Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | May 12, 2021
“You have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). Paul wrote that simple statement although many good-hearted religious folks will say the exact opposite, “You cannot fall from grace.” It is a reality, but do we grasp the immediate meaning? Paul is not writing about people who give up and go back to the world. Yes, they […]
PHall | May 11, 2021
Can a church scripturally exist and operate without elders? If your congregation does not have elders, this is a question that comes up. Let’s look at Acts 1 for the answer. Judas is dead, abandoning his post. That post is called an episkopē (Acts 1:20) from which we get “overseer”. As the apostles were […]
PHall | May 7, 2021
A Praying Commentary – 1 Thessalonians 3:1,5 – Better to Be Left Behind than to Leave Behind PRAYER: Dear God, let us examine ourselves to see if we care enough about others to check on them before it is too late and the tempter has won them over. May they know our concerns are about […]
PHall | May 6, 2021
While Matthew 28:19 is often recited 28:19 before baptizing, Galatians 3:28 was possibly a Pauline “baptismal statement”. Let’s add the other similar baptism statements by Paul. • Colossians 3:11 – In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. • 1 […]
PHall | May 5, 2021
No one has figured out exactly what is the problem in Colossae. I am smart enough to know I am not smart enough to outsmart those smarter. Yes, I had fun writing that. So, I would like to tackle it from a different angle. Instead of looking only at Colossians or comparing Colossians to Ephesians, […]
PHall | April 27, 2021
Most agree division is wrong and happens too regularly and easily. This is true especially when not dealing with primary or gospel issues: Examples of such are: The 7 Ones of Ephesians 4. The resurrection of Jesus and ourselves in 1 Corinthians 15. Blatant moral deficiencies that leads to not inheriting the kingdom in 1 […]
PHall | April 10, 2021
The truth is, who speaks the truth matters too much. If we respect or just like the person, that matters too much also when it comes to accepting truth. If we are part of the same religious “tribe”, that matters too much in determining truth. We all have experienced that the WHO matters too much. […]
PHall | April 10, 2021
Traditional or Modern Worship? “Is your worship service traditional or contemporary?” That question was asked of me recently. My answer? “Our worship is ancient. It is acapella.” That answer intrigued him. I went on to explain that instruments of music were used in worship of God in the temple and not elsewhere in the OT. […]
PHall | April 10, 2021
If honoring, pleasing God, and being saved by God is as one-dimensional as some make it, the NT would have ended before anyone wrote the many epistles telling churches and Christians they were messing it up. Yes, it is love, except we don’t know how to love so the Father instructs us. Yes, it is […]
PHall | April 8, 2021
Like reverse engineering, we can take the book of Galatians and learn how people persuade others to follow false teaching: Discredit Leader (1:1) – Paul immediately defends his apostleship because one way to dissuade people from believing what they already believe is to discredit those who teach it. Beware of those who insult and smear […]