Why Paul? Are Paul’s teachings any different from what the 12 Apostles taught? PART ONE
Answers to Bible Questions
For more reading about Paul, visit here
SCRIPTURES ARE FROM THE KJV OF THE BIBLE, BECAUSE IT IS MORE IN LINE WITH THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE OF THE HEBREW, AND GREEK.
I will be writing a series of shorter articles about our question concerning Paul. I want to give you more time to study these shorter articles, so you don’t get bored with too much information. This article will be PART ONE about Paul. More will follow.
(Q) Why Paul? Are Paul’s teachings any different from what the 12 Apostles taught?
(A) Before I begin this article, I want to make a few things clear. First, please understand that I do not put the Apostle Paul above our Lord Christ Jesus. I never have done that, and I never will do that! The reason I mention this is because a lot of people I talk to about the Apostle Paul, think I am putting him above our Lord, Christ Jesus. That is not true!
Second, I will be talking a lot about Paul, and his teachings in this article, but I am going to show you why I do that. My view is the same as God’s view, about our Apostle Paul. I do not make up thing about Paul, I only show you what God Himself say’s about Paul in the scriptures. The question is; will you believe what God is telling us through, and about Paul? Your eternal destiny may depend on your answer!
Third, when we study the scriptures, we should always interpret them literally whenever possible. Why; because if God did not mean what He said, then how can anyone else possible know what God meant. Can some theologian or some minister read God’s mind. No, so don’t let anyone tell you “God did not mean what He said.” If you think God did not mean what He said, then you can make it say anything you want, according to your own interpretation. Theologians and ministers try to tell us that they are the only ones who can properly interpret scripture, because they have been trained to do so in our seminaries and universities. God does not agree with that, and neither do I! Read I Corinthians 1:18-31, and I Corinthians 2:6-16.
SO WHY PAUL?
I Corinthians 14:37-38: 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Why is Paul making such a bold statement here? Who does Paul think he is? Let’s find out!
Romans 11:13: 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: Paul says he is the Apostle of the Gentiles. So who made him the Apostle of the Gentiles?
Listen to what God told Ananias about Paul: “He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake,” Acts 9:15-16. In Acts 26:17, in his defense before King Agrippa, Paul says that he was sent to the Gentiles by God.
I Timothy 2:7: 7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
Galatians 1:10-12: 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
So Paul is getting his authority from whom? Yes, from God Himself! Maybe we need to be listening more to what Paul has to say to the Gentiles! You see, most of us today are Gentiles!
Can there be any question when we allow the plain words of Scripture to speak for themselves? Christ came to Israel. (“He came unto His own, and His own received him not,” John 1:11). His disciples were sent only to Israel, Matt. 10:5-6. Peter preached only to Israel, Acts 2 with a message straight out of the prophetic books. Paul never says he was sent to Israel, but he says or implies many times that he was sent to the Gentiles.
Paul was raised up because God instituted a whole new program with him. Prophetically, God’s next step should have been the Great Tribulation (70th week of Daniel’s prophecy, Dan. 9:24-27) to punish Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ. But instead we see God, in the person of the risen, glorified Lord, confronting Paul on his way to Damascus.
And what did the Lord Jesus Christ tell Paul that day? Did He tell Paul that he was going to be a messenger to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? No; Just the opposite. From the beginning, Paul was called specifically to be an apostle to the Gentiles-in keeping with God’s new program. Very few understand this about Paul, and yet it is very, very important to know about!
As we look at the scriptures about Paul, we can see that it is God Himself who is placing Paul up on a pedestal so to speak, and not any of us who teach the grace message given only to Paul. Paul was just a man, but Christ Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Christ is our judge, and He will be your judge as well! Take a look at this next verse from the book of Romans.
Romans 2:16: 16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. There Paul goes again; sounds like he thinks he pretty important, doesn’t it? Paul is just warning us that we are going to be judged by his gospel, because Paul’s gospel is different from the gospel of the 12 Apostle, which was for the Jewish nation of Israel.
II Timothy 1:11: 11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
Romans 15:16: 16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Are you catching hold of what I am showing you here? Paul is our Apostle today. PAUL IS OUR APOSTLE TODAY, BECAUSE (GOD) SAYS “HE IS THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES.” I understand most just don’t get it, because most have never heard these things before.
Before ending PART ONE of this series about Paul, I want to quote a scripture from II Corinthians 5:16 which says: 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Think about this scripture! That is where we will start PART TWO about Paul.
Have a good day!
Maranatha,
John