Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | May 17, 2023
What Happened to Barsabbas After Not Being Chosen? After Barsabbas is not chosen to be an apostle, what happens to him (Acts 1:23-26)? If I am correct in making the following connections, we have much to learn from Barsabbas. First, let’s notice this man’s names: Joseph, Barsabbas, Justus. Barsabbas means, “Son of the Sabbath” (Acts […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
When considering if men are qualified to be shepherds, ask, “Do they live by the Beatitudes and Fruit of the Spirit?” If not, they do not have the right character to be chosen. When considering if we are qualified to decide who can be shepherds, ask, “Do we live by the Beatitudes and Fruit of […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
Jesus is the anointed one, or as usually translated, the “Christ” or “Messiah”. Anointing is the act of pouring “something” onto another, and in the OT was for a divinely given appointment. Mark likes to group events by three’s. Jesus’s anointing is no different. Twice Jesus is successfully anointed; but the third time is a […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
1 Timothy 2:8 (CSB) “Therefore, I want men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.” Why “without anger or argument”? Were the Ephesian men being corrected for some local problems within their spiritual family? Problem is though, Paul does not seem here to be correcting wannabe teachers (1:3,4,7) […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
Promiscuous sex is not a new sin. Tamar, Rahab, and the Corinthians all show this lustful weakness. Prostitution is not the oldest profession despite what some say. While the sin is not new, language describing it will always be expanding. For example, Rabab today would not be called a harlot. She’d be a hooker. […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
A totem pole here in Alaska had a surprising depiction – a bearded man with a cross on his cloak carrying a rifle. It was explained to me that totems were historical records. The rifle-wielding man was Russian Orthodox, here in Alaska to convert the Natives. The irony is, I too am here to evangelize. […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
One of my favorite biblical books is 2 Thessalonians. Do you know why it was written? Because the Thessalonians misunderstood 1 Thessalonians. So… 1. If people can misunderstand an inspired Paul, then people definitely can misunderstand me! I take comfort in that. 2 Thessalonians has another practical application we need to remember. 2. When we […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
I heard an argument that because of the “curse” in Genesis 3, it is possible that post-creation there are more than two genders or sexes. Here’s the number one argument against that – Jesus, when answering a question thousands of years after sin entered the world, applied a pre-curse statement from scripture to cover […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
The first letter to Timothy is filled with summations of the gospel in either scripture, saying, or song. I’ve challenged my thinking on how to find small, memorable, ways of saying this very big gospel. Traditionally many have summed up our response to the gospel in 5 words – Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Baptism. […]
PHall | May 3, 2023
If you closely examine 1 Timothy, there is a wonderful secret to solving issues and problems. This book revolves around these topics: Warning (ch.1), Worship (ch.2-3), Wisdom (ch.4), Widows (ch.5), and Wealth (ch.6). Interspersed throughout is this secret. What is the secret? Paul keeps including snippets and summations found in new “scripture”, sayings, and songs […]