"Pauline" Christianity

[Christian2]

Ummm why are so many people against Paul's Teaching

I think a major problem is that Paul is hard to understand and people don't take the time to study his Scriptures.

Another is that Christianity has many enemies. Paul is just one more tool to try to discredit Christianity.

I admit that I am weak on Paul, but console myself that I am in good company. Scholars have argued endlessly about what Paul said and what he meant by what he said. It is a shame that we don't have the letters or the testimony of those he was addressing in order to understand some of his points in his letters.

The more I read Paul, the more I like him. As I said in the beginning, I don't find contradictions between Paul and Jesus and I also think that Paul and the other disciples were in tune with each other.

Another point that needs to be considered is that Paul's Scriptures for the most part represent the history of the early Christian Church--the issues that came up, the problems they were facing, etc. Paul helped the churches solve these issues. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are primarily the Gospel of Jesus and did not deal with all the questions and issues that Paul and the church did after Jesus' resurrection. That wasn't their emphasis.

I am sort of brainstorming here and I've received some good input.

[bizzt]

Ummm why are so many people against Paul's Teaching

I think a major problem is that Paul is hard to understand and people don't take the time to study his Scriptures.

Another is that Christianity has many enemies. Paul is just one more tool to try to discredit Christianity.

I admit that I am weak on Paul, but console myself that I am in good company. Scholars have argued endlessly about what Paul said and what he meant by what he said. It is a shame that we don't have the letters or the testimony of those he was addressing in order to understand some of his points in his letters.

The more I read Paul, the more I like him. As I said in the beginning, I don't find contradictions between Paul and Jesus and I also think that Paul and the other disciples were in tune with each other.

Another point that needs to be considered is that Paul's Scriptures for the most part represent the history of the early Christian Church--the issues that came up, the problems they were facing, etc. Paul helped the churches solve these issues. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are primarily the Gospel of Jesus and did not deal with all the questions and issues that Paul and the church did after Jesus' resurrection. That wasn't their emphasis.

I am sort of brainstorming here and I've received some good input.

Ok what I am going to recommend for you. Study the Churches! The 7 Churches can be found in revelation Chapter 3. It tells us what Jesus said about these Churches through John. After you realize what he said about the Churches you can then do some research on the Individual Church (this will increase your faith in the Bible because then you will notice that Revelations was bang on about the Churches). Upon doing the research of this you will notice why Paul tells each of those Churches Particular Things that need to be solved and why.

Thanks

[bizzt]

As well check this out
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Rev/Rev003.html#top
use the letter L on the left side of the Verses. This gives you a HUGE list of commentaries on the subject of the Particular Verse/Church you are looking at first!

[kateliz]

Thinking that what Jesus taught and what Paul taught contradict stems from misunderstanding, of course. What is misunderstood is that Jesus came as a Jew before He instituted the new covenant. Jesus was Jewish, but was different from what others considered Jews should be like or do. He let his disciples do things formerly not permitted like eat from a field they were walking through... was it on the Sabbath? When confronted with this He pointed out that even David let some... I think soilders, eat the food sacrificed in the temple, which they technically weren't supposed to do! He was pointing out, (also with healing and performing other miracles on the Sabbath, and with commanding a lame man whom He healed carry his mat,) that the Lord of the Sabbath is not subject to it, but that the Sabbath is instead subject to Him.

All of the former things were representations of what was to come, and when they were fulfilled through Christ their expression changed dramatically. The Sabbath became resting in Christ instead of during the course of a particular day, circumcision was to be spiritually done of the heart by Christ instead of physically on the body, the temple was no longer a building but the bodies of those with Christ and the Holy Spirit inside, etc, etc.

Paul was the vessel God chose to reveal the new expression of things through, and the new relationship the faithful have with their God and the Christ who had just finished His work! He was another Moses in that regard, and that is where these people misunderstand the whole thing!