Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | October 13, 2021
Freedom in Christ is never about freedom to ignore Christ but freedom to obey. Freedom in Jesus is never about freedom from obedience but freedom from perfection. Freedom in our Lord is never about freedom to sin but freedom from sin. When someone says Jesus sets them free, ask “Free from what?” I am free […]
PHall | October 8, 2021
TEXT: “Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (CSB’17 1 Thessalonians 4:8) DEVOTIONAL: Concerning the gospel, what is of “first importance” is Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Can we trust Paul on that? If so, concerning what is written, is there smething […]
PHall | October 7, 2021
Go to school, especially a humanities class in college, and you will hear the Bible ridiculed. A professor might even ask, “Why do believe in God?” Or, “Why do you think the Bible can be trusted as your authority?” Bluntly put, “Why are you a Christian?” Before giving your answer, listen to Peter’s rebuttal to […]
PHall | October 5, 2021
A few hundred years after the establishment of God’s kingdom through Jesus and the church, easy entrance into a local fellowship was considered dangerous to the church due to persecution. They could be letting in spies. Perspective Christians had to study for 3 years, which weeded out the unserious. That is understandable from a human […]
PHall | October 4, 2021
The son became everything the grandfather feared. We have no record of their previous relationship before that day that changed everything. The son was adopted by the grandfather’s daughter. The grandfather’s reaction to that one day suggests life was not familial in their house. I’m suggesting the grandson was tolerated, not accepted. The grandfather […]
PHall | October 1, 2021
Penance unintentionally says the cross is not enough. I need to punish myself. Repentance lays all our sins at the cross. Jesus is sufficient. This is where we need a proper response to experiencing guilt and shame when we dishonorably act. Weeping is good as seen with Peter (Mark 14). Weeping doesn’t wash my sins […]
PHall | October 1, 2021
It was 3:45 AM. Sunday. I woke up. My brain was going places I didn’t want it going. So I thought, “What was Jesus doing at this time on that 1st, 1st day of the week?” Waiting to return to his body? Waiting for the tomb to open so he could walk out of death […]
PHall | October 1, 2021
Two women were having a discussion about cooking roast. My contribution was staying silent. But my mind got fascinated with one offhand comment that shows how different our world today is: “Our pressure cooker lasted about 50 years. It was given to us as a wedding present.” Less significant to me is how things today […]
PHall | October 1, 2021
“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel… (CSB 1 Corinthians 1:17) When people today use this passage to discredit the place and importance of baptism, ironically they make the same mistake as the Corinthians but for a different reason. Paul’s actual defense of baptism shows that the Corinthians had […]
PHall | October 1, 2021
When Peter had nothing to say, he’d say something anyway (Mark 9:6). Being his brother, as brothers often are, I have wondered if Andrew was the opposite: 1) If Andrew had nothing to say, did he smartly say nothing? He definitely appears more restrained. 2) If Andrew had something to say, did he say the […]