Kurt,

You posted that you feel Paul made up his gospel, and it’s different than what Jesus taught. From your earlier posts and conversations, I understand, a little, about how you feel.

I wanted to share with you why that’s not the way I feel.

First, there’s Paul’s testimony about how he learned about the Gospel:

Gal 1:12-20 NET.  For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; instead I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.  (13)  For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 

(14)  I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.  (15)  But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased  (16)  to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from any human being,  (17)  nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus. 

(18)  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and get information from him, and I stayed with him fifteen days.  (19)  But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.  (20)  I assure you that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you!

He didn’t know what the Gospel message was, he was a strict Jew, until he learned about Jesus and his salvation by being taught by him for three years in the desert. I refer to this as Paul’s three years in Bible school.

After the three years, he went to Jerusalem and visited with Peter. If Paul was making up his Gospel Peter would be obligated to refute or correct him.

After 14 years, when Paul’s message was time tested, he returned to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus and no one corrected his Gospel message.

Gal 2:1 NET.  Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too.

Again, there was ample opportunity for others to correct Paul, but they didn’t, they accepted his Gospel as the same as there’s.

Gal 2:7-10 NET.  On the contrary, when they saw that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised just as Peter was to the circumcised  (8)  (for he who empowered Peter for his apostleship to the circumcised also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles)  (9)  and when James, Cephas, and John, who had a reputation as pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.  (10)  They requested only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.

By now, if Paul was making it up, Barnabas, Titus, James, Peter, and John would be making up a new Gospel also.

Luke also accepted Paul’s Gospel as real. Luke set out an orderly account of Jesus’s teachings and he didn’t accuse Paul of ‘making it up’.

Luk 1:1-4 NET.  Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,  (2)  like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning.  (3)  So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,  (4)  so that you may know for certain the things you were taught.

Luke continued his presentation of Jesus’ followers in Acts:

Act 1:1-5 NET.  I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach  (2)  until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 

(3)  To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.  (4)  While he was with them, he declared, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.  (5)  For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Luke went on to record the best account we have of the Acts of the Holy Spirit, and nowhere did he or any of the other eyewitnesses he interviewed ever contradict Paul and say that he was making it up.

Luke records the first Church Council meeting as follows:

Act 15:1-30 NET.  Now some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."  (2)  When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate with them, the church appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement. 

(3)  So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they were relating at length the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.  (4)  When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all the things God had done with them.  (5)  But some from the religious party of the Pharisees who had believed stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to order them to observe the law of Moses." 

(6)  Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate about this matter.  (7)  After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that some time ago God chose me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message of the gospel and believe.  (8)  And God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,  (9)  and he made no distinction between them and us, cleansing their hearts by faith.  (10)  So now why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?  (11)  On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are." 

(12)  The whole group kept quiet and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 

(13)  After they stopped speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.  (14)  Simeon has explained how God first concerned himself to select from among the Gentiles a people for his name.  (15)  The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written,  (16)  'After this I will return,

         and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David;

         I will rebuild its ruins and restore it,  (17)  so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord,

         namely, all the Gentiles I have called to be my own,' says the Lord, who makes these things  (18)  known from long ago.  (19)  "Therefore I conclude that we should not cause extra difficulty for those among the Gentiles who are turning to God,  (20)  but that we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things defiled by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled and from blood.  (21)  For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times, because he is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath." 

(22)  Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to send men chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, leaders among the brothers, to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.  (23)  They sent this letter with them:

         From the apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, greetings!  (24)  Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from us and have confused you, upsetting your minds by what they said,  (25)  we have unanimously decided to choose men to send to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul,  (26)  who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (27)  Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas who will tell you these things themselves in person.  (28)  For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules:  (29)  that you abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from doing these things, you will do well. Farewell. 

(30)  So when they were dismissed, they went down to Antioch, and after gathering the entire group together, they delivered the letter.

Now we have the whole church in Jerusalem (probably including at least some of the 12 apostles) listening to Paul and Barnabas tell of the miracles God preformed via their message and the number of Gentiles that were accepting Jesus’ death on the cross in their behalf. None of them corrected Paul, telling him he was making all of this up out of his head.

Added to this list of witnesses I accept the judgement of the early church fathers and the hundreds of people in that first century that knew what Jesus taught and what Paul taught and they didn’t see any difference nor did they accuse Paul of ‘making it up’.

The later church fathers, and the ones that created the cannon, didn’t accuse Paul of making his Gospel up out of his head.

If we can’t take the testimony of the local people that saw Jesus and heard Paul as true, then it seems to me that we cannot trust anything from history.

So, again, here is my reasons for taking Paul at his word, the other I witnesses accepted his word as true and therefore so do I.

I hope this helps.

Kurt,

Here are some thoughts for consideration.

First, it’s common knowledge that if two people don’t agree on the facts, then they cannot agree on the solution. It just doesn’t work that way.

Here are some of my facts:

• ·       Jesus is the Son of God

·       The Bible (in its original form) was inspired by the Holy Spirit, as men were moved along.

2Ti 3:16  All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw His majestic splendor with our own eyes when He received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to Him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."

We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. (2Pe 1:16-21 NLT)

• ·       Jesus does not contradict himself in the instructions he has given us. All of his teachings MUST fold together into one consistent whole.
• 
  

The biggest problem with our conversations is we don’t agree on the above facts. Until we can agree on the facts there is no use trying to agree on conclusions.

Based on the above facts, my facts, the following conversation from John 3 speaks directly to our recent online messages.

Joh 3:1-21 NLT  There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.  (2)  After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You." 

(3)  Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." [See it in operation here on earth nor be a member of that Kingdom, and have eternal live as in vs 15]

(4)  "What do You mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"  (5)  Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 

(6)  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.  (7)  So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'  (8)  The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." 

(9)  "How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked.  (10)  Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things?  (11)  I assure you, We tell you what We know and have seen, and yet you won't believe Our testimony.  (12)  But if you don't believe Me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 

(13)  No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man [who lives in heaven] has come down from heaven.  (14)  And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,  (15)  so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. 

(16)  "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  (17)  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. 

(18)  "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son.  (19)  And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  (20)  All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.  (21)  But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. "

Here is where it’s said also:

Joh 14:6  Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.

1Jn 5:1 Everyone who really believes that Jesus is the Christ proves himself one of God's family. The man who loves the Father cannot help loving the Father's own Son. (Phillips)

[Peter said] Act 4:12  There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."

And the list of verses goes on and on, and on and on.

There is no contradiction in Jesus’s teaching about how one becomes a child of God. Whatever other verses one might consider, they must also agree with these.

This purpose/action by God is summed up as follows:

Co 5:16  16-21 This means that our knowledge of men can no longer be based on their outward lives (indeed, even though we knew Christ as a man we do not know him like that any longer).

For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether - the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new. All this is God's doing, for he has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ; and he has made us agents of the reconciliation.

God was in Christ personally reconciling the world to himself - not counting their sins against them - and has commissioned us with the message of reconciliation. We are now Christ's ambassadors, as though God were appealing direct to you through us. As his personal representatives we say, "Make your peace with God."

For God caused Christ, who himself knew nothing of sin, actually to be sin for our sakes, so that in Christ we might be made good with the goodness of God. (Phillips)

That last sentence is what I call the GREAT EXCHANGE. God took the sinless Christ and poured our sins on him, then he took the righteousness of Christ and poured that into us.

My standing advice is, “If you can find a better deal than that, by all means take it.”

I’m learning this week from our study of Luke 6:

Luk 6:39  And Jesus told them this parable: "One blind man cannot lead another one; if he does, both will fall into a ditch.

Luk 6:40  No pupils are greater than their teacher; but all pupils, when they have completed their training, will be like their teacher.

To me this says, we must be very careful who we choose as our teachers because we are becoming like our teachers.

Justified by Faith Alone (Paul and James)

In a recent email, you suggested that I wanted to change James’s phrase “faith without works is dead” to something of my own making.

The purpose of this blog post is to show how I understand that Paul and James do not contradict each other about how salvation is by faith alone. If we have justifying faith, it will show up in our lives (sometime) and if it doesn’t then it was dead in the first place.

Faith is ....

There are a set of words that stretch my mind.  Faith is one of these words.  Over the years I have developed a working definition for most of my mind stretching words and here is my working definition of faith.

Faith is accepting someone else's description of my current circumstances and acting on that description as if it is true.

Can We Live Like That?

The past few weeks I’ve been in two different Bible studies (at two different churches) that are both going through the book of Ephesians chapter 4 at about the same pace. This chapter is a raw rubber-on-the-road chapter! I’ve been studying this chapter in the Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Here are some highlights that have impressed me:

The War of Worldviews

In the middle of a Wednesday afternoon this video came up on the side of my screen, and I stopped what I was doing and listened to Dr. Albert Mohler describe the Christian Worldview as compared to every other worldview we know of.

His parting statement is that faith, faith in Jesus, is all that stands between us and eternal loss.

It's powerful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F-n6RwHqOo

The Wisdom of God

It seems to me that these verses are a perfect fit for our conversations about how great God is and how wise he is. Our only job is to recognize his wisdom. The world has been here 13.5 billion years, according to our scientists, we only have 60-80 years to recognize that the heavens declare the glory of God, and that Jesus loves us enough to die in our place. - Amazing!