Why do we believe in Pauline Christianity?

We believe that God has kept that promise. The apostle Paul was inspired to write and teach what he did, in total agreement with the teaching of Jesus Christ. He did not create a Pauline Christianity—though others, twisting his words, have indeed developed unbiblical versions of Christianity.

Was Paul’s Christianity the same as Jesus’Christianity?

Paul’s Christianity was the same as the Christianity of Jesus’ early followers. Throughout history there have been those who have rejected Paul’s writings. He was even opposed during his own lifetime according to his own writings.

Are We Pauline Christians worried about justification?

We were Pauline Christians and not one bit worried about it. I learned to think and believe and live in a Pauline fashion. Everything was filtered through Paul’s theology. Justification was the lens for the gospel, and life in the Spirit, the lens for Christian living.

Did Paul make “unpleasant contributions to Christianity”?

Had John or the other early apostles and leaders found that the apostle Paul had added “unpleasant contributions to Christianity,” surely they would have left his writings out. Let us express faith in the God who created all there is and rest assured that He had and has control of what He inspired His chosen writers to record.

What does Matthew 28 say about Jesus’ resurrection?

For example, Matthew 28 narrates the fact of Jesus’ resurrection, and 1 Corinthians 15 explains the significance of His resurrection. Mark 15:38 tells of the temple veil being torn in two when Jesus died; Hebrews 10:11-23 reveals the import of that event. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Gospels also inspired the Epistles to give us …

What does a skeptic say about the Bible?

Any time a skeptic finds a “disagreeable” doctrine in the Bible, he is likely to say, “That passage has been corrupted,” or, “Paul wrote that, and we know he was a liar.”. Where the Gospels teach a “Pauline” doctrine, such as Jesus’ atonement for sin in John 1:29, the skeptic dismisses it as “inserted by devotees of Paul.”.

What is Pauline Christianity?

Answer. Pauline Christianity is a term applied to what some perceive as the religious teaching unique to Paul’s writings and distinct from the gospel of Jesus. That is, Jesus taught one thing, and Paul taught something completely different. Those who believe in a separate Pauline Christianity believe that the Christianity …

What did Jesus teach the Jews?

In preparation for this, Jesus taught a message of unconditional love, tolerance, and non-judgmental acceptance of everyone.

Why did the Holy Spirit inspire the Gospels?

The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Gospels also inspired the Epistles to give us a fuller understanding of God’s plan of salvation. Jesus, a great teacher, considered himself to be the long-awaited Messiah for the Jews. He believed that God would overthrow Rome and bring His kingdom to earth.

What is the basis for a skeptic’s selective approach to Scripture?

In reality, the skeptic’s only basis for such a selective approach to Scripture is a personal bias against the idea of Jesus’ atonement. Interestingly, Paul’s credentials as an apostle were attacked, even in his own lifetime, by those who desired to lead the church into legalism and other errant ideologies.

Which Gospels are closer to Jesus?

5) The Gnostic Gospels are closer to the truth about Jesus than are the traditional four Gospels of the Bible.

Who launched this new thinking?

Much credit is given to Karen Armstrong, once a member of a Roman Catholic order, who has written quite prolifically on the topic of religion. She included this thinking in a TV series in the 1980s.

Do the Pauline epistles belong in the Bible?

A very well-known figure in New Testament studies, F.F. Bruce, wrote a book titled The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? In it he states the following:

What was Paul’s relationship with Jesus?

Wenham writes, “It is commonly assumed that from this point on Paul’s relationship to Jesus was that of a faithful follower. As a self-confessed ‘slave’ … he was very interested in the life and teaching of his master. He held Jesus in the highest regard and tried to base his own life and teaching on what he knew of Jesus. So it is supposed.

How many books of the New Testament did the early Church accept?

There are many who believe that the early Church had accepted the 27 books of the New Testament before the apostle John died in the 90s. Had John or the other early apostles and leaders found that the apostle Paul had added “unpleasant contributions to Christianity,” surely they would have left his writings out.

What did Jesus say about bread?

Jesus Himself said that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Paul was inspired to write: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

What does Luke record in Acts 9:10-16?

This same Luke records in Acts 9:10-16 how Christ showed Paul what things he must suffer for Christ’s name’s sake. Throughout the rest of the book of Acts Luke records the travels and the trials of Paul, including his interaction with many of the people his epistles are written to.

How long after the events of the first century can people begin to question the authorship of books?

It is quite staggering that, almost 2,000 years after the events of the first century, people this far removed can begin to question the authorship of books that have been accepted from the beginning.

What is Pauline Christianity?

Pauline Christianity – What is it? Pauline Christianity refers to the teachings of Christianity as expressed in the New Testament writings of the apostle Paul. The term is generally used by those who believe Paul expressed different teachings from the Gospel of Jesus and promote the idea that Paul’s Christianity is much different from the Gospel …

How many churches did Paul help to start?

He helped to start more than 20 churches, writing 13 letters in the New Testament in the process. He was also associated with at least Mark, Luke, Peter, James, and John, men who wrote many of the other books of the New Testament. Paul wrote and personally knew all or nearly all of the New Testament’s human authors.

Who rejected Paul’s teachings?

Ebionites and other early Christians who rejected Gentiles or freedom from the Law of Moses rejected Paul’s teachings or parts of them in the first century. Documents found in Alexandria from the second century and beyond confirm the existence of Gnostic writings that opposed parts of Paul’s writings …

What did Paul think of Jesus’ death?

As he rethought his understanding of his own Jewish religion, in this way Paul came to think that Jesus’ death and Resurrection must be the keys to salvation from one’s own sins, rather than just keeping the many laborious Jewish laws as he had been taught to follow as a boy.

What did Paul believe about the resurrection?

The Resurrection: On the day of his death, Paul finally understood Death as being a part of Everlasting Life, and then he found himself Resurrected in spirit, ready for an even greater experience within All-That-Is.

What did Paul expect from the Apocalypse?

The Apocalypse or End of Days: In Paul’s understanding of Jesus’ words about "the kingdom is at hand", he expected a Judgment Day that would condemn and remove the oppressors, wicked and sinful people and establish the "Kingdom on earth, as " ruled by the Messiah forever and ever . However, Paul felt that these views, among those disciples who had gone to Egypt, were just flat out "wrong". Thus these views became "heretical (non Orthodox or not approved of) in the Roman Catholic traditions that Paul, a Roman Jew, established.

What does the Bible say about salvation?

And … the word salvation in the Bible meant perfect health, harmony, and freedom, with all life, including your own.

What was Paul’s original sin?

Original Sin: In Paul’s belief system, disease and death were evil and thus were the result of the evils of "sin". In his time the belief that bad spirits in people, were what caused disease. In particular, for Jews, the cause would likely be disobeying The Law.

Why did Paul become a missionary?

Once Paul became convinced of all this, he became a missionary to spread this "good news" (the literal meaning of the word gospel) to others, believing that he himself was principally an apostle to the Gentiles, or "non-Jews".

Did Paul say that everyone is condemned to sin?

Paul also felt that everyone is condemned to sin by a cosmic power (original sin, if you wish) for this is an evil world, and thus no one is able to fulfill the righteous demands of the Law and live forever or be raised from the dead. Thus, there must be a better way – and this is it, since Jesus "cheated" death . Thus, as Jesus often talked of faith and belief, the key must be to have faith in this one who triumphed over evil.

What is justification in the Bible?

Justification was the lens for the gospel, and "life in the Spirit," the lens for Christian living. Then I went off to Bible college (now Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan) and majored in history while taking as many Bible courses as I could. Once again, Paul featured prominently.

What did Jesus preach about?

Many biblical scholars have noted that Jesus preached almost exclusively about the kingdom of heaven, while Paul highlighted justification by faith—and not vice versa. What gives?

Did Jesus preach justification?

Many biblical scholars and lay Christians have noted that Jesus preached almost exclusively about the kingdom of heaven, while Paul highlighted justification by faith—and not vice versa. Some conclude that they preached two different gospels. Others argue that really they both preached justification; still others say it’s all about the kingdom.

What was the Gospel of Paul?

The Gospel that Paul preached was The Gospel of the Grace of God. And was given to him by Jesus. This Gospel is all about what Jesus accomplished when He died on the Cross. Nothing else. If this Gospel had not been given to Paul, there would have been no understanding of what Jesus accomplished. Jesus didn’t tell His Disciples about the end result of His death, He told Paul. And this Gospel is for the whole world. Jew and Gentile alike. We are no longer the Law, but Under Grace.

What does Paul say about discipleship?

However, part of discipleship is learning correct doctrine, so I do not see that is being focused on following Paul rather than Jesus. Jesus, all of his disciples, and Paul were Jews, so Christianity is a Jewish religion, or at least was at its origin, which means that being closely tied to Judaism was not the problem with the Ebonites, but that they rejected the divinity of Jesus. If someone was joining a new religion, one of the first things that they would naturally be interested in learning was about what conduct would be expected of them, so it doesn’t doesn’t make sense for Gentiles to become followers of God, yet find the instructions He gave for how to follow Him and the example that Messiah gave for how to follow them to be unappealing, and neither should be impose that view on them.

Is Paul easier than Jesus?

People can gravitate toward Jesus or Paul depending on how long they’ve been obedient to the Lord. At first, much of what Jesus said is easy to understand (some is incomprehensible) and the Holy Spirit through Paul is difficult. As time passes the teaching that came through Paul becomes easier than the difficult teachings of Jesus. Later, Jesus’ difficult teachings are easier, and his originally-easier teachings take on new depth (which also happens with Paul’s teachings, too). This cycle can repeat itself. But as was said, all of the parts of Scripture are consistent with each other. "Paul’s teachings" were actually from God, even though we read them with a veneer of Paul’s experiences and personality. Paul was carried along by the Holy Spirit to write exactly what he wrote.

Is the OP attacking Paul?

The OP isn’t attacking Paul. I agree that some types of Christianity (particularly Protestant) have tended to use Paul to define Christianity, and have at least in practice downplayed Jesus’ teaching. You sometimes get the impression that teaching was just a way for Jesus to keep busy before the real business of being crucified happened.

Was Paul a false apostle?

Some claim that Paul was a false apostle and derailed Christianity . There are a lot of problems with this theory. Consider the many parallels between Paul’s theology and John’s: for instance, compare John 1 with Colossians 1. Peter has no conflict with Paul, and John Mark spent time with both of them. James may have had some disagreement with Paul, but it can easily be harmonized as just a different emphasis. The only non-Pauline early Christians were the Ebionites, who weren’t very successful, being too closely tied to Judaism and thus lacking appeal to gentiles. If you reject Paul, you reject most of Christianity, and there’s no clear way of knowing what to keep.

Who wrote the Acts of the Apostles?

The Acts of the Apostles was written by St. Luke. And it affirms St. Paul’s God-given authority to teach. Jesus taught that we should listen to the Apostles and to the Church.