Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | July 3, 2018
John 7:24: “Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment” (CSB). Ironically, I wonder if people today are not judging righteously what Jesus meant here? I wonder if people – you and me – too often interpret actions of others outwardly; meaning we have a surface, outward, understanding of both their […]
PHall | May 31, 2018
Jesus was narrow-minded. If that doesn’t sound like the Jesus you have heard about, keep reading. Jesus was narrow-minded about the Law. He believed it could be understood (and misunderstood – Matthew 22:29), that truth was accessible, and should be applied (Luke 10:26-27). Post-modernists don’t only exist in secular circles. Jesus was narrow-minded against raising […]
PHall | May 21, 2018
In John 9 Jesus anoints a blind man’s eyes with mud, then tells him to go to the pool of Siloam to wash. Which of the following is true: 1. The man was healed immediately without washing because he believed. 2. The disciples argued that if the man went and washed that would be a […]
PHall | May 21, 2018
Lessons from Jesus attending the wedding in Cana: 1) Take time out of your schedule to spend with people because work is not more important; 2) You never know when an opportunity to glorify God will occur so be ready to take advantage of it; 3) While not technically a prayer, for us today don’t […]
PHall | May 21, 2018
When Jesus healed someone, including from death itself (Luke 7:11-15), He almost always touched the person (John 9:6) or at least spoke (John 5:8). Early writings by Christians (Tertullian, Ambrose, etc.) rightfully made comparisons between these physical healings and our spiritual healing received in baptism. One of the common references was to the blind man […]
PHall | May 21, 2018
I am always looking for different and deeper ways to teach on baptism: Jesus died on the cross and three days later was resurrected while still hanging on the cross. While everyone knows that is not accurate history, it is an accurate description of how many preach the gospel. But it has not always been […]
PHall | May 21, 2018
In John 2, Jesus turns the water into wine. While most of the time the discussion turns to whether the wine was alcoholic or not, we miss a truly beautiful lesson. The water was used for purification (2:6). The jars which had contained water were used for purification. When refilled this is what was turned […]
PHall | May 4, 2018
I am always looking for different and deeper ways to teach on baptism: Jesus died on the cross and three days later was resurrected while still hanging on the cross. While everyone knows that is not accurate history, it is an accurate description of how many preach the gospel. But it has not always been […]
PHall | January 27, 2018
Nothing Jesus did should have caused alarm; Moses, Elijah, Elisha and others likewise performed miracles. And yet, after Jesus cured a blind man he claimed, “Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind.” (John 9:32). Nothing Jesus taught should have caused consternation; all the prophets taught […]
PHall | January 27, 2018
Luke presents John the Baptist as the descendant of Aaron the High Priest (Luke 1). The apostle John presents the Immerser as saying, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Thought of in this way, […]