Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | July 15, 2023
When the Lord’s Supper is a Lifestyle When embarking on this memorial meal, I submit to you that when we partake of the emblems, we are doing more than remembering Christ who “bore our sins in his body” (1 Peter 2:24). We are called to imitate Christ. Go back to 2:21 – “for you were […]
PHall | July 15, 2023
Is my new creation like this old creation? By going back to the old creation in Genesis 1:1-3, we find this progression: 1. God is the creator who brings into existence something out of nothing (1:1). 2. Creation begins with chaos, being formless, empty, and dark…and yet God’s Spirit is there providing hope for the […]
PHall | July 15, 2023
When creating, notice that God is speaking to the environment from which He is bringing life: • God speaks to the earth – Genesis 1:11) Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation”. • God speaks to the water and sky – Genesis 1:20) Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and […]
PHall | July 15, 2023
“That’s not fair”. It is hard to not feel that the punishment from God dealt to the young prophet was a raw deal (1 Kings 13). 1. God told the young prophet not to eat, so he didn’t. 2. The old prophet lied to the young prophet saying God told him he could eat. 3. […]
PHall | July 15, 2023
A – NEGATIVE EFFECT INWARD AND OUTWARD: 42) “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away —• Contrast between tempting and few. B – PRESENT PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT FOR FAILING: it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into […]
PHall | July 15, 2023
“Salted with fire” (Mark 9:49) is a notoriously hard saying of Jesus. Context can help. Before this difficult text (Mark 9:42-50), there is a scene whose imagery lends the metaphors of fire and water. A demon possessed son is being tossed into the water and fire (Mark 9:22). The father asks Jesus to have compassion […]
PHall | June 27, 2023
Why do people cheat on their spouses? One common activator is suffering a trauma such as the death of a parent or friend, a diagnosis of terminal disease, or anything that makes them numb and wanting to feel alive again. They ask themselves, “Is this all there is?” Here again we find the gospel […]
PHall | June 27, 2023
Monogamy in the past was being true to one person for life. Now it is one person at a time. Divorce in the past was due mostly to someone being unhappy with the person they married. Now it is often due to someone thinking they could be happier with someone else. Society has lost the […]
PHall | June 27, 2023
We live in a chaotic world, but this is nothing new under the sun. Even the writer of Ecclesiastes was troubled by the meaningless he witnessed (1:2-3). Here are three responses to witnessing so much meaningless: 1. Atheism – Aldus Huxley “The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively […]
PHall | June 27, 2023
Learning how to study is enhanced by seeing structures within written material. This helps me better understand the text. It is a myopic view to suggest there can only be one way to organize a text. For example, “there they crucified him” (Luke 23:33; John 19:18) can have different emphases based upon which word […]