“I draw a great distinction between the Sermon on the Mount and the letters <strong>of</strong> <strong>Paul</strong>; the latter being but an adulterated (and in truth quite hollow) graft onto Christ's teachings; a thin gloss <strong>Paul</strong> applied that, no matter how much it was polished, remained fully apart from Christ's true teachings and experiences.” ~ via Mahatma Gandhi 58
Conflict #06: <strong>Paul</strong> believing God to be a meter <strong>of</strong> harsh punishment vs Jesus knowing GOD's Love to be truly unconditional … Another critical area <strong>of</strong> contention between <strong>Paul</strong> and Jesus is their wildly varying beliefs related to judgment and the over-arching nature <strong>of</strong> God. While <strong>Paul</strong> believes that “God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts <strong>of</strong> all” (Romans 2:16) and that “we will all stand before the judgment seat <strong>of</strong> God” (Romans 14:10 – see also 1 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 5:13, 1 Corinthians 11:32), Jesus calmly & clearly refuted the same – exclaiming that “the Father judges no one” and “I judge no one” in the Gospel <strong>of</strong> John (via John 5:22 & John 8:15 – see also Luke 6:36, John 3:17, & John 12:47 et al) … While <strong>Paul</strong> claimed that “only a remnant <strong>of</strong> [the children <strong>of</strong> Israel] will be saved” (Romans 9:27), Jesus made it clear that all who show mercy will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7) and that all who forgive will be forgiven (Matthew 6:14) … While <strong>Paul</strong> callously proclaimed that “if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity <strong>of</strong> God: severity toward those who have fallen, but kindness towards you, provided you continue in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut <strong>of</strong>f” (Romans 11:21-22) and that his followers were to “leave room for the wrath <strong>of</strong> God” (Romans 12:19 – see also 1 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Corinthians 4.4, & 1 <strong>The</strong>ssalonians 4:6), Jesus made it clear that his heavenly Father's Love was absolutely “perfect” (Matthew 5:48) – a Love that by its unconditional nature could not punish others in any way, shape, or form 51 (see 1 John 4:18, as well as Matthew 5:45, Matthew 9:13, John 6:36, & John 6:45). “<strong>The</strong> steadfast Love <strong>of</strong> the Lord never ceases, and His mercies never come to an end … And what does the Lord require <strong>of</strong> you? Nothing but to do justice, to exude kindness, and to walk humbly with your God … If we Love one another, then God lives within us and His Love is perfected in us … God is Love, and as such those who abide in Love abide in God, and God abides in them … Because as He is, so are we in this world.” ~ Lamentations 3:22, Micah 6:8, & 1 John 4:12-17 Conflict #07: <strong>Paul</strong> believing God is the one who saves “the worthy” vs Jesus teaching that each <strong>of</strong> us must save ourselves … <strong>The</strong> topic <strong>of</strong> Salvation (most notably what is required to attain the same) has been debated by theologians and scholars for centuries past, and there are so many divergent biblical passages related to this theme that it will probably be argued by theologians and scholars for centuries to come. That having been said, one point that is beyond debate is the one that illuminates the fact that the views <strong>of</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> and the teachings <strong>of</strong> Jesus pertaining to Salvation do not at all harmonize – with <strong>Paul</strong>'s theology being built upon attaining Salvation via a mental &/or verbal faith in Christ (see Romans 10:9-10 et al) that activates the “free gift” <strong>of</strong> God's grace (Romans 6:23), and Jesus' ministry being built upon the belief that Salvation was a blissful state <strong>of</strong> being only accessible to those who humbled themselves enough to actively Care for others (Matthew 18:3-4 & John 13:15-17) – especially the downtrodden in their communities (Matthew 25:35-40) &/or the enemies in their lives (Matthew 5:44-48). 51 While some Christians claim that Mark 3:29's “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty <strong>of</strong> an eternal sin” (Matthew 12:31 & Luke 12:10) shows that Jesus did in fact believe in a God <strong>of</strong> judgment, this is not necessarily the case, Indeed, if this interpretation were correct, it would directly contradict the vast majority <strong>of</strong> Jesus' other claims about the nature <strong>of</strong> his celestial Father. Instead, these conflicts can be easily dismissed by realizing that Jesus is not making a statement about God here at all, but is simply making a statement about the nature <strong>of</strong> forgiveness itself – namely, that whomever “blasphemes” (i.e. actively violates) the perfect Love <strong>of</strong> his or her Holy Spirit (by being unmerciful or uncaring or ungenerous or unkind towards others) cannot themselves know forgiveness; that the sense <strong>of</strong> peace that comes from receiving forgiveness can only be known by those who are choosing to forgive, those who are acting in alignment with the inclinations <strong>of</strong> their own internal Spirit <strong>of</strong> Truth. 59
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The Cult of Paul examining the cont
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“For the time is coming when peop
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“I have set you an example, that
- Page 7 and 8: Forward … the WHY of it all While
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- Page 11 and 12: An introductory look at Paul of Tar
- Page 13 and 14: “Now as Saul was going along and
- Page 15 and 16: A few of the Bible's“smaller hint
- Page 17 and 18: *Paul downplays the innate holiness
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- Page 23 and 24: In marked contrast, Jesus is seen t
- Page 25 and 26: Contrast #04: their affiliations wi
- Page 27 and 28: Contrast #07: how they dealt with t
- Page 29 and 30: Jesus & Paul: a look at their perso
- Page 31 and 32: Contrast #12: Paul's condemnation &
- Page 33 and 34: In quite marked contrast, Jesus Chr
- Page 35 and 36: And finally, where Paul is frequent
- Page 37 and 38: *Paul lied to King Agrippa about hi
- Page 39 and 40: Jesus & Paul: a look at their preac
- Page 41 and 42: Jesus Christ, on the other hand, ma
- Page 43 and 44: In marked contrast, while it is tru
- Page 45 and 46: *Paul was inconsistent in his teach
- Page 47 and 48: *Just as revealing, every single on
- Page 49 and 50: Jesus & Paul: their conflicting the
- Page 51 and 52: Conflict #03: Paul guided by conven
- Page 53 and 54: In truth, in the Gospel of Matthew
- Page 55 and 56: Conflict #05: Paul believing God to
- Page 57: And yet the nature of God is not th
- Page 61 and 62: Conflict #08: Paul equating the “
- Page 63 and 64: Finally, and in full harmony with t
- Page 65 and 66: Even the parable of The Sower in th
- Page 67 and 68: Paul: an apostle of delightful iron
- Page 69 and 70: “There is, on the one hand, the a
- Page 71 and 72: Conclusion: Returning to The Way of
- Page 73 and 74: As such, now that the dichotomy bet
- Page 75 and 76: “The body that is sown is perisha
- Page 77: “I praise You, Father, Lord of he
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