By thy words …

Submitted by kerusso alethes (United States), Jul 25, 2011 at 14:12

Just as our Muslim brethren believe their religion should overtake the world, in the great commission Jesus commanded his followers then, and us today to spread his gospel, and he even specified what that gospel should contain:"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Mt 28:20

In the attempt to spread the gospel Paul tried to apply his own human logic to twist and bend Old Testament scripture to fit his personal version of the gospel. One of his singular gems of wisdom is found in Romans 6:16 "… to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are …"

But gems of wisdom like those of Paul, or Socrates, or even Plato will not qualify at our own individual day of judgment. The straw that makes or breaks our backs, eternity wise comes down to one final sentence. "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Mt 12:37

Some of the very first words that Paul ever wrote prove he knew nothing of Jesus gospel. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:15-17

But you see some twenty or so years earlier Jesus had said, "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Mt 22:31,32

No one who has ever lived and died is waiting in the grave to be resurrected although that was a primary belief of the Pharisees: and of Paul the ultimate Pharisee. Judgment day comes for each of us at the moment we expire. Which raises the question, if Paul was wrong about the resurrection, what else did he get wrong? Especially in view of the fact that he never once quoted Jesus in any of his thirteen epistles!

So in parting from further discussion in this venue and in kicking the dust off of my feet, metaphorically, I will end by just saying this, when it comes to quoting Jesus or Paul as my authority, I pick the words of Jesus … every time.
kerusso alethes

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