Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

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Valerie
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Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by Valerie »

Taken from the other thread: (Easter Ham or Passover LambP

I think this is worthy of addressing since Apostle Paul probably started more New Testament Churches, than any other Apostle (I could be wrong on that)

The question would be, did Apostle Paul 'actually know' Christ?
JohnHurt wrote:
I would side with James against Paul, because James actually knew Christ, and so followed God's Law, which is what Christ taught.
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Josh
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by Josh »

Assumption: the book of Acts is true
As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.”
Paul saw our Lord and heard his voice - and from that day on, obeyed. Just like happened to many of us. Jesus reached out to him, and he was never the same again.
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by Soloist »

if we doubt the reliability of Acts... that would call some serious questions in about us poor gentiles.

As a side note about Paul... Peter seems to indicate the reliability of Paul but the difficulty for understanding him. Also for some who might support James and not Paul, was it not men from James that caused Peter to not eat with gentiles anymore? is there any point in questioning if Paul is true or not? We can easily start to question it all if we go down that trail since anyone with Paul or supporting Paul would be suspect. A certain doctor might come into question, a certain gospel then. We might as well discuss the council choosing the books of the Bible and if they knew Christ.
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by Hats Off »

:up: Since I can't like muliple times.
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Josh
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by Josh »

Soloist wrote:if we doubt the reliability of Acts... that would call some serious questions in about us poor gentiles.

As a side note about Paul... Peter seems to indicate the reliability of Paul but the difficulty for understanding him. Also for some who might support James and not Paul, was it not men from James that caused Peter to not eat with gentiles anymore? is there any point in questioning if Paul is true or not? We can easily start to question it all if we go down that trail since anyone with Paul or supporting Paul would be suspect. A certain doctor might come into question, a certain gospel then. We might as well discuss the council choosing the books of the Bible and if they knew Christ.
And that's exactly where this "Hebrew Roots" stuff leads. Eventually you barely believe in the gospels, and eventually you don't even believe in Jesus anymore. The end of the road is full blown atheism.
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Valerie
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by Valerie »

Amen to all-
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by Bootstrap »

JohnHurt wrote:I would side with James against Paul, because James actually knew Christ, and so followed God's Law, which is what Christ taught.
This James, or some other James?
And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

“‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.
To reject Paul, you also have to reject at least James, Peter, the Council of Jerusalem, and the book of Acts (the author of Acts). You could probably keep the Gospels, the letters of John, the book of James and the Revelation. You would have to edit out parts of Peter's letters. It would be a very different religion.
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by MaxPC »

Soloist wrote:if we doubt the reliability of Acts... that would call some serious questions in about us poor gentiles.

As a side note about Paul... Peter seems to indicate the reliability of Paul but the difficulty for understanding him. Also for some who might support James and not Paul, was it not men from James that caused Peter to not eat with gentiles anymore? is there any point in questioning if Paul is true or not? We can easily start to question it all if we go down that trail since anyone with Paul or supporting Paul would be suspect. A certain doctor might come into question, a certain gospel then. We might as well discuss the council choosing the books of the Bible and if they knew Christ.
:clap: :clap:

Everyone I've ever met in denominational meetings and who also tried to discredit the Apostle Paul, did so because Paul stood firmly in the teaching of homosexuality as an abomination. These men were seeking to promote the acceptance of homosexuality and homosexual unions by churches. They think if they discredit Paul then the churches will accept this sin.

The Epistles of Paul have withstood the testing and scrutiny of nearly 2000 years. They have passed those tests repeatedly and they remain an important part of the Bible's Canon.
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by ohio jones »

MaxPC wrote:Everyone I've ever met in denominational meetings and who also tried to discredit the Apostle Paul, did so because Paul stood firmly in the teaching of homosexuality as an abomination. These men were seeking to promote the acceptance of homosexuality and homosexual unions by churches. They think if they discredit Paul then the churches will accept this sin.
That's a common reason, but not the only one. I first encountered the attempt to dichotomize Jesus and Paul in the context of women in ministry. If Paul can be discredited, the reasoning was, then his inconvenient teachings on women's roles go away, and we are left with Jesus and his countercultural acceptance and elevation of women above the (lack of) status they had in first century society and Judaism. Of course in doing so they also lost the ability to cite the passages where Paul does advance women. Not that it stopped them from trying to have it both ways.
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MaxPC
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Re: Did Apostle Paul know Christ?

Post by MaxPC »

ohio jones wrote:
MaxPC wrote:Everyone I've ever met in denominational meetings and who also tried to discredit the Apostle Paul, did so because Paul stood firmly in the teaching of homosexuality as an abomination. These men were seeking to promote the acceptance of homosexuality and homosexual unions by churches. They think if they discredit Paul then the churches will accept this sin.
That's a common reason, but not the only one. I first encountered the attempt to dichotomize Jesus and Paul in the context of women in ministry. If Paul can be discredited, the reasoning was, then his inconvenient teachings on women's roles go away, and we are left with Jesus and his countercultural acceptance and elevation of women above the (lack of) status they had in first century society and Judaism. Of course in doing so they also lost the ability to cite the passages where Paul does advance women. Not that it stopped them from trying to have it both ways.
:up:
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Max (Plain Catholic)
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
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