![]() Luke introduced Saul of Tarsus as one present at Stephen’s trial. Sadly, the vast majority of theologians, scholars, and teachers throughout Christendom remain ignorant of or refuse to acknowledge this great fact. We have had 2,000 years to understand the theological change God worked through Paul. (2 Peter 3.14-16).īut on the other hand, we should not be too easy. Shortly before his execution, he wrote:ġ4 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things,in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. Peter, at the end of his life, struggled with Paul’s teachings. On the one hand, perhaps we should not be too hard. Because of this, vast theological confusion and error exist within the Church. Christendom’s greatest theological error has been its failure to recognize or understand Paul’s unique apostleship. Jesus, during his three-year ministry on earth, never revealed these teachings and the Twelve knew nothing of them, even after Christ’s resurrection. God revealed truths to Paul that He had kept secret. But of much greater significance than Paul’s personal transformation was God’s change in His program. God transformed him from being Jesus of Nazareth’s greatest enemy to become his most vigorous servant and evangelist. Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11.13), had one of the most remarkable lives in history. Only when one understands this truth can one begin to understand Christian theology. He is THE man for the Church as Abraham and Moses were THE men (racial and national heads) of Israel. As such, Paul is the founder of Christianity. Paul stands at the headwaters of this new program. The Church would not operate under Law as Israel had but under grace (Romans 6.14). With Paul’s commission, God created the Church, the body of Christ, and brought in a new age, the Church age. In short, God instituted a salvific revolution. ![]() ![]() With this program, He could bless Gentiles despite Israel’s rejection of their Messiah. When God saved and commissioned Paul He began a new program. God had revealed no plan to bless Gentiles apart from Israel. How could God bless Gentiles when the channel of blessing, Israel, had rejected their source of blessing? The Old Testament had no answer to this question. And all blessings to Israel were to come through the Messiah. Based upon the Abrahamic Covenant, God’s blessings to Gentiles were to come through Israel. All God’s dealings with mankind were mediated through Israel from Abraham to Paul. After they escaped Egypt, they became a nation under Moses with a government based upon the Mosaic Law. After Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt they multiplied and Israel became a populous people. God laid the groundwork for the creation of the Jewish race with His call of Abram. Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the secrets of God (1 Corinthians 4.1).
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