Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | May 31, 2019
The woman is a believer, but her husband is not – or else is not a faithful believer (1 Peter 3:1ff). And what example does Peter give for the woman to pattern her behavior after? Sarah and Abraham – A power couple of the covenant of faith!Sarah and Abraham? Wasn’t he a believer? Isn’t his […]
PHall | May 31, 2019
A congregation can get a lot done organizationally without elders. Ironically that encourages groups to think, “We’re doing fine without elders.” Sadly too many – including elders – see their job as simply organizing. Having been an elder, organizing is often best handled by delegating most of that to deacons and other servants. As one […]
PHall | May 31, 2019
The phrase “the law of liberty” (James 2:12) has always intrigued me, possibly because of being unsure what it meant. Contextually it is connected to several thoughts (James 2-13):1. The law of liberty is chiastically connected to “the royal law”.2. The royal law is the 2nd Great Command. 3. Emphasis on “royal” shows this humanly focused […]
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 31, 2019
Can we have faith without works? That’s the apparent and common understanding of what James is saying in James 2. But could James be using sarcasm to show that if you actually say you have faith but works, you actually do not even have faith? Notice the language James uses and does not use:• James […]
PHall | May 26, 2019
I don’t like Revelation. Not because of what I don’t understand; but because of what I do. “Jesus wins” is the ultimate lesson. But that leaves out so much. Jesus wins unconventionally as a lion that is a lamb slain, that signifies how unconventionally Jesus wins – through suffering. But why must there be suffering? 1) Because there […]
PHall | May 24, 2019
I don’t know more about Revelation than I do know. Is it about Jerusalem? Is it about Rome? Often when presented with “either or” I have found “both and” to be more probable. What I do know is Jesus is victorious through suffering, and not through worldly power. So consider this oversimplified “both and” outline: [ […]
PHall | May 20, 2019
The “apostle of love” spoke eloquently, practically, and frequently of God’s agape love. God’s mind over emotion was learned by His children. His love was beyond conventional wisdom and appearance. John wrote deeply on love, that is, until his last writing, the Revelation. There, surprisingly, that divine word, with Jesus speaking it, appears only twice. […]
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
Acts is not just about how we are saved; it is about who can be saved. Acts has been coined, “the book of conversions”. If we learn how people are saved (by grace – 15:11); and when people are saved (in baptism – 2:38; 22:16); we’ve learned two central points…2 out of three. For some […]