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, […]
Another major (and extremely important) area of disagreement between Paul and Jesus has to do with how the two view the nature of God and what they believe about the location of Heaven. While Paul quite clearly believes that God is an independent spiritual entity who exists above and often away from human beings (e.g. […]
Another critical area of contention between Paul and Jesus is their wildly varying beliefs related to judgment and the over-arching nature of God. While Paul believes that “God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all” (Romans 2:16) and that “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10 – […]
The topic of 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 […]
Another highly pivotal discrepancy between the writings of Paul and the teachings of Jesus Christ centers upon their theologies starkly divergent centers – namely, the very different ways the two defined and preached the foundational essence of their ministries; what the biblical manuscripts call “the gospel”1 … On the one hand, Paul announces his own […]
And finally we come to the most important discrepancy of all – the not-so-well-known truth that, while Paul‘s theology primarily encouraged his followers to attain individual reward &/or personal benefit via faith, Jesus lived and proclaimed a ministry that fundamentally encouraged his adherents to actively sacrifice their own wealth & comfort & safety for the […]
I would offer that there is little that is more entertaining (or more important) than catching religious zealots in well-laid traps laid to expose their moral contradictions &/or their ethical hypocrisies (see much of Matthew 12 and almost all of Matthew 23, where Jesus boldly revels in doing just that). Of course, there is little […]
“There is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an earlier commandment, because it was weak and ineffectual … There is, on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope through which we approach God … Accordingly, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant … He has obtained a more excellent ministry, […]
Well, it’s been an amazing three weeks here in Brattleboro, and I’m headed back to Chicago this afternoon. While I was here, I was blessed to spend lots of Quality Time with two amazing children (who, as is usually the case, taught me more than I ever hoped to teach them) … I also was […]
For starters, it is important for the reader to understand that this treatise is not meant to be a criticism of Paul himself. Yes, his letters clearly show him to be a man deluded by an incredibly potent psychological elixir – namely, being born into a life of unfair privilege while simultaneously harboring a disturbingly […]
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