Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | August 23, 2019
You know the story. God’s son is born into an oppressive world, including the king trying to kill him. There is a famous scene between the murderous king and wise men. These wise men showed their fealty to their king. They did this by using gifts they had, that others did not. You remember what […]
PHall | August 16, 2019
4 Directions of the Gospel to Stay on CourseThe gospel has a history – MatthewThe gospel has a challenge – MarkThe gospel has a compassion – LukeThe gospel has a theology – John None of the above exhausts how each writer explores the gospel of Jesus. What my synopsis does is focus on the beginning of […]
PHall | August 2, 2019
Can you keep one hand from knowing what the other is doing (Matthew 6)? Common sense says “no”. And common sense tells you the other time Jesus uses “hand” in the Sermon on the Mount, He isn’t being literal then either. Remember that the next time someone says Jesus literally commands us to cut off […]
PHall | July 26, 2019
There are days I wish I could spend doing nothing else than seeing the structures, including the chiastic structures, within the Bible. (ASV) A – TIME CREATED: 1) In the beginning B – PHYSICAL DUALITY: God created the heavens and the earth. C – DISORDER: 2) And the earth was waste and void; D – […]
PHall | July 25, 2019
Fundamental Misunderstandings of the Golden Rule Do we have a fundamental misconception of one of Jesus’s fundamental “rules”?“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is another way of phrasing the 2nd Great Command – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The difference between them is “love” is worded as action – “do”. First […]
PHall | July 19, 2019
Before reading the text understand the following:1. A disciple is a student. 2. Students are taught.3. Students are taught what the teacher teaches.4. Teachers teach what they are authorized to teach.All of that is straight forward. Students in a math class are taught math, not biology; that’s what the teacher is paid to teach. Again straight […]
PHall | July 15, 2019
Bookends of Matthew:The beginning is the end, Immanuel means “God with us” and Jesus concludes with, “I am with you.” So are there other connections between Matthew 1 and 28?1. Beginning: Jesus as the Son of Abraham/David vs End: Jesus as the Son of God.2. Beginning: Jesus the descendant of those “Fathered”, although not fathered […]
PHall | May 31, 2019
Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” (CSB)Is Jesus saying we cannot be forgiven unless we forgive? Yes! But do we know why? Let’s go beyond the theological debates and get […]
PHall | May 1, 2019
Becoming accustomed through familiarity can cause us to stop thinking. Seeing over and over again – through countless sermons, and even refrigerator magnets – Jesus begin the Lord’s Prayer with “Our Father”; we have become accustomed to the shock: the Almighty Creator, the Omnipotent, Omniscient, the All-everything is “our Father.” But have we missed something […]
PHall | April 29, 2019
When instituting the Lord’s supper during the Passover, did Jesus give any emphasis or meaning to using one container? Admittedly, there is no doubt Jesus used a physical cup, just Jesus used a table (Matthew 26:20). Both a table and cup are used in 1 Corinthians, where Paul uses them metaphorically (i.e. employing metonymy), meaning […]