why paul's and jesus' teachings differ

7/30/2019 Why Paul's and Jesus' Teachings Differ

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1. What did Paul know about Jesus' teachings?

1. Paul claims he was taught by no man,

but criticizes other group(s).(Remember: Paul received apostleship

from Peter, and James) He is not

opposing the Jerusalem church, but

another group.

Galatians 1: 9 As we

said before, so say I

now again, If any manpreach any other

gospel unto you than

that ye have received,

let him be accursed.

10 For do I now

persuade men, or

God? or do I seek toplease 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

Paul's and Jesus' Teachings Differ http://www.sonofman.org/p

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of Jesus Christ.

2. What did Paul know about the

Teachings of Jesus?

Practically almost nothing, except the

Lords supper. Peter probably had

communions a few times with Paul and

James, the brother of Jesus.

While Paul was writing his epistles ( -

AD 67) and preaching, there were no

gospels written. No Gospels were yet

written before Pauls death. When

gospel is mentioned, he means good

news (of Christ), not the four Gospels.

After Jesus ascension, events of his life

were transmitted orally among

disciples. (except the hypothetical Q)

Jesus spoke Aramaic with his apostles,

and were conversant in Hebrew and

Greek. Oral traditions were probably

transmitted also in Aramaic, especially

the Sayings of Jesus in Matthew

probably written circa 40 AD.

Acts 5:42 And every

day, in the temple and

at home, they ceased

not to teach and to

preach Jesus as the

Christ.

Paul knew almost nothing about the life

of Jesus (The four Gospels were not

written, and Paul does not mention any

events in the life of Jesus, except the

Lords supper and resurrection. He only

Galatians 1:18 Then

after three years I

went up to Jerusalem

to visit Cephas, and

tarried with him


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met Peter and James, a brother of Jesus.

He made no attempt to meet any other

apostles during his 15-day visit to

Jerusalem in AD 39.

Among the 7 epistles that most scholarsbelieve were written by Paul, Paul fails

to mention any events:

Miracles

Parables

Birth, Mary and Joseph

The Lord's PrayerThe Transfiguration

The Sermon on the Mount

See of Galilee

Temple visit, Nazareth

Pontius Pilate

Judas Iscariots betrayal

GethsemaneSon of Man

Graham Stanton (Professor of New

Testament Studies in the University of

London), in his book 'Gospel Truth',

says that Paul's failure to refer more

frequently to the actions and teaching of

Jesus is 'baffling.'

Why did Paul not mention these events

in the Gospels?

Paul did not hear many stories from

Peter or James. He spent only 2 weeks

fifteen days.

19 But other of the

apostles saw I none,

save James the Lords

brother.


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with them. Moreover, James hardly was

trained by his brother Jesus. He never

followed Jesus, except possibly on one

occasion. Jesus neglected his family.

Most of the time, James was not afirsthand eyewitness to any major

events in Jesus life. Thus, any story

about Jesus that Paul knows is from

Peter (Cephas).

Why Peter taught Paul little about

Jesus? During this period, much of thetime was probably spent to determine if

Pauls conversion was genuine or not.

Paul notes that he learned nothing about

Jesus from Peter or any other men. He

received it by revelation.

Galatians 1:12 For I

neither received it of

man, neither was I

taught it, but by the

revelation of Jesus

Christ.

What did Peter teach on the day of

Pentecost when he baptized 3000 souls.

(He probably taught the same stuff)

Three things: crucifixion, resurrection,

and baptism

(RSV)Acts 2:22 "You

that are Israelites,a

listen to what I have

to say: Jesus of

Nazareth,b a man

attested to you byGod with deeds of

power, wonders, and

signs that God did

through him among

you, as you


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yourselves know

23 this man, handed

over to you according

to the definite plan

and foreknowledge ofGod, you crucified

and killed by the

hands of those outside

the law.

24 But God raised

him up, having freed

him from death,cbecause it was

impossible for him to

be held in its power.

Acts 2:38 Peter said

to them, "Repent, and

be baptized every one

of you in the name ofJesus Christ so that

your sins may be

forgiven; and you will

receive the gift of the

Holy Spirit.

Why Paul felt uneasy with other

Christians?

They knew more about Jesus than Paul.

In Galatians 1:6-9 (NIV), Paul also

scolds the Galatians for following

Galatians 1:6 I am

astonished that you

are so quickly

deserting the one who

called you by the

grace of Christ and


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different gospels. (Here Paul does not

refer the 4 gospels because they were

not written yet, but good news about

Jesus (his resurrection).

People in those days were not familiar

with the life of Jesus yet.

Clement, the third Bishop of Rome,

shows he was not familiar with the

Gospels when he wrote 1 Clement.

are turning to a

different gospel

(Apollos or other)

7 which is really no

gospel at all.Evidently some

people are throwing

you into confusion

and are trying to

pervert the gospel of

Christ.

8 But even if we or anangel from heaven

should preach a

gospel other than the

one we preached to

you, let him be

eternally condemned!

9 As we have already

said, so now I say

again: If anybody is

preaching to you a

gospel other than

what you accepted, let

him be eternally

condemned!

What did Paul learn from Peter about

Jesus?

1. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul mentions

the Resurrection.

(NIV)1 Corinthians

11: 23 For I received

from the Lord what I

also passed on to you:

The Lord Jesus, on


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2. The Lords supper. 1 Corinthians

11:23-25. Paul probably learned this

from Peter, not from Jesus directly by

revelation. They probably had acommunion together. Thus, this is what

Peter said during the Lords supper.

This was written around Passover in

AD 54. His memory of what Peter told

him is far more accurate description of

the Lords supper than other recordssubsequently written. John did not

record the Lords supper. Mark wrote in

67-68 AD. Matthew copied it later.

Luke also much later (but it is Pauls

version).

the night he was

betrayed, took bread,

24 and when he had

given thanks, he

broke it and said,"This is my body,

which is for you; do

this in remembrance

of me."

25 In the same way,

after supper he took

the cup, saying, "Thiscup is the new

covenant in my blood;

do this, whenever you

drink it, in

remembrance of me."

2. Is there a difference between Pauls and Jesus Teachings?

The Lord recommended Paul highly.

Had it not been for Paul, Christianity

may have become extinct during the

first century AD. However, this does

not mean Apostle Paul was a perfect

spokesperson for Jesus. If Paul and

Jesus differ in their teachings, whose

words should we accept?

(Act 8:15) But the Lord

said unto him, Go thy

way: for he is a chosenvessel unto me, to bear

my name before the

Gentiles, and kings, and

the children of Israel


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Here are main differences.

Paul Jesus Remark

Prayer

(NIV) Romans 8:26

In the same way, theSpirit helps us in

our weakness. We

do not know what

we ought to pray

for, but the Spirit

himself intercedes

for us with groansthat words

cannot express.

Luke 11:2And he said unto

them, When ye

pray, say, Father,

Hallowed be thy

name. Thy kingdom

come

By the end of the

first century, Rome

(probably

Alexandria also)

had Marks gospel.

Ephesus had

Johns gospel.

Antioch hadLukes gospel.

Marks Gospel

does not record

Lords prayer.

Paul and the

Christiancommunity in

Rome had not

heard of the Lord's

Prayer by 67 AD

when he was

beheaded in

Rome.

Judging

1 Corinthians 6:2

Is it not certain that

the saints will be the

judges of the world?

Matthew 7:1 Judge

not, that ye be not

judged.

When it comes to

judging, Paul and

Jesus are

diametrically

opposed.


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if then the world

will be judged by

you, are you unable

to give a decision

about the smallestthings?

3 Is it not certain

that we are to be the

judges of angels?

how much more

then of the things of

this life?

Baptism

1 Corinthians 1:17

For Christ sent me

not to baptize, but to

preach the gospel:

not in wisdom of

words, lest the cross

of Christ should bemade void.

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and

make disciples of allthe nations,

baptizing them into

the name of the

Father and of the

Son and of the Holy

Spirit [The last

sayings of Jesus tothe eleven Apostles

after resurrection]

Paul was baptized

by Ananias.

Acts 8:17 And

Ananias went his

way, and entered

into the house; andputting his hands

on him said,

Brother Saul, the

Lord, even Jesus,

that appeared unto

thee in the way as

thou camest, hathsent me, that thou

mightest receive

thy sight, and be

filled with the

Holy Ghost.


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18 And

immediately there

fell from his eyes

as it had been

scales: and hereceived sight

forthwith, and

arose, and was

baptized.

Ritual Food

1 Corinthians 8:13

Wherefore, if meatcauseth my brother

to stumble, I will eat

no flesh for

evermore, that I

cause not my

brother to stumble.

Mark 7:17 After he

had left the crowd

and entered the

house, his disciples

asked him about this

parable.

18 "Are you so

dull?" he asked.

"Don't you see thatnothing that enters a

man from the

outside can make

him `unclean'?

19 For it doesn't go

into his heart butinto his stomach,

and then out of his

body." (In saying

this, Jesus declared

all foods "clean.")

Paul did not have

the benefit of theGospels, because

they had yet to be

written, nor did he

learn at the feet of

Jesus.

Paul was a great

theologian, butmuch of his

theology comes

from his own

training as a Stoic.

Tarsus was known

for Antipater

during the 2ndcentury BC, a

Stoic philosopher.

Stoic ideas, rather

than Jesus'

teachings,


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permeate

throughout his

epistles.

Galatians 2:11

When Peter came to

Antioch, I opposed

him to his face,

because he was

clearly in the

wrong.

12 Before certainmen came from

James, he used to

eat with the

Gentiles. But when

they arrived, he

began to draw back

and separate himselffrom the Gentiles

because he was

afraid of those who

belonged to the

circumcision group.

13 The other Jews

joined him in hishypocrisy, so that

by their hypocrisy

even Barnabas was

led astray.

Paul maintains thatthere were many

false teachings

(Apollos and

others) and curses

those who follow

false Gospels.

Paul says his

gospel was correct

whereas his rivals

were false.

His teaching is

Gods foolishness,

which is wiser

than the wisdom

of men (Apollos)

Peter and Paul did

not get along. Paul

accuses other

disciples of

hypocrisy, but theearly Christians

were taught by the

disciples!


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Original Sin and

Atonement

Paul claims Jesus

died to atone for our

sins.

1Corinthians 15:3

For I delivered unto

you first of all that

which I also

received, how that

Christ died for oursins according to the

scriptures;

Romans 5:11 And

not only so, but we

also joy in God

through our LordJesus Christ, by

whom we have now

received the

atonement.

12 Wherefore, as by

one man sin entered

into the world, anddeath by sin; and so

death passed upon

all men, for that all

have sinned:

Matthew 26:24 The

Son of man goeth as

it is written of him:

but woe unto that

man by whom the

Son of man is

betrayed!

Everyone is

responsible for his

own sins. Jesus

never said one's

sins may beforgiven if

someone else paid

or attoned for

them. Rather,

"forgive our sins

as we have forgive

those who sinnedagains us."

Jeremiah 31:30

But every one

shall die for his

own iniquity:

every man that

eateth the sourgrape, his teeth

shall be set on

edge.

Jesus never said "I

am dying to atone

for your sins." Theonly phrase that

can possible used

for atonement is

from the Lord's

Supper (in


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Matthew, Mark

and Luke).

Mark: 14:24 And

he said unto them,

This is my bloodof the new

testament, which

is shed for many.

Matthew 26:28

For this is my

blood of the newtestament, which

is shed for many

for the remission

of sins.

Luke 22: 20

Likewise also the

cup after supper,saying, This cup is

the new testament

in my blood,

which is shed for

you.

Paul complainsabout James

delegation to check

they are following

the laws

(circumcision, food,

Galatians 2:4 [Thismatter arose]

because some false

brothers had

infiltrated our ranks

to spy on the


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etc.)

freedom we have in

Christ Jesus and to

make us slaves.

5 We did not give in

to them for amoment, so that the

truth of the gospel

might remain with

you.

Paul did not get along with other disciples

Paul makes clear that he was a Christian for

three years before he felt any need to go to

Jerusalem to visit Peter and even when he

was there he hardly spoke to any of the other

apostles. It would be fascinating to know

what on earth Paul preached in those 3 years

before he had met any of the disciples. Allthis is from Galatians 1.

Galatians 1:?

Galatians 1 also says that Paul spent just 15

days in Jerusalem where he met only Peter

and James, not one of the original disciples. If

I was spending a fortnight in

Jerusalem in about 39 AD, I would certainlywant to speak to as many eyewitnesses of the

life, death and resurrection of Jesus as I could

find, but it seems that the

greatest evangelist in the history of the

Christian Church couldn't be asked. How


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strange.

Paul insists so many times that what he is

preaching comes not from man, but from God

(presumably he means his many visions), that

it is absurd to suggest that what

he taught about Jesus was what the disciples

taught about Jesus. He is clear that they

taught him nothing except that Jesus was

crucified and (as I shall show in

another article), was seen in visions and

dreams after his death.

Paul's letters insist that it was not the

eyewitnesses of Jesus who went on

missionary strategies, but people like

Epaphras ( Colossians 1:7) ,Appollos (1 Cor.

16:12),Phoebe (Romans 16:1), Prisca and Aquila

(Romans 16:3), Andronicus and Junias

(Romans 16:7).

Paul makes clear in 2 Corinthians 12:12 that

being an eyewitness of Jesus's life was not

what singled out an apostle.

Acts 17:2 states clearly that Paul taught 'from

the scriptures' and not from the evidence of

eyewitnesses. Acts 18:23-28 states that

Appollos , after he had been


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taught what was correct and what was not

correct about Jesus, 'showed by the scriptures

that the Christ was Jesus', not 'showed by

eyewitness testimony that

the Christ was Jesus'. Romans 1:1-4 statesthat the gospel came from the scriptures and

never states that the gospel came from

eyewitnesses. 1 Corinthians 15:3

states that Jesus was raised on the third day

'in accordance with the scriptures' and not in

accordance with eyewitness testimony.

Conclusion

This article shows that there is no evidence

that the Christianity spread by Paul was the

same Christianity of the disciples in

Jerusalem or was the same Christianity

that lead to the production of the Gospels.

Indeed, Paul had so little interest in what thedisciples had to say about Jesus that he never

mentions any person, who,

according to Paul, saw Jesus while he was

alive.

Indeed, Paul had so little interest in what the

disciples had to say about Jesus that he

couldn't be bothered to talk to most of them,

even when he had made a special

trip to Jerusalem.

Paul did not regard being a companion of

Jesus as anything special. As far as he was


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concerned, the earthly life of Jesus had no

interest and being a companion of

Jesus did not mark one out as an apostle.

How could this be if Jesus did all the things

attributed to him in the Gospels?Where did Paul learn all of this? Paul claims

revelation. More likely, he learned from

others, if not from Peter, James and John.

Christianity split

into

denominationsand sects very

quickly and the

real, historical

Jesus is forever

lost to us.

Contrast this

with 1Corinthians

15:3-8.

3 For I delivered

unto you first of

all that which I

also received,

how that Christ

died for our sins

according to the

scriptures;

4 And that he

was buried, and


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that he rose

again the third

day according to

the scriptures:

5 And that hewas seen of

Cephas, then of

the twelve: 6

After that, he

was seen of

above five

hundred brethrenat once; of whom

the greater part

remain unto this

present, but

some are fallen

asleep.

7 After that, he

was seen of

James; then of

all the apostles.

8 And last of all

he was seen of

me also, as of

one born out of

due time.


why paul's and jesus' teachings differ

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