The Cult of Paul

Conflict #04: Paul calling for obedience to human authorities
vs Jesus encouraging the transcendence thereof …
In alignment with the analysis of the conflict mentioned on the previous page, it can come as no
surprise that Paul – despite many of his bold proclamations to the contrary (a la Romans 12:2's “Do not
be conformed to this world” and Galatians 5:1's “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and
submit never again to a yoke of slavery”) – was from beginning to end nothing more than a de facto agent
of the ruling class. Indeed, the first time we see Paul he is passively witnessing (and then openly
approving of) the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58-8:1) before going on thereafter to do the dirty work of
the Pharisee rulers (see him “ravaging the church” in Acts 8:3 and “breathing threats and murder against the
disciples of the Lord” in Acts 9:1-2). Consistent to form, even after his supposed conversion on the Road
to Damascus in Acts 9, a close examination of the Scriptures shows Paul to regularly receive favor
&/or assistance from the local authorities (often leaders of the Gentile communities in which he preached –
see Acts 13:12, Acts 13:48, Acts 14:18, Acts 15:3-4, Acts 16:4, Acts16:38-40, Acts 17:8, Acts 17:15, Acts
17:22-34, Acts 18:7-11, Acts 18:12-17, Acts 18:18-20, Acts 19:9-10, Acts 19:35-41, & Acts 20:36-38) – doing
so all the way up until essentially the end of his life, when he openly appeals to the mercy of the
Roman Emperor (ironically just before his eventual execution at the hands thereof – see Acts 25:10-11).
With this all in mind, it can come as no surprise to read Paul's admonition to his Roman followers – a
summons to subservience penned at the conclusion of his ministry and very near to the end of his
days: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from
God, and those authorities that exist have been established by God. Therefore whoever resists
authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment … So do what is
good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God’s servant for your good. And yet if you do what
is wrong, you should be afraid, for authority does not bear the sword in vain. Rather, it is the servant
of God that executes wrath on the wrongdoer.” (Romans 13:1-4)
Again in stark contrast, Jesus' entire ministry was predicated upon encouraging his followers to
fully transcend all human authorities – both those political as well as those religious. For starters, his
ministry from start to finish was designed to intentionally and quite radically amend (and thereby
“purify” or “complete”) the 613 active Jewish Laws – or mitzvot – of his day (see Matthew 5:17-18, where
the Greek word commonly translated as “fulfilled” is plerosai/Strong's #4137 – a Greek term which does not
mean “to support” or “to uphold” or “to affirm”, but rather means “to hone” or “to perfect” or “to make
whole”). Indeed, where the Law demanded a priestly mediator for the common Jew to communicate
with God, Jesus claimed that “for all who knock the door will be opened” (see Matthew 7:7-11).
Indeed, where the prevalent religious authorities (often Jesus' primary nemesis, the Pharisees) felt that the
Law was to be inflexibly obeyed, Jesus boldly proclaimed that “new wine is not to be put into old
wineskins” (Matthew 9:16-17) and that “every scribe prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven brings out
of his treasure both what is old
and what is new” (Matthew 13:52).
Indeed, where the average Jew
looked to the Pharisees as
religious role-models, Jesus loudly
announced that true worship has
nothing to do with such piousness
– that we are instead to “do
whatever they teach, but not to do
as they do” (Matthew 23:2-3), and
that we like they should “clean
first the inside of our cup so that
the outside might thereafter
become clean.” (Matthew 23:25-28)
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