Aside from Paul saying so, how do we know that he is telling us what Jesus wanted us to do?

Question

Given that Paul put down the rules for building churches, and tithes and such, and Jesus spent most of his time preaching, or more to the point speaking out of doors, and said that the congregation was the church, not the building. I am not refuting the teachings of Christ, just the teachings of Paul.

Answer 1

We don't. Jesus was interesting in getting people to follow the spirit of his teaching while Paul was interested in setting down rules and regulations. If Jesus was the son of God, I'll take his word long before I'll accept Paul. Paul wanted to set down all the do's and don'ts. Franky I'm no fan of Paul myself. Jesus was open and loving. He accepted people with their faults and had a message of love. Paul, in my opinion, had a plan to set up a money making bureaucracy mired in dogma. I don't think Paul was a bad person. I think his ideas have more to do with what he wanted than what Jesus intended. I see him as a very misguided person. None-the-less, he probably had the best of intentions. Please notice I said "in my opinion". I think this issue is something people have to work out for themselves. For anybody who has another opinion, I'm more than willing to respect it.

Answer 2

There is a need for church buildings to be a place set aprt from the world to get together and uplift each other. There is so much junk in the world that we need a place to get away from T.V. and the internet and all of it. However the Church is not the building infact in my church we call it a meeting house so as not confuse the two. For those out there who do not understand the doctrine of Prophecy and revelation it is hard to imagine that Paul could have been taught by Jesus and known his will regarding the church. Keep this in mind. He went from being a Roman judge sending Christians to there death to being the greatest missionary in all of scripture with the exception of Jesus. When in doubt about a doctrine follow the insructions in 1 James verse 5.

Answer 3

Where does Paul give rules about tithing? As in the specific doctrine, not the general urge to all chip in and help the church out. As far as building churches, there WERE no churches in Paul's day. They met in people's homes or other convenient places, I think you're misunderstanding Paul's use of the word church. It refers to the ecclesiastical body, not a building.

Answer 4

Dear Sinyckle: We simply cannot take OT or NT as absolute. Man is Man. In the re-telling of it all, all individual words cannot be thought of as literal by generations that have come after the fact.

To argue Bible quotations is to deplete energies that can best be used in re-connection to the Source of Life.

In some of the myths and allegorical stories of the OT there is a Moral to the Story. A point to be made.

In the New Testament we must consider that Jesus said himself, " As you read the teachings of the Apostles, remember that I told them myself that there was much they would understand later, because they were not wholly ready to follow me at the time [that they did ]." They could not grasp everything he was saying to them. They were hearing it for the first time, themselves. It takes awhile to digest and understand. Paul, never even had the opportunity to be around him. He was fed everything by the disciples and instructed on what to do by the Holy Spirit within him.

Now back to my thoughts about reading the Bibles: There is strong agreement amongst the Synoptic Gospels, and that agreement gives you a good idea of what was going on.

If we use - or tear apart - the Bibles for literal-ness we are more into intellectual exercise. Interesting - but not productive in hearing the Holy Spirit within - you. He resides in your higher Mind. The level of Conscience. He is a Comforter and a GUIDE. All should learn to read and listen for his whispery voice. After all, you hear your Conscience, do you not? When you hear higher thought in your own inner voice - that is still the Holy Spirit. He's just feeding your conscious level His thoughts. You hear it as your own thought.

You may ask for Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be your Guides in reading and to teach you as you read. It works.

Answer 5

Christianity has nothing to do with Jesus but the name. Paul established Christianity and for a real kick never met Jesus except in "visions".

Of course without Constantine and some other players the picture wouldn't have been complete.

Answer 6

Paul was also a human being like us, but Christ manifested Himself to Paul, to bring the gospel to the gentiles. If you are a believer, you would want to associate with other believers, It is the Holy Spirit with which you are baptized will lead you into the truth. As Paul also at times struggled with his faith. It isnt Paul that saves it is Christ that saves.

Answer 7

Hypothetically, what if Paul (really Saul of Tarsus) made a massive mistake?

Exodus 20, v 2-6;
2. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. 4. Thou shalt not make to thyself graven things, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of thos things that are in the waters under the earth. 5. Thous shalt not adore them, nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 6. and showing mercy unto thousands to them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Is it possible, hypothetically, that Saul made the massive mistake of creating a cult who deliberately flaunted the First Commandment, creating the worship of a god before their true god? Did Saul create, in his establishment of his new cult a "likeness" unto god, in violation of verse 4? Is the worship of Jesus a violation of verse 5, "worship and adore" another before god?

Just the thoughs of an Atheist.

Answer 8

It's called faith bruh, plain and simple, stop over thinking, have some faith.

Answer 9

We don't. It's taken on faith in the Bible.

Answer 10

...one more good argument for NOT being a christian.