Dr Paul Allen

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 – You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. For those who know the Lord Jesus and believe in His coming Kingdom, living on this fallen cursed planet can be very dark, discouraging, and disorienting. This longing for Home causes Christians to ask numerous questions. In the New Testament, there are parts of the Bible where the author answers questions that were sent to him by local church leaders on behalf of people in the church.  One example is 1 Corinthians. Throughout the letter, Paul frequently quotes directly from the letter he received from the Corinthians (e.g. 6:12, 6:13, 8:5, 10:23). He also notifies the reader of when he is transitioning from one topic to another with the simple phrase “now” t...

In Phil 1:28, Paul is encouraging the Philippian Christians to “conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” which means they will stand firm. The verb “stand firm” is modified by two phrases, “striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,” and “not being frightened by your opponents in any way.”  If our lives are to be worthy of the Lord, then we will stand firm in our faith, and that means we will be striving for the gospel with other believers while at the same time not being frightened by the opposition we will certainly encounter from this “warped and crooked generation” (Phil 2:15). But then Paul says, “This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved.” What does “this” refer to? What is the sign that we are being saved? What is the sign that they will be destroyed? ”This” refers not to anyone word but to both ideas, “striving side by side” and “not being frightened.”   When we persevere in our faith, wh...