Why do Christians follow Paul?
Upvote:1
Prior to to the start of Jesus' ministry, God sent prophets to deliver messages to mankind. Of those prophets, only a few ever saw Jesus: Moses and Elijah (at Jesus' transfiguration), John the Baptist (whom Jesus called the greatest of the prophets), Anna and Simeon. Yet Christians still give careful thought to what the others wrote: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and the rest.
As a commenter said, Paul claimed to have seen the risen Jesus, and this was confirmed by a vision to Ananias of Damascus in Acts 9:10-16. The importance of this witness is vital. This man was fearful of Paul and knew his reputation and the purpose of his mission to Damascus - to seize Christians to be imprisoned or worse. Ananias had no motive to accept Paul and plenty of reasons to reject him. The fact that Ananias received Paul and protected him is proof of the divine approval of Paul's apostleship.
A second endors*m*nt in Scripture comes from the Apostle Peter:
15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
Peter here elevates Paul's words to the level of Scripture. Since the Catholic Church reveres Peter as the first Pope and the one entrusted by Jesus with leadership of the church, his endors*m*nt is also significant.
Another endors*m*nt is that of the Holy Spirit, who uses Paul's words in the lives of believers to bring spiritual blessing. I was delivered from years of depression through the book of Philippians. Other people have their own testimonies of the power of Paul's words. Martin Luther triggered the Protestant Reformation when the truth of one verse in Romans burst upon his consciousness.
One final endors*m*nt comes from logic. If the Bible were missing something that adding Paul's writings corrected, what might that be? There is a word of vast importance that is found sparingly throughout the Bible but commonly in Paul's letters: peace. Paul uses the word peace as much as the next two prophets combined, and as much as all the other writers of the New Testament combined:
- Paul: 47 usages
- Isaiah: 25 usages
- Jeremiah / Lamentations: 17 usages
- Rest of New Testament: 46 usages
The fact that we can find peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice upon the cross is the central message of the gospel. It shines brightest in Paul's words.
Upvote:2
the letters of the apostles who were with Jesus and who he sent to preach are taken as canonical
Yes. And these apostles convened at the apostolic council of Jerusalem, described in some detail the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts, to determine whether embracing Judaism should constitute a prerequisite for becoming Christian. Their joint decision was a resounding no, and it represented a major milestone in Christian history, without which most of us today would probably not have been Christian in the first place. They then entrusted the main advocate (or lobbyist, in modern parlance) of this new perspective to announce their communal decree into all parts of the Christian world.
Paul of Tarsus, who did not even know Jesus Christ
One needn't meet Jesus in the flesh, in order to know Christ; rather, one has to become like Him, to truly know Him (Matthew 12:47-50, 25:37-46).
More post
- 📝 How it is possible to be one God in three persons (Jesus, Holy Ghost, and God the Father)?
- 📝 Where can I get a topographical map of Israel / Transjordan?
- 📝 How are the teachings in the Book of James consistent with Salvation by Grace alone?
- 📝 Are Catholics allowed to read the NIV translation?
- 📝 Mormon concept of 1 Timothy 6:16
- 📝 How is it just that Jesus, an innocent, would be punished for our sins?
- 📝 What scholarship exists behind the WikiSource translation of the Bible?
- 📝 Blood transfusions and Christianity?
- 📝 Did God institute a law against the debasing of currency? (RC Sproul)
- 📝 What must a Catholic believe to be a Catholic?
- 📝 Was the cave of Abraham in Shechem or Hebron?
- 📝 Did the Early Church believe in purgatory?
- 📝 How old is the idea of premillenial rapture?
- 📝 What is the scientific effectiveness of "street preaching" as a method of evangelization?
- 📝 Did John Calvin observe Christmas?
- 📝 How did Gideon win his battle against the Midianites?
- 📝 Is morality objective with God? If so, why?
- 📝 Explain to those knowing only of the Ordinary Form of Mass, what incense is and why it is used during the Liturgy at Mass?
- 📝 What is the difference between Protestantism vs Protestants?
- 📝 When were the early Christians no longer considered a sect of Judaism?
- 📝 Calvinism: How does Limited Atonement Work in View of the Universality of Christ's Work?
- 📝 Calvinist Regeneration, Interpreting Colossians 2:12
- 📝 How do Christians who insist upon keeping the 7th day Sabbath explain Acts 15?
- 📝 From where did the tradition of erecting of three crosses around a church originate?
- 📝 Can a Christian be a Conservative?
- 📝 Is there a customary way to go around rosary beads?
- 📝 Sola Scriptura and the Biblical Canon
- 📝 How do the Catholic and Protestant understandings of "Regula Fidei" differ?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for Christian denominations to believe in a visible appearance of Christ Jesus when he returns?
- 📝 Do LDS believe in Original Sin after all?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why do most Christians not follow the Talmud?
- 📝 Why do so many Christians call Paul "teacher", when Jesus said it was forbidden?
- 📝 Why do Christians follow Paul?
- 📝 Why don't many Christians follow this: " For all the law is fulfilled in one word... Love thy neighbour as thyself." - Galatians 5:14
- 📝 Why do some Christians believe it is moral to be a h*m*sexual?
- 📝 Why does Judaism celebrate Sabbath on Saturday and most Christians celebrate Sabbath on Sunday?
- 📝 How do traditional Christians defend the teaching that Paul is an authentic apostle?
- 📝 Why do most Christians eat pork when Deuteronomy says not to?
- 📝 According to those holding that Jesus was literally born of a virgin, why did Paul not mention it?
- 📝 Why does Paul call Peter "Cephas" in his writings?
- 📝 If Protestants won't ask dead saints to intercede because there is no mediator but Jesus then why do they ask living Christians to pray for them?
- 📝 Why do some Christians think it's not a sin to charge interest?
- 📝 Why do some Christians object to images of Jesus?
- 📝 Why do Christians stand when we sing?
- 📝 Why did Paul say "I am pure from the blood of all men"?
- 📝 Why don't Christians celebrate the feast of tabernacles?
- 📝 Why did Clement and Eusebius believe that Paul was married?
- 📝 Why did early Christians in Acts still go to the Jewish temple every day?
- 📝 Since Jesus death paid our sin debt in full, why do Christians still die?
- 📝 Do Christians believe that Jews must still follow the Mosaic law?
- 📝 Why did Paul go to Arabia?
- 📝 Why do non-LDS Christians accept the testimonies of the apostles but reject the testimonies of the 3 & 8 witnesses to the golden plates?
- 📝 Why do Christians appeal to personal gain and inducing fear when attempting to "convert" people?
- 📝 Why is Saint Paul considered gnostic? (by some)
- 📝 Why was the Apostle Paul seemingly not that interested in baptizing believers?
- 📝 Why do Christians seek to convert everyone?
- 📝 Why was Paul allowed to write in jail?
- 📝 Why did Justin Martyr speak so harshly about Christians who ate meat sacrificed to idols?
- 📝 Why do Christians have different books in their Bible?
- 📝 When Paul says "I don't allow women to teach" why is this read as an instruction?
