This website started life as a source of information about Paul with the assumption that his message and writings are from God. In recent weeks, however disturbing evidence has come to our notice that his testimony cannot, after all, be relied on. You can research this yourself on YouTube and elsewhere, but here are some of the most striking points I have found.
Jesus commissioned 12 apostles, Judas was replaced by Matthias, there was no mention of there going to be a thirteenth, and in the book of Revelation we only hear of 12.
The three different accounts of Paul's conversion in Acts, contradict each other
What Paul said about the Law, contradicted what Jesus said.
In Revelation 2, our Lord speaks of those who maintain they are apostles but are not, being rejected by the Ephesians, and Paul himself said, that all they of Asia had turned against him.
there are many more...
The most extensive source I have come across on the Internet making the case against the divine commission to apostleship of Saul of Tarsus is found in the YouTube channel kalamata777 (see link at end of this passage).The arguments seem compelling.
The text that comes to mind is Matthew 6:22-23:“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light, but if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”Our Lord here speaks of the clarity of the principles informing our actions.Insofar as our minds and consciences are clouded, we can never expect to be fruitful servants of God, we will be so buffeted by the propaganda and mental and spiritual pressures of this world that we cannot effectively hold fast to the demanding way of discipleship.
The question at issue is whether the inclusion of the writings of Saul of Tarsus in the cannon of scripture has helped men to serve the Lord Jesus Christ or not.A belief in an affirmative answer to this was what informed me when I set up this site in an attempt to develop my own understanding of the Pauline writings and to help others to do so.In the course of my research I have travelled to all the main sites on the European mainland mentioned in the Bible as being visited by Paul, transcribed and uploaded a19th century encyclopaediabiography, commenced the serialisation of Conybeare and Howson’s voluminous biography, uploaded many pages of text from out of print or rare sources and numerous photographs, devoted time to listening to and reading Paul’s writings, and even come to live in one of the ancient cities he visited, Thessaloniki.
After all this, I am left in doubt.The lack of perspicuity in what we have inherited from Paul remains.There are recurring and emphasised themes such as justification by faith and the resurrection of the dead, but there is a certain turgidity and obscurity in much of what he wrote that leaves it mentally indigestible.What then is its function in the divine cannon?It seems to be an obstacle to the true understanding of the mind of God because:
There appear to be irreconcilable difference between Saul’s teaching and that of the Saviour and His apostles
It has left us with a mass of material that is “hard to be understood”. Enormous energy and time, have been expended on expounding it with little or no positive effect but rather resulting in contentions about doctrine and church order
Much of what he writes relates to issues of speculative theology, excessive preoccupation with which detracts from the strength with which we concentrate on teaching centred on discipleship
Saul’s writings distract Christians from study of the beautiful, spiritual and obviously divine instruction found in such books as Matthew, John, and the Book of Revelation, which challenge the devout and receptive soul at its very core rather than lead it into perplexities, disputations, ego trips and power struggles.
The purpose of this site is to promote understanding of the word of God, particularly as it has come to us through the apostle Paul.We do this by looking at the life and writings of the apostle in various ways, and proclaiming the great truths he set forth, such as justification by faith and the resurrection of the dead. The writings of the apostle are very profound and we believe a special effort is necessary to grasp the full scope of their significance. This site aims to "labour in the word", providing wholesome spiritual nourishment and a haven of rest for God's dear children and all earnest seekers after truth.
From a recent visit to Athens we have put together some video material, which may help you to have a clearer idea of the sort of environment the apostle moved in when he was there.
May Almighty God bless you in your time with us.
Savarios, webmaster
Please view our video presentation on justification by faith, below.
Justification by Faith, Budapest.
Featured Text: Acts 26.8
ti apiston krinetai par umin ei o qeoV nekrouV egeirei
Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
Thus spake the apostle to king Agrippa, in one of his many public defences of himself and the gospel. And here he touches on a theme to which he so often returned: the resurrection of the dead. If we really want to get back to the Bible, and to the New Testament in particular, we will find that this doctrine is central.
It is a doctrine which has proved “incredible” for many people down the ages. Some of the Athenians of Paul’s time thought he was a setter forth of “strange gods”, because he spoke of Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17:18). Even Christians have found it difficult to believe this article of faith it its fullness. It stands there in the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in the resurrection of the dead”, but has been obscured to various degrees down the ages by such things as preoccupation with the “intermediate state”. Though there are some texts which might at first sight seem to support the idea of “heaven”, “hell” or “purgatory” for the disembodied spirit after death, these concepts are rather the figments of tradition and speculation than the teachings of God’s Word, which maintains that the dead are, in fact, dead, and not alive somewhere else, and calls us to believe in God’s power and promise to raise the whole man from the dust to which he decays.
When he imposed the sentence of death upon man, God said “dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return” Genesis 3.19. This is the hard fact we have to face. We are earthy beings, our existence and our very thoughts being inextricably connected to our physicality, without which even the most refined motions of our souls find no expression: “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence” Psalm 115.17.
Death then has no greater epithets given to it by the inspired word than a state of silence, “sleeping” and “waiting”. Our faith, then should not be based on the assumption of the post-mortem survival of some invisible and indestructible part of ourselves, but rather on the knowledge that God will raise our bodies from corruption, completely transform them and ultimately create a new heaven and a new earth.
This was an integral part of the faith that inspired Paul to face so many dangers and the tireless opposition of his opponents. If we couple it with a reliance on the merits of the shed blood of Christ for the remission of our sins, we too can face the future in its fullness, with confidence, courage and hope.
Savarios
December 9th 2007
Previous Featured Text:Philippians 1.21
emoi gar to zhn cristoV kai to apoqanein kerdoV
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
As believers, we live in and for Christ. We seek to live to His glory as guided by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Should we die, we gain rather than lose. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116.15. We are recorded in the book of life, and rest peacefully in the earth until the last trumpet call us from the dust to be “forever with the Lord.” Even so, come Lord Jesus.
God bless you, dearly beloved.
Savarius
November 11th 2007
Previous Featured Text:Matthew 6:33b
zhteite de prwton thn basileian tou qeou...
But seek ye first the kingdom of God...
We move outside the Pauline corpus to take this week’s text from our Lord’s Sermon on the mount. Following the Lord’s teaching, we pray “thy kingdom come” and say we want to put the kingdom first, but perhaps it can be rather unclear in our minds as to what exactly this implies. The kingdom in its fullness is future, so to be living for it now requires much prayer, thought and particularly close adherence to the Scriptures. We can look to the apostle Paul as a pre-eminent example of someone who followed the Saviour’s injunction to seek the kingdom above all, and see the practical outworkings of this principle in his life and teaching. I would like to look at three aspects of this: conversion, proclamation and perseverance.
Conversion
The conversion of the apostle Paul was extraordinary, being initiated by the personal appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, by the person who will be the king over the kingdom of God, which is to be established here on earth. There is an intimate connection between the kingdom and the change in life direction required in the gospel: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mt 4:17. If we come to a deep conviction that the present satanic dominion of the world powers is to be overthrown and that Jesus is to come to establish a far better rule its place, and that our conduct now will determine our role or lack thereof in that glorious future, then we will in all probability find that there is much to alter in our conduct to make us fit subjects of that kingdom.
In Paul’s case this involved the most dramatic volt face from being a relentless persecutor of the church to being a tireless advocate of the Gospel. To many, though, the call comes whilst they are in a state of indifference or mediocrity rather than active opposition to the truth. We do not generally have such an extreme as a starting point, but we are now exempt from the need to emulate the zeal which is required of the true disciples of Christ: “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” Rev 3:16.
Proclamation
The central feature of the apostle Paul’s ministry was the proclamation ( khrugma ) of the Gospel. We can have no hope of a place in God’s Kingdom if our persons are not accepted by God. This is where Paul’s central doctrine of justification by faith comes in. In our flesh we are bound to strive for excellence, even its most sublime form of completely humbling ourselves and giving ourselves up entirely to the service of Christ and the hope of His Kingdom – if any other principles prevail above these then “death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets” Jeremiah 9.21. True life and happiness is only found in the service of the Great King. But let it be with faith, for all this avails nothing, my dear friends, if we know not the power of the blood of Christ upon our consciences.
The apostle said “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Cor. 5.20. Oh, my precious ones, have you entered within the veil by the blood of sprinkling? If not, see to it! Beloved brethren who have, may we rejoice in this unspeakable blessing everyday and never tire in our efforts to communicate to others. With this deep peace with God in the present, we are also assured of a place in the kingdom to come.
Perseverance
We might also entitle this “baptism” after the manner of our blessed saviour: “can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with?” Mark 10.38. The path of suffering is the way to the kingdom, and none new this better than the apostle Paul who was afflicted on every side as he followed the Lord :
“[23] Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
[24] Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
[25] Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
[26] In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
[27] In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
[28] Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11
He made it clear that this was not to be exclusively his lot as an apostle as he confirmed “the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14.22
If we take up the cross of Christ we are to expect the opposition of this present evil world and the unseen machinations of the servants of the prince of the power of the air. But let us not be turned out of our course by the buffetings we receive, knowing that perseverance therein will have its perfect fruit.
...in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Recently the scope and relevance of this text have really come home to me. Doesn't so much of the way people think involve taking some solace in feeling somehow better than others? Perhaps I speak only for myself, but I have often seen the need to break out of the hierarchical way of thinking. Ask yourself how you feel about the cleaning woman or the man selling newspapers on the street. If you can easily imagine heartily applying these words of the apostle Paul to your attitude to such people, then you have something of the evangelical mindset.
The Lord bless you, holy brethren.
Savarios
6th October 2007
Previous Featured Text: Romans 3:20
dioti ex ergwn nomou ou dikaiwqhsetai pasa sarx enwpion autou dia gar nomou epignwsiV amartiaV
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
A törvény cselekedeteibõl tehát senki sem igazulhat meg Isten elõtt. A törvény csak a bün felismerésére való.
Darum, aus Gesetzeswerken wird kein Fleisch vor ihm gerechtfertigt werden; denn durch Gesetz kommt Erkenntnis der Sünde.
C'est pourquoi nulle chair ne sera justifiée devant lui par des oeuvres de loi, car par [la] loi est la connaissance du péché.
Porque por las obras de la ley ninguna carne se justificará delante de él; porque por la ley es el conocimiento del pecado.
This is the central truth which we have to grasp to understand the free forgiveness that the Lord Jesus Christ has made available to us. The apostle sets forth a stark reality about the works of the law that can be found in other parts of the Bible, but we can say that it was the apostle Paul who got to say it in black and white.
Law governs every corner of the universe from the falling of a leaf, through the fine operations of living organisms and the intricate working of the human mind, to the organisation of societies and ultimately the moral government of all rational beings
In the moral realm all are in some way co-ordinating their lives to law. The moral law reaches to every conscience. The religious follow it to some extent but obscure it in parts with superstition, the humanistic and atheistic follow much of it as it relates to mutual charity between men but pay no heed to the requirement to glorify God, the criminal follow it in part, in so far as at some points they exercise the common offices of civility and charity. Modern man striving for excellence in his profession, the advancement of his community and nation, the happiness of his family and the benefit and entertainment of his friends, is living according the very real dictates of that general all-pervading sense of what is right – moral law – and his endeavour reaps him great benefits at many levels.
The issue that remains unresolved, however, is that of justification before God. The unspoken assumption is that all will be well if we just carry on as we are. After all, most of us are basically decent folk. Yes, I have my faults and so do those around me, but on whole most of us are doing our best, most of the time. We rub along with those around us and, in so far as we think about it at all, we expect God will accommodate us in much the same way as family, friends and colleagues do. But in this we make the same mistake that the psalmist refers to “thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself” Psalm 50.21. The fact that God differs from our fellows so radically in this respect, has nothing to do with His character, as if He were somehow less forbearing than the great mass of humanity putting up with each others’ faults.
The point at issue is God’s office as governor of the world: "For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations" Ps 22.28 amd "God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth" Ps 59.13b. As ruler of the universe God is bound to uphold moral law. From the beginning of the biblical account we are continually presented with God’s intervention to uphold law by punishment or the threat thereof, “in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”, "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;” Gen.19.24, to mention but two. The Lord did not thus act as a private individual but in his office as supreme ruler of all beings.
It is to our relationship to God as moral Governor that we must give some serious thought. This is the question of justification. How can we be right with God? The answer the apostle Paul gives is “not by the works of the law”. Not that we are to let up in our daily striving for excellence. We just have to realise that nothing we have done, do now, or might do in the future can earn us acceptance with God. Justification through the covenant of works comes (or rather fails to come) on the following terms : "cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" Gal 3.10b, and “for whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2.10. Since none of us has lived perfectly, we can forget finding favour with God this way.
We are bought then by the law as a schoolmaster (Gal. 3:24) to realise that we must avail ourselves of the gracious forgiveness that comes through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. For those of you who have not yet come to know this blessed salvation, I pray that the eyes of your understanding be opened and your heart come to know the joy of this unspeakable gift. For those blessed brethren already of the household of faith, I pray that be you will be refreshed in the faith and have renewed perception of the beauties of the grace that is in Christ Jesus. His peace be upon you my beloved brothers and sisters.
Savarios
29th September 2007
Previous Featured Text: 1 Timothy 6:6
estin de porismoV megaV h eusebeia meta autarkeiaV.
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
De valóban nagy nyereség az Istenfélelem, megelégedéssel.
