Are you smarter than Apostle Paul at reading the scriptures and determing what is the true religion of God?

Question

Known as Saul of Tarsus, he was highly educated and read the Holy Torah. He concluded that these Brethren Jews, who were going house to house telling people that the prophesies of the Holy Torah pointed to the presence of the Messiah in their time, were a false cult.

Saul was not a Pharisee, who like many leaders of today's churches, profit from continuing the old ways, rituals, traditions, and holiday observances. From his point of view, he was a dedicated servant of God, and basically, he was.

All his scriptural study did not lead him to the true religion, but away from it. It took the appearance of Christ, who now exist in unapproachable light, to blind him for him to see the light.

So, YES or NO, are you smarter than Apostle Paul at reading the scriptures and determing what is the true religion of God?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_of_Tarsus

Answer 1

I don't believe God wrote the scriptures! I think Paul was filled with hubris and at every turn did everything he could to put his own imprimatur on the Church. Paul was not Christ, Paul didn't know Christ.

Answer 2

Not smarter than the Apostle Paul, but smarter than Saul of Tarsus who did not have the Holy Spirit inside him (by his own admission) to guide him into all truth. We also have the testimonies of the other Apostles and of Paul himself-something that Saul did not have.

Saul saw things through a particular prism that did not allow him to see that Jesus was the Messiah. That paradigm kept him from believing that Messiah would suffer and die rather than just conquering the Romans and ruling the world; he co-mingled the First Coming with the Second Coming.

BTW, Saul/Paul WAS a Pharisee (see Acts 23:6)

Answer 3

Nope. Paul was really good at it. That's why he was able to do such a good job subverting it and corrupting it for his own purposes. The reason he's in the Bible is that Constantine called the council of Nicea not to promote God and Christianity but as a political solution to hold the Empire together a while longer. The Roman Paul is in there because it suited the still pagan Emperor Constantine's purposes.

Answer 4

Probably about the same, without the new testament it would be impossible to reach the conclusion that Christ was the Messiah. Largely because Jesus wasn't around then, everything we know about him and his life is based on the accounts making up the new testament. This includes Paul's confirmation of his identity.
Personally not a big fan of Paul though.

Answer 5

And do you trust Paul? Are you sure that it was really Jesus who appeared to him? Are you sure that Jesus did not actually have a different message and Paul did not simply distort it?

Whether or not I am smarter than Paul is not an issue. Necessity dictates that I keep my wits to make sure that Paul has not outsmarted me.

Paul was also obviously smarter than Jesus since it was he who was responsible for spreading Christianity in Rome. Without Rome's influence, you would never have heard of Jesus. You would all be praying to Jupiter.

I truly HATE it when the religious keep asking people to suspend their own capacity for critical thought.

Answer 6

Paul's writings are Gnostic in nature, which is the true basis for truth anyways, when it's stripped of its religious dogma and doctrines. We are children from God, and to God we shall return, once the flesh is shed and spirit and love honoured, in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

Yes, I am smarter than Apostle Paul.

Answer 8

I am no smarter than anyone else, but I do believe that Paul had an agenda beyond communicating the true teachings of Jesus.

Answer 9

I am probably not smarter, but I am probably not less smart either. I will trust my own communication with God (though I calll him by a different name) over any scripture or saint.

Answer 10

first of all Jesus chosen the 12 Apostles for His ministry so they might learn from Him. Then He chosen Saul/Paul. Acts 9 Saul grew to become into persecuting the church and on his thank you to Damascus whilst he grew to become into struck blind. Jesus says, " Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?" Saul askes who he's. Jesus solutions," Iam Jesus whom you're persecuting , yet upward thrust up and enter the city, and it will learn you what you may desire to do." Saul is going to Damascus and waits. Jesus speaks to a disciple named Ananias and tells him to bypass to Damascus to Stright street and there interior the abode of Judas he might detect a guy named Saul and restore his sight. Ananias had heard of Saul and the flaws he had performed to the church and that he had authority from the govt priests to seize all people who observed Jesus. ]The Lord reported," bypass, for he's a chosed device of Mine, to bear My call earlier the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for i will tutor him how plenty he might desire to go through for My call's sake" Ananias did as Jesus urged and restored Saul's sight and Saul believed and grew to become into baptised and full of the Holy Spirit, and started to share the forged information to all people who might pay attention. Pauls call isn't on the commencing up because of fact he grew to become into not between the 1st 12. that would not make him a pretend prophet.