Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | October 30, 2016
Considering we are grandparents awaiting the birth of our grandchildren, with a touch of melancholy I asked my wife Janet, “How did we get to be this old?” She wisely responded, “One day at a time.” In reality, that is the answer for every “endgame” whether positive or negative. How our marriages will look in 10 […]
PHall | July 23, 2016
The most amazing aspect of Jesus’ ministry is not that He loved the sinner while hating the sin; or loved those who hated Him. After all, we shouldn’t really be amazed at anything Divinity can do because God is God. When I am amazed at God I am looking at him through my sinfulness. What […]
PHall | June 8, 2016
I love it when my mind gets turned upside down! Jesus’ statements about marriage being for life, with one exception, sounds very rigid – and it is. Jesus’ statement was in contrast to how Hillel and his followers interpreted Deut.24. The common interpretation made any female mistake a cause for dissolution. Basically marriage for the […]
PHall | January 7, 2016
There are several lessons in asking God for daily bread (Mt.6:11): 1) Dependence on God not self; 2) Childlike Trust in God’s care; 3) Contentment in basic needs versus wants and desires; 4) Contentment in what the body needs and not excess amounts; 5) Gratitude of all these lessons remembering manna and how at times […]
PHall | January 7, 2016
Amen. Commonly it is found at the end of statements (although the common understanding it means “the end” is not true). Jesus often sprinkled His language with Amen as seen in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus even did what was unusual and not common by beginning sentences with Amen (often translated “truly” or “verily”). […]
PHall | January 7, 2016
The Ten Commandments warn, “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain” (Ex.20:7). Jesus reasoned in the model prayer, “Holy is your name” (Mt.6:9). Paul writes, “The name of God is blasphemed…because of you” (Rom.2:24). This goes far beyond but includes how we speak: 1) Do we promise something in God’s name and renege? 2) […]
PHall | October 1, 2015
Jesus is a biological descendant of Terah, Abraham’s father. But Matthew does not go back to Terah; he starts with Abraham. The reason is Jesus is not a theological, spiritual, and covenant descendant of Terah, an idol worshipper. The covenant line begins with Abraham. Even those of us not biologically related to Terah and Abraham […]
PHall | September 23, 2015
If we could understand just one thing perfectly which would explain everything else, that one thing would be God. So when studying any part of the Bible, look for who and what God is. The devil is not the details; the details are about the Divine. That is why Jesus could say, “I desire mercy […]
PHall | June 18, 2015
If I was one of the Twelve, I wonder if I would have been included as part of the inner three. If not, I wonder how I would have handled the exclusion. Too many I fear would have quit, thinking “What makes Peter, James, and John so special?” This is asking, “Why not me?” or […]
PHall | February 2, 2015
I am a sinner; I am not a sinner. I am unworthy; I am worthy. My works are unrighteous; my works are righteous. What’s the difference? Notice the Messianic prophecy, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah” (Micah 5:2). Now notice the Messianic fulfillment, “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, […]