Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | January 28, 2015
Some believe “obedience to the truth” (1 Peter 1:22) refers to baptism. Although the word “baptism” is not mentioned in 1:22, why might such be true? One reason is the connections between this passage and 1 Peter 3. A second reason is it is also believed most of 1 Peter is a baptismal sermon. And […]
PHall | January 27, 2015
In “comparing” the violent passages in the Koran with the “violent” passages in the Bible, some will quote Jesus, “Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Mt.10:34 HCSB). Problem is, Jesus is not the one wielding the sword. Jesus’ disciples are […]
PHall | January 27, 2015
Pain brings rash words. That is the explanation – or rationalization – of Job to Eliphaz (Job 6.3). He does what is so easily and commonly done; He blames God: “Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks of their poison. God’s terrors are arrayed against me” (Job 6.4). Job’s physical […]
PHall | January 25, 2015
When something is wrong, you fix it. Negatively, you remove what is bad or corrupting. Positively, to correct what is wrong, you restore what is right. Think about that, no one would disagree; and yet when it comes to the Bible somehow the rules change. So the point of this lesson is simple: To correct […]
PHall | January 22, 2015
Waking up with something physically wrong with my right eye, I thought it was a stye. Hourly, my face’s right side deteriorated. Only 20 years old, I called home panicking and frightened. The entire right side of my face was becoming paralyzed. While traumatic, it was compounded by the fact I was considering becoming a […]
PHall | January 22, 2015
1 Peter and Jesus #4 – There are many hints within this epistle of Peter’s walk with Jesus. This next one shows how Peter continued to walk with Jesus after His incarnation ended, learning from Jesus continually. In Acts 10:9-16 Peter receives a vision of unclean animals from the “Lord.” Usually in Acts, “Lord” (Acts 10:14) […]
PHall | January 21, 2015
1 Peter and Jesus #3 – There are many hints within this epistle of Peter’s walk with Jesus. Without going into details, just see how memorable Peter’s last days as recorded in John 20-21 are as they find echoes in 1 Peter 1: • Phaneroo 1 Peter 1:20; 5:4; John 21:1,4 • Resurrection of Jesus […]
PHall | January 21, 2015
The command to “be sober” is used several times in reference to our mental state, and not directly to alcohol. However, the statement finds power because of the known effects of alcohol on the mind, affecting speech, thinking, and judgment. This means people can allow the frivolities of the world to inflict upon their minds […]
PHall | January 19, 2015
1 Peter and Jesus #2 – There are many hints within this epistle of Peter’s walk with Jesus. After Jesus told the parable of the Sower, His apostles asked why He spoke in parables. Included in the answer was, “For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see […]
PHall | January 15, 2015
The master teacher Jesus chose the dialectic method of stories, commonly called parables. Why did Jesus choose this medium? Maybe because He was a living parable, quaintly defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” Isn’t that exactly what Jesus was…an living, breathing, suffering and dying, earthly story with a heavenly meaning?