem like this little word faith, so familiar to every Christian, would be easy to define. It occurs all over the Bible; various forms of it are used nearly one hundred times in the gospel of John alone.  But what is faith? Often, Hebrews 11:1 is cited as a definition of faith. In the ESV, it reads, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Though this might sound like a definition of faith, New Testament scholar J. Gresham Machen is likely right when he says that Hebrews 11:1 gives us more of a description of faith than a definition of faith.1 In the New Testament, faith is often referred to as the subjective means by which the people of God receive the Word and blessings of God. But it is also used to describe the content of what God has revealed in His Word and in the gospel in particular.  In Jude 3, for in...

Romans 14:13-14 – Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.  I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. As we come to this passage in Romans, we realize that, when trying to be a Christian living in a godless culture, there are three ways we can approach things – receive, redeem, or reject. Let’s start with receiving. There are many parts of culture and our world that we just receive and are ok with. I’ll give you an example – air conditioning. I’ve read the whole Bible; I can’t find air conditioning and I don’t care. I’m still for it, and you should be too. Let me put it to you this way. Go outside, turn on your grill to full heat, and climb inside. That’s Australia in the summer. I call December the beast, the false prophet, and the Antichrist. You may do some historical work and figure out...