When we think about the Gospel, we think about the “good news” of Jesus Christ, that salvation is a gift from God, received through faith in Jesus Christ rather than through any good works that would “earn” us this gift. We are told that good works are actually useless and nothing apart from proclaiming the faith in Jesus Christ can save us. This is the message that Apostle Paul popularized after the resurrection of Jesus. However, is this something Jesus preached about when he was alive?
We first hear about the “Gospel of grace” from the book of Acts, where Paul, after his supernatural conversion, started preaching about straight away:
“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.” Acts 9:20
Paul decided to dedicate his life to spreading the Gospel and he appointed himself as the “light to the gentiles” by growing the ministry, which he believed he received from Jesus himself:
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
After the conversion, Paul did not spent time with the disciples who knew Jesus in the flesh, but right after his vision of Jesus, Paul went to Arabia and then returned to Damascus. He had quite a substantial time apart, around three years and during that time he said, he was receiving the gospel from Jesus’s spirit only, as there were no writings about Jesus’s teachings at that time:
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.” Galatians 1: 15-18
The question is, can we really trust Paul?
Can we trust that he really received the gospel from Jesus’s spirit, the gospel that was in reality different from what Jesus was preaching about when he was alive? We have to be very suspicious and we have to remember that even Jesus told us to test the spirit and to not believe if anyone comes and proclaims they saw Jesus:
“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.” Matthew 23:26
Paul saw Jesus both in the desert and then in the inner rooms. Therefore can we really trust his visions? In my opinion – No. I explained in my previous posts why we shouldn’t trust Paul and I pointed many red flags and differences in Paul’s message to Jesus’s message. Back in the times when Paul was spreading the gospel without any writings, people needed messengers who understood the Law of Moses and the teachings of Jesus to help them understand. Gentiles, the audience Paul was teaching, didn’t have any prior understanding of the Law, of Jewish customs and of teachings of Jesus. However in current times, we have all the writings of the Old Testament, we have the words of Jesus and we have our own understanding and critical thinking. We also have the Holy Spirit that helps us understand the word of God. Why do we need Paul’s interpretation added to it? I don’t think excluding Paul’s letters would somehow diminish the message of the Gospel. On the contrary, I believe Jesus’ message was different to Paul’s interpretation. I’ve heard people saying to me that if I reject Paul, it means I reject the whole Bible or if I reject Paul, it means I don’t believe in Jesus. Both statements are ridiculous. Because I prefer to read directly from the source of the Old Testament and Jesus’s words in the Gospels rather than mixing it with philosophical interpretation of Paul, which I believe was false and changed the whole meaning of Jesus’s message.
The truth is that no one would believe Paul if this happened today. No one would believe someone, who just had a personal vision without any witness testimonies. No one would trust someone, who was preaching the message which he didn’t receive from Jesus himself but from the spirit and his own mind and vision. No one would choose personal vision over the words of the Teacher – Jesus Christ. Today we live in the world with almost 90% of people being literate and in some way educated. People can read, have critical thinking, they can compare the sources and think for themselves rather than accept something blindly. This is today, however we have to remember that 2 thousand years ago, only 3% of people were literate and had any access to education. That’s a big difference! Also Gentiles, didn’t have any knowledge to know if Paul was deceiving them. They just trusted that Paul wanted to spread this message further and that it was all true. And the truth is Paul’s message was different to Jesus’s message and that makes Gospel of Grace a false gospel.
Why this is problematic? Because not only Christianity is a religion that is excluding Jesus’s words and relying mostly on the letters of Paul, but also making the salvation message completely different. After 2 thousand years, we just follow traditions, repeat something because we were told this is the truth and we don’t question or think to check if this was what early Christianity was teaching about. We have to remember that before Christianity really took off in Rome, it first started as an underground sect of Judaism and was considered heresy. It wasn’t widely accepted by the Jews and only through the Apostle Paul and his letters, who was a Roman citizen, it developed and shaped into a separate religion. However with that, it lost it original meaning.
Christian doctrine and theology among the Gentiles was established through the letters to Romans. Letters to Romans are widely regarded as Paul’s most systematic and comprehensive presentation of the Christian gospel and its theological implications. It has been called the “cathedral of Christian doctrine” and the “Constitution of Christianity” due to its foundational role in shaping Christian thought. The letters served to unify diversity in early Christian communities in Rome around a common understanding of the faith. Unlike Paul’s other letters, which often addressed specific, immediate problems in churches, Romans provided explanation of core Christian beliefs such as the sinfulness of all humanity, justification by faith alone, the relationship between Law and grace, and God’s plan for both Jews and Gentiles.
When we take a closer look at Paul’s main teachings on salvation, there is a lot of contradiction with the teachings of Jesus on salvation. Paul preached that salvation comes through faith in Christ and the grace of God. He emphasized that salvation is a gift from God and that cannot be earned through good works.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8-9
He was also preaching or encouraging that it doesn’t matter how much we sin, because God’s grace increases:
“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5: 20-21
Here Paul is wrongly emphasizing that the more we sin, the more grace we receive “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” which is a statement that very much contradicts with the holy nature of God. Someone could interpret this as encouragement to sin or license to sin. When we sin, we are separated from God, sin creates invisible to the eye barrier where we lose our connection with God. God is holy and God cannot dwell where sin is.
And what is sin? “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4
Therefore sin is the transgression of the Law of God. The Law is our moral reference, our moral code. It serves as the mirror to the soul and a point of reference between good and bad.
Paul was misleading to not worry about the sin because God is aware we are sinners and He has grace towards us. Paul didn’t preach about repentance, but to rejoice that if we sin, God extends His grace. However God can only show grace through repentance. The awareness of doing something bad and repenting, so turning away from that action, can reconnect us back with God. If grace without repentance was true – then what would be the point of distinguishing what is good and what is bad? How would you even know that you did anything bad if you can’t reference it to any law? In today’s world you know that if you steal from the shop and you get caught, legally you will go to jail and you will have to pay the fine. That is the law. If there was no law, after stealing you could say there is no proof that you did anything wrong and no one has any right to take you to jail. Paul’s teachings are lawlessness = without the law. There is no reference to fall back on. No moral spine. Everyone can do according to their own moral awareness. If for someone stealing is not a big deal, then that person wouldn’t think he or she sinned. If for someone cheating is not a big deal, that that person doesn’t have a need to repent. Only with an actual law to reference back on we can know what is sin. And Paul even admitted this:
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.” Romans 7 : 7-10
Paul is emphasizing that without the law we wouldn’t have known what is sin, which is true. However, he is blaming the law for producing in him all manner of evil desire. Because if there was no law, he wouldn’t know he was making bad decisions. The law just highlighted the truth in his heart, which was uncomfortable for him to know. Therefore it was easier for him to reject the law and pretend he was a good person. He wanted for other people without the law to be his mirror rather that God’s Law and the truth to be his mirror. The Law only reveals and shines on your soul, however it will not save you or make you a better person. It’s just the awareness measurement or the mirror to your soul to see any stains. You still have to make effort, you still have to have self control and to try to be a better person for others and for yourself.
For example, the BMI calculator is a reference to your body’s ideal weight. If you go over, you know you are overweight and then obese. This is just a reference for you to know the lines of healthy weight. The BMI calculator doesn’t make your body fat, but your action of eating does. It doesn’t also make you slim, but your action of not eating does. It’s the same with the Law of Moses. It’s just our reference and only our actions will help us stay within the boundaries of righteousness.
Paul seemed to be a lost soul and as we know, misery likes company. He wanted for others to also join in and for him to feel better about his weaknesses:
“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
How Paul came to that understanding? We see Paul claiming these were actual words of Jesus, but it’s important to see what was said before and after those words for better understanding:
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10
Therefore the words about “grace being sufficient” are not actual words of Jesus, but of a spirit. How can we know if this was really the spirit of Jesus and not perhaps a demon masquerading as an angel of light? Even if you decide to believe that Paul really saw Jesus and had visions of Jesus, we still have to compare this with the actual human Jesus when he was alive in the flesh. If this was different to Jesus’s message, then you are taking a risk by believing in an unconfirmed vision of Jesus over the words of actual Jesus.
What Jesus said about the grace?
While the word “grace” wasn’t explicitly spoken by Jesus in the Gospels, he was teachings about forgiveness, salvation, and God’s mercy. In the Parables of the Prodigal Son we see how Jesus was describing God’s patience and mercy:
“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.”
Luke 15:21-22
Here Jesus highlighted that regardless of the time apart and mistakes, God is ready to forgive but only after repentance. However, repentance wasn’t something that Paul was preaching about but Paul’s focus was on the fact that the law has been nailed to the cross:
“The law stood against us. It judged us. But he has taken it away and nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14 NIV
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” Romans 3: 27-28
“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” Romans 7:6
It is clear that Paul was against the Law. In early Christianity Paul caused a lot of confusion due to the fact he was teaching the Law is finished. Early Christians were a Jewish sect and soon after other sects emerged like Nicolaitans, who interpreted Paul’s words as “the license to sin”. I explain in more details here. Paul was accused of spreading false teachings and Jews wanted to persecute him, because of the blasphemy. According to Jewish law at that time, teaching against the Law of Moses was blasphemy and blasphemy was a capital offense punishable by death. Just as Jesus was persecuted to death for blasphemy and claiming to be the Son of God, which Jews didn’t believe in, Paul was accused of blasphemy for teaching against the Law. Paul however used arguments like Roman citizenship, being a Pharisee and eventually lying that he never taught against the law. The Roman government held ultimate power of capital punishment and in the case of Paul, they decided to save Roman citizen. Therefore he was saved not because they believed him, but because they were afraid to do anything to the Roman citizen and to a Pharisee.
What about Jesus? Did Jesus say the law is finished?
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5: 17-19
This is clear that Jesus highlights that he did not come to destroy, but to fulfill it and show it how it’s done so that we can follow in his footsteps. The Law of Moses is valid “till the heaven and earth pass away”, so pretty much till the end.
Many people in the body of Christ confuse the word fulfilled with abolish and those are not the same words. Fulfil – means achieve, carry out as required, whereas abolish – means put an end to. Jesus clearly said in the above verse that He “did not come to destroy” the Law, but “to fulfill”, which is to show us how to achieve it. That doesn’t mean that only one person needs to fulfill it to satisfy God, because everyone is responsible for their soul and the Law will be valid “till heaven and earth pass away”.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15 The Law was also expression of love towards God.
Let’s not forget that Jesus was also teaching from the Old Testament and when we look at what Old Testament was teaching about the Law, it is pretty clear it’s very important to God to follow it. Pretty much the whole Old Testament is about Israel disobeying God and His Law and God is constantly calling them back to Himself and to the Law:
“Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant” 1 Chronicles 16: 15 -17
“But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5
“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With the statutes and judgments.” Malachi 4:4
What can we say was the core message of Jesus towards people?
Well of course Jesus said to love God with all our hearts and all our souls and love our neighbor as yourself.
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
The phrase “to hang all the law” refers to the teaching of Jesus that the entire body of Old Testament scripture, “the Law and the Prophets,” is summarised and fulfilled by two primary commandments. Does that mean we can forget about the other 10 commandments? Definitely not. This is just a summary, the essence of the Law. The first 4 commandments are dedicated towards the love for God and the rest 6 commandments are dedicated towards the love for your neighbor. Jesus, when asked what to do to obtain eternal life, answered:
“Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19: 16-22
Jesus was not only teaching to follow the Law but also to not put importance on material things and to be selfless:
“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” Luke 10: 25-26
Contrary to Paul, Jesus was preaching about the Law and about the works or deeds that we have to follow, which is staying in holiness:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” John 14:12
“for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’” Matthew 25:42-43
This was the core message of Jesus – humility towards other people, help, service to others and selflessness. Not religious doctrines, rituals, any religious knowledge or religious systems. Jesus will not be looking which church or denomination you belongs to but what have you done towards other people. Labels are not important, Jesus wanted to abolish religious systems that were a blockage for people to have a true connection with God.
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2: 14-17
Jesus also highlighted that affirming him is not enough to enter the kingdom of God:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7: 21
This contrasts with Paul, who said that proclaiming the name of the Lord is the only thing you should do and the works will not save you:
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Believing in Jesus is the first step, after that God requires good deeds and not sinning. And what is sin? Sin is the transgression against the law, otherwise known as the Law of Moses. Therefore it all comes down to the Law and law is the central point of Jesus’ teachings on salvation. Jesus was also preaching repentance and he never used the word “grace” during his ministry. He showed God’s grace through his actions, but he never said: you are saved by grace so rejoice! He encourage his followers to be the light to the world:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3: 16-21
Moreover, Jesus was preaching about perseverance and endurance till the end, because following Him will cause having tribulations in the world and being persecuted:
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24: 9-14
We will experience tribulation, we will not escape it contrary to what Paul was preaching about. And those that will endure till the end shall be saved. There is nothing about escaping anything, going up to heaven, meeting Jesus in the clouds or going up and then down after the dust settles. It’s all about going through those difficult times and tests and patiently waiting and having hope. Jesus often spoke in parables as a way to lock the message to only those people who are filled with the Holy Spirit and having its understanding. It was a way to separate those who seek God, receive the Holy Spirit and then can really understand the word of God from those who live in the world and see those parables as foolishness:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:24-30
As you can see, at the time of the harvest, the tares, so the wicked, will be gathered first and burnt and those that will stay, which is the good seed, will be saved. The time of growth until the harvest is important, because this is when it will be very obvious who is of God and who is not. If it’s done too soon, then good wheat could have been accidently uprooted, or bad tares could have been mistaken for the good wheat. That is why God is allowing all this wickedness and this division that is happening to see who is really His child. Jesus also highlighted that “but he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Therefore you really don’t want to be “snatched away” first, because that would mean you would be the wicked one uprooted at the harvest time.
Paul and Jesus were preaching two different gospels. Paul was preaching salvation as a gift of God through faith – Jesus was preaching “whoever does the will of the Father”, Paul was preaching the law is finished – Jesus was preaching the Law stands till heaven and earth passes away. Paul was preaching to just confess Jesus with your words – Jesus was preaching “not everyone who confesses me shall enter the kingdom of heaven’. Paul was preaching we will be “snatched away” – Jesus was preaching to endure till the end.
Does that mean there is no grace from God? Of course not, however God expresses it differently to what Paul was preaching about. God’s grace is a response to those who not only repent but also put action towards bettering themselves. It’s a gift but if you continue sinning and just expect to enter the kingdom of God because you believe in Jesus, this is against God’s holy nature. God through tests and tribulations wants us to expand our consciousness, learn from it and to strive for holiness. Paul’s words are contradicting and presenting God as someone who not only rejects His own Law but also encourages people to disobedience so that He can show His mercy and grace more. If that was the case, the world wouldn’t improve at all but carry on in its bad sinful habits. The point of Jesus message was to be challenged and Paul’s message was to be accepted no matter what. One was a harsh truth, another was a sweet lie.
By Dagmara Z.