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Chapter 4
The Apostle Paul
A large portion of
the New Testament was written by the Apostle Paul. The first thirteen letters
are accredited to Paul. They are:
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1
& 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
The book of Hebrews is questionable.
Some believe Paul wrote it and some believe it was someone else.
Some speculations for the writer of Hebrews are: Luke, Priscilla,
Barnabas and Apollos. It may even
have been collaboration between these Bible characters and even some others.
But we can be assured that Paul wrote the first thirteen letters.
Paul wasn’t always
Paul. His original name was Saul and he was a member of the Jewish group of
teachers known as Pharisees. They were strict about the Jewish traditions,
ceremonies and observance of the law. They
also believed in an afterlife and the hope of a Messiah but they didn’t
recognize Jesus as that Messiah. Saul
was of the Israeli tribe of Benjamin, he was born about 5 A.D. in a city in
Asia Minor called Tarsus. As was
the custom of the time he was sometimes referred to as Saul of Tarsus.
He was well educated as a Pharisee and was very zealous about it.
He did not accept the church that the followers of Jesus had begun.
He fought against it.
Acts
8:3
As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and
haling men and women committed them to prison.
Saul, in his zeal
against the church, wanted to expand his territory.
He went to the High Priest and requested permission to go to Damascus to
seek out members of the church and bring them back to Jerusalem and lock them
up.
Acts
9:1-2
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of
the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to
the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or
women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
As he approached the
city of Damascus he had an experience that would turn the zeal he had to fight
the church to a zeal to expand the church.
Acts
9:3-6
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round
about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice
saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou
persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be
told thee what thou must do.
That light from
heaven caused Saul to become temporarily blinded until he went to Damascus and
met with Ananias. This begins the
story of the conversion of Saul from a Pharisee who persecuted the church to an
apostle who promoted the church. You
can read the whole story in Chapter 9 of the book of Acts.
The point we are making here is that Saul changed sides and he took his
zeal with him. He turned out to be
just as zealous for the church as he was for the Pharisees, and it shows up in
his writings. Some of his writings
are inspired and are very good, but some are not.
Just like the rest of the Bible we have to accept what is good and
reject what is not so good. We
cannot make an idol out of the writings of Paul or we will deviate from our
walk with God. The key to this is
simple. Does it come from Love or
not. If it comes from Love it is inspired by God because God is Love.
One of the best
things that Paul gave us is the Love Chapter, 1 Corinthians Chapter 13.
So let’s take a deep look at that chapter.
Perhaps the best version of the Bible for this is the Amplified Bible,
Classic Edition (AMPC).
Verse
1
If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love
(that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s
love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Verse 1 shows us that
there are other spiritual powers than the Love of God, but compared to God’s
Love they are just noise. Speaking
or praying in tongues can be a very powerful thing because when we do it we are
getting our human mind out of the way and letting the Spirit speak for us.
However, if we don’t do it from Love we could be doing harm instead of
good. It is like when Jesus cursed
the fig tree instead of blessing it. He
was coming from his humanness and not from the Love of God that was in him.
The same is true of angels. They
are ministering spirits here to help us but if we are not directing them from
the Love of God they can and will do harm instead of good. God’s Love rules
and anything else is just noise.
Verse
2
And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and
purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all
knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but
have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).
If we are wiser than
the serpent and understand all the science and mysteries of the universe and
are able to literally make things happen, without God’s Love we are walking
on thin ice. Some of the most
brilliant scientists ever learned how to split atoms, but what did they do with
it? They made a bomb.
That was not from God’s Love and became one of the most dangerous
things the world has ever seen.
Verse
3
Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I
surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love
(God’s love in me), I gain nothing.
Charity is a
wonderful thing but without God’s Love involved it can open the door to all
kinds of corruption and end up hurting the people it was meant to help.
For example there are some housing projects that started out with good
intentions but ended up as slums and havens for crime and drug use.
Without God’s Love there to lift people’s spirits they only look at
the material needs and even those will probably fade.
Verse
4
Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over
with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself
haughtily.
This verse gives us
some guidelines to monitor our thoughts, feelings and behavior.
If you find yourself getting impatient waiting in line at the checkout,
stop and think about how God loves you and the person holding up the line.
Can you be kind to someone even if they call you names or degrade you in
some other way. If your neighbor
gets a new car don’t be jealous, be happy for them.
If you get a new car don’t brag about it, just thank God for the
blessing.
Verse
5
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude
(unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not
insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not
touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it
pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
Pride can be a
stumbling block for many people. Proverbs
16:18 says that “pride goeth before destruction.”
Our human nature wants us to be proud of our accomplishments and of whom
we are, but that is not the way of God’s Love.
In our human self it is easy to be rude and self-seeking – looking out
for number one. However, when we
are looking out for number one we don’t leave any room for God’s Love to be
looking out for us. When we find
ourselves getting touchy, fretful and resentful we need to turn around and look
at the Love of God that is within us. When
someone does us wrong we have to get beyond it.
When they crucified Jesus on the cross what did he say?
Luke 23:34 “Forgive them,
for they know not what they do.” Forgiveness
is a major component of God’s Love for us and in us.
Verse
6
It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right
and truth prevail.
There is integrity in
God’s Love. Right and wrong
matter. Unfortunately our human
nature doesn’t allow everyone to agree on what is right and what is wrong. Truth
is even under attack with some people claiming alternative facts.
God’s Love is above all that. It
can see both sides as having partial truth in them and understand how each side
can have its perspective, but the full truth is complete.
Verse
7
Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to
believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all
circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
Human nature can be
critical. It is easy to see the
worst in others, but God’s Love looks for and sees the best in everyone and
everything. It may take some mental
training but we can learn to look for the best.
I once took a class where the teacher opened every session by asking
everyone to answer the question “What’s new and good?”
It was difficult for most at first but as the semester went on it got
easier and easier.
Verse
8
Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].
Love is the goal
because it never fails. It can
never fail because it is not looking out for itself.
When we focus on others we leave room for God to focus on us, and God
always has a better idea.
The Love Chapter is
one of Paul’s best works and it seems to have the inspiration of God behind
it. Not all of his writings are so
inspired but there is another one that is, and it gives us some tips as to how
to live the Love of God. It is
Philippians 4:8 and I like to call it the “Think on These Things” verse.
Philippians
4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things
Why is this verse so
important? Because we are what we
think. There is a Proverb that
explains it like this:
Proverbs
23:7
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…
Paul also put it this
way in his letter to the Galatians.
Galatians
6:7-8
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will
also reap.
This concept is also
known as karma. People sometimes
describe karma as “what goes around comes around,” which essentially means
that you reap what you sow.
Our thoughts are
energy and they are not restricted to our brains.
Thoughts are a product of mind and mind is not restricted to the brain.
There is mind in every cell of our bodies, and we are surrounded by an
aura of energy that is created by our thoughts and feelings.
The thoughts that
Paul is recommending for us to think on are what we would call good or positive
thoughts. When we fill our minds
and auras with good and positive thoughts we attract good and positive things
to us. We amplify what we think
about. On the other hand we
diminish what we don’t think about. If
we can master this concept we can change our lives.
Unfortunately our
health care systems work against this way of living.
We go to the doctor to find out what is wrong and when we get the
diagnosis it becomes a big thought form in our sea of thought.
Doctors are a valuable asset to have, but we must also take
responsibility for the thoughts we hold regarding our health.
There was a woman in
her 70s who was a retired nurse. She
also considered herself a Jesus freak and you couldn’t spend much time
speaking to her without her talking about Jesus.
As a nurse she was well seeped in the health care system and she did go
to get a physical checkup every year. One
year she had her physical and the doctor told her that she had a cancer.
She just said “no thanks” and kept her focus on Jesus instead of
fretting about having cancer. The
next year when she went for her physical there was no cancer to be found.
She just would not accept it.
Paul gave us some
good things to think about but not everything he wrote and did live up to what
could be called inspired by God. He
was elevated to the position of apostle and teacher and he used that position
to tell church leaders and members how to live.
Sometimes it may have been inspired and sometimes not.
For example, look to 2 Thessalonians Chapter 3.
Verses
8-10
Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and
travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not
because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow
us. For even when we were with you,
this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Paul was boasting
that when he and his group were there to instruct the church they took care of
their own needs for food. They
didn’t ask the church to feed them, which could be a noble thing done out of
love, but he took it a step further and said that if anyone would not work he
should not eat. He was willing to
deny people food.
Can you imagine Jesus
doing something like that? Jesus
miraculously fed 5000 (Matthew Chapter 14) and 4000 (Matthew Chapter 15) who
were just there to listen to him. He
didn’t ask them to work or say that group didn’t work so don’t give them
any bread.
We can’t accept
this verse in 2 Thessalonians as the “Word of God.”
It is not love to deny someone of food for any reason other than that
there is none available.
Romans
1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Is there such a thing
as God’s holy wrath? God is Love
and Love is not self-seeking so how could wrath be a part of God?
It is not, it is separation from God.
In 1 Corinthians Paul
tells the members to not allow women to speak in church and if they had any
questions they should ask their husbands at home.
1
Corinthians 14:34-35
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them
to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it
is a shame for women to speak in the church.
Is God a misogynist
or is this Paul’s opinion base on the culture of the time?
Does this verse come from love? I
don’t think so. Today women are
very prominent in many churches. The law of the Old Testament looked at women
and children as possessions. Does
that sound like the Love of God? Paul
still had some residual law in him left over from his days as a Pharisee.
1
Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Can you imagine Jesus
turning someone over to Satan for any reason?
That would not be love, not even tough love if there is such a thing.
Yet Paul instructed the church of Corinthians to do just that.
That is not the Word of God, it is the word of Paul.
There are some places
where Paul actually says it is him speaking and not God.
1
Corinthians 7:12
But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that
believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
1
Corinthians 7:25
Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my
judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
2
Corinthians 11:17
That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in
this confidence of boasting.
One thing we can see
for sure is that not everything Paul said, wrote or did was inspired by God.
The same is true of much of the Bible.
We know that God is Love and Love does not get jealous but there are
many places, especially in the Old Testament that claim the God is a jealous
God. Some of them are said by men
but some of them could have been said by Satan.
After all, Satan did steal dominion over the earth from Adam and Eve.
Exodus
20:5
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto
the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Does that sound like
a God that is Love or does it sound like a deceiver trying to take the place of
God.
Deuteronomy
4:24
For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
This isn’t God
speaking, it is Moses.
Exodus
34:14
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a
jealous God:
Verse 4 of the Love
chapter says that Love is not jealous or boastful.
Verse 5 says it is not self-seeking. Either God is Love or He is not.
Joshua
24:19
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy
God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your
sins.
This is Joshua
speaking, not God.
We can see that these
verses and many more that try to paint God as anything but Love are not
necessarily the Word of God. They
are the words of men from a different time in a different culture and some of
them are from the deceiver that wants to be like God.
That is why we should not make an idol of the Bible by calling it
God’s Word.
And so it is.
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