Does Jesus and Paul contradict each other?
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it was about Rom 2:13The point is that we're still bound to the law of love, which is encompassed by the 10 commandments and simplified by Christ, which is love God and love your neighbor. Paul's addressing other laws that don't pertain to the law of love because the Jews followed a lot of laws that are not rooted in love, such as animal sacrifice ritual abd traditions that are performed but don't come from the heart. Yes, we are still required to follow the law of love. As jesus made very clear, James makes clear and even Paul makes clear. Paul is pointing out that it is not possible for us to follow the law of Love, but through gods grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, one can follow the law of love, and this is so no man can boast and puff himself up in pride, which is actually an enemy to the father. But one is able to accomplish this through humility and becoming like a little child, which is pleasing to the father.
It is not possible to follow the Law today... not even with God's help, because the Law requires the existence of priests and a temple or tabernacle. None of those things exist on Earth today.
Christians are not under the Law. Believers who were Jews are not under the Law. The Law covenant was made obsolete and the new covenant in Christ's blood is in effect for those who believe.
if may suggest I AGREE that Jesus when asked what the greatest Commandment is? He said to the love the lord your God with all. (Paraphrasing.) Paul's action demonstrated the Love of God as An Apostle to the Gentiles. the action of love is shown by what we do not say. Paul was addressing Legalistic Jews if you read Acts and Romans in context. They wanted The gentiles to be circumcised. Where is anything Paul said in Roman 2 suggest we are not to love ?
The very open of ghe letter in chapter says :
Rom 1:
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[ faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
you don't need any of that to love god and neighbor. Would the Jews be loving god with all their heat soul and strength if they stopped following the covinant made with Moses by becoming Christian. I think not because its a valid covinant that god still honors which is a lifetime covinant. They would be braking their promise to god.
What I'm addressing is people's understanding of what Paul is dealing with and going through is in error because their failing to understand from a Jewish lens and how he's trying to present the faith to the gentiles, a lot of times Paul is taken out of context and turned into a faith that Paul never supported, or preached, although one could validate it through the words of Paul on face value. But they're not taking the entirety into consideration or the times or the Jewish perspective and how a Christian Jew and gentile Jew differs. Because many people are ignorant and don't actually take what Paul is dealing with by understanding what's actually being applied to his teaching.They are actually an opposition to Paul. I would say that the majority of the christian faith today , that follows after pauline theology, is in opposition to paul and what he teaches. This Pauline, theology is contradicting the words of Jesus, we are all being called to fallow the love of God, which requires cooperation and a choice, I believe Paul does talk about running the race and that this can only be accomplished through great effort. Paul supports works when it comes to love through gods grace.
So you dont like Paul but Jesus. Who's Paul? Didn't Paul wrote half of the New Testament?
Well, that's why I actually came on here. I started out considering Paul to be an enemy because it contradicted the words of Jesus, but now that I've done my research through the help of this site, I have found that Paul isn't an enemy of Jesus. It's through ignorance and the Pauline theology, that is what's contradictory to the words of Jesus.
That is very bold statement when you have not even defined what you believe the love of God is and how God reveled HIS love to the Jews and the gentiles. I hear you saying "the love of God however, you have not said what it is. Are suggesting that the law we are to keep is the love of GOD? The Bible is very clear we are not justified by the law we are guilty by it.
My disagreement still stands within this context.
Focusing on Jesus's death and resurrection as a sacrifice that offers salvation from sin through God's grace, which is received by faith rather than works of the law. Key concepts include-
- Christocentric focus:
Pauline theology is centered on Jesus Christ, viewing him as the Messiah and the Son of God whose death and resurrection are the key to salvation. The phrase "in Christ" is a central theme, representing a life lived in communion with him.
- Salvation through grace:
Paul taught that salvation is not earned through religious ritual or law, but is a gift of God's grace received through faith in Christ. This is often described as justification, where God declares people righteous.
- Justification by faith:
A person is made right with God through faith, a personal commitment to Christ and belief in his atoning sacrifice. This is contrasted with earning salvation through "works" or adherence to the law.
- Salvation through grace:
I like the way this person says :
"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 of today has little to do with Jesus’ teachings; rather, it is the product of Paul’s corruption of those teachings.
We believe that the New Testament is a unified whole: the Gospels present the life and work of Jesus the Messiah; the Epistles explain the meaning and scope of Jesus’ work and apply it to daily living. 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 a fuller understanding of God’s plan of salvation."
"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 of today has little to do with Jesus’ teachings; rather, it is the product of Paul’s corruption of those teachings.
We believe that the New Testament is a unified whole: the Gospels present the life and work of Jesus the Messiah; the Epistles explain the meaning and scope of Jesus’ work and apply it to daily living. 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 a fuller understanding of God’s plan of salvation."
However, those who theorize about a separate “Pauline Christianity” tell a different story:
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. In preparation for this, Jesus taught a message of unconditional love, tolerance, and non-judgmental acceptance of everyone. Alas, Jesus’ mission of inaugurating a new earthly age failed when the Romans crucified him.
In short, Paul was a charlatan, an evangelical huckster who succeeded in twisting Jesus’ message of love into something Jesus himself would never recognize. It was Paul, not Jesus, who originated the “Christianity” of today.
Commonly, those who hold to the above theory also believe the following:
1) Jesus was not divine. He never claimed to be God, and he never intended to start a new religion.
2) The Bible is not an inspired book and is riddled with contradictions. None of the Bible, except possibly the book of James, was written by anyone who knew Jesus. There are fragments of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels, but it is difficult to discern what he really said.
3) Paul was never a Pharisee and was not highly educated. His “conversion” was either a personal hallucinogenic experience or an outright fraud. His claims to be an apostle were attempts to further his own authority in the church.
4) Pauline theological “inventions” include a) the deity of Jesus; b) salvation by grace through faith; c) salvation through the blood of Jesus; d) the sinless nature of Jesus; e) the concept of original sin; and f) the Holy Spirit. None of these “new doctrines” were accepted by Jesus’ true followers.
5) The Gnostic Gospels are closer to the truth about Jesus than are the traditional four Gospels of the Bible.
The concept of “Pauline Christianity” represents an outright attack on the Bible as the Word of God. Adherents of the “Pauline Christianity” theory are truly misrepresenting Jesus’ teachings. They choose to believe His words on love but deny His teachings on judgment (such as Matthew 24). They insist on a human Jesus, denying His divinity, although Jesus plainly taught His equality with God in passages such as John 10:30. They want a “loving” Jesus without having to accept Him as Lord and Savior.
this is the foundation of this concept about Paul.
in closing :
Paul’s apostleship is attested to by the miracles he performed (Romans 15:19), the training he received (Galatians 1:15-20), and the testimony of the other apostles. Peter, far from being Paul’s enemy, wrote this about him:
“Our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15-16).
Don't take from me take from Peter.