Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | April 26, 2014
Grace is often defined as “unmerited favor.” “Unmerited” does not mean the same as “unconditional.” “Unmerited” means you have not done anything in the past or present to deserve this gift. “Unconditional” means you have not done anything in the past or present to receive this gift. Merited means to earn. Conditional means requirements. To […]
PHall | April 26, 2014
An example of necessary implication: One night, my sons were in bed, talking. I told them, “Please go to sleep, thank you.” They continued talking, more quietly. I told them, “That means no more talking.” Did I originally say “no more talking?” No. Did I mean “no more talking?” Yes. They could have interpreted my […]
PHall | April 23, 2014
There are many warnings in the Bible not to be deceived which means: 1) we can be deceived; 2) we can therefore not be deceived. To not be deceived is to know the truth. Therefore the idea that “that’s just your interpretation” and “there are various interpretations” to justify an inability to understand is one […]
PHall | April 17, 2014
When congregations make decisions, especially about elders, it is important to have a consensus, as in Acts 6 when choosing servants. Too often, decisions are blocked by a minority, one or two or a few, who object not on scriptural grounds but for personal ones. The objection might even be disguised as being scriptural. And […]
PHall | April 17, 2014
Do people give excuses when doing what is right, or when feeling guilty and try to justify themselves to themselves and others? In the parable of the Talents (Mt.25:14-30), in the Greek, the righteous servants use 10 words to describe their obedience. The unrighteous servant uses 30. As translated in English (NASB; HCSB), both of […]
PHall | April 12, 2014
The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel? Ever hear of them? All kinds of theories, but this serves as an example of how people ignore the Bible in order to create theories to find followers. Plus, mysteries are always more intriguing than boring realities. So let’s make the 10 tribes disappear. Supposedly all the Northern Tribes […]
PHall | April 11, 2014
The 7 Ones of Unity (Ephesians 4:4-6): Can we redefine these as “important” instead of essential? Can we expand the biblical explanations to expand fellowship? The one most are willing to do this to is “one baptism.” As long as it is considered “important,” why, who, how, when, and all the rest are unessential. To […]
PHall | April 10, 2014
Every once in awhile people wonder where I am going with some of my ideas. Let me set forth a few of my guiding principles: 1) Scripture overrides tradition. 2) Unity overrides liberty. 3) Fellowship in Christ overrides doctrinal and liberty disagreements. 4) Love of people overrides love of personal preferences. 5) God’s law overrides […]
PHall | March 30, 2014
According to Paul’s use of Abraham and David (Rom.4), no one has been saved “under law” (Rom.6:14) and all have been saved by faith. Therefore to conclude the major difference between the Old and New Testaments is “law” becomes a misnomer. Therefore Romans is not giving a new way of salvation, but showing how everyone […]
PHall | March 30, 2014
We need to be more like some of the Pharisaic Judaizing Christians. Wait, what? In Acts 11 they complained about Peter associating with uncircumcised Gentiles. Then Peter explained to them what he had learned from God. “When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God” (Acts 11:18). These Pharisaic Judaizing Christians gave up […]