Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | October 1, 2012
In Acts 20:7 when Luke discusses Paul speaking, the Greek is dialegomai suggesting Paul’s “preaching” (KJV) is more like our “teaching.” We can learn the meaning of a word both through its denotative and connotative definitions. First, look up dialegomai in a lexicon and it is denotatively defined as “to say thoroughly” (Mickelson) and “1. to […]
PHall | September 29, 2012
The core of any belief, if right, can withstand the interpretation of any verse, if right. The conflict comes when they contradict. The question then becomes, “Is my core belief wrong?” or “Is my interpretation of this verse wrong?” To casually throw off our interpretation without reinvestigating our core is as fruitless as to casually […]
PHall | September 27, 2012
Jesus is beginning more than a religious movement; He is laying the foundation for a righteous movement. Reaching backwards to Judaism and forwards to Christianity His words still move more than any others, transforming the way people think and act. Religious movements trying to transform Christianity often focus as much on forms as do those […]
PHall | September 26, 2012
Religious people love impugning the Pharisees for three reasons. One, it is universally agreed that the Pharisees were wrong, which makes their denouncement both unanimous and safe. Two, the sins of the Pharisees are overtly obvious to us today, making them easy targets for denunciation. Three, never are we guilty of the same misguided attitudes, […]
PHall | September 25, 2012
Right in the middle of instructing concerning spiritual gifts (1 Cor.12,14), Paul speaks most eloquently of love (1 Cor.13). Right in the middle of speaking of love (13:1-8; 13:13), Paul speaks of spiritual gifts (13:8-12). Did Paul just get disorganized or go on a tangent? This might be an example of chiastic structure. A – […]
PHall | September 25, 2012
In the Sermon, Jesus specifically mentions the Pharisees once (Mt 5.20). Yet they are the unnamed religious “elephant in the room” lurking behind the most damning descriptions. “You have heard” (5.21,27,31,33,38,43) is about the Pharisees as teachers. Their opinionated applications became God’s law. “Hypocrites” (6.2,5,16; 7.5), people wearing “false faces,” is how Jesus describes their […]
PHall | September 23, 2012
Implied within each Beatitude is the unnamed benefactor of blessing – God. Such an obvious point must be made to us believers; it is so easy to forget what is obvious, and to take for granted what we know is true. That God is our blessed benefactor can be seen in the beatitudes themselves, in […]
PHall | September 13, 2012
A Resurrection-less Christianity. Satan has excised the centrality of resurrection from Christianity. First, by deceiving people into believing Jesus was only metaphorically resurrected therefore removing Jesus’ physical resurrection (Jn.20.27). Second, by removing resurrection from 1) the act and 2) purpose of baptism through removing immersion as a physical symbol of resurrection (Col.2.12). Third, by removing […]
PHall | September 11, 2012
Each day I mourn all my deathly sins. Today I mourn deaths caused from false religion. Today I mourn Bin Laden had to be assassinated for his crimes. For eternity God mourns Bin Laden has to be damned for sins. Today I mourn my sins are equal to Bin Laden’s. Blessed are those who mourn, […]
PHall | September 1, 2012
Humans live a non-divine form of “incarnation.” Jesus came to this existence to live as we do, dual beings, flesh and spirit – “God with us.” Just the name Immanuel, “God with us” suggests a partnership in duality. Our spirits are embodied in flesh (the meaning of incarnate); both claiming ownership as “I” as God […]