HipGnosis wrote: More Paul vs Jesus contradictions:
1. Rom.13:12 "the night is far gone, the day is at hand."
Jesus says: Luke 21:8 "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name,
saying, . . . `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them."
2. Rom.14:9 "For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead
and of the living."
Jesus says: Luke 20:38 "Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living;"
** These first two I have already answered at http://topixlightbringer.blogspot.com/2009/06/regarding-paul-vs-jesus-website.html , Answers # 1 and #3. **
HipGnosis, continued:
3.
Rom.3:24 "they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption
which is in Christ Jesus, For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart
from works of law."
Rom.5:9 "Since, therefore, we are now justified by his
blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God."
Jesus says: Matt.12:37 "for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Paul was talking about being justified, acquitted of our sins through faith in the blood of Jesus, as Jesus spoke about in the upper room "My blood is shed for the remission of sins". This is justification that occurs here before judgment day, and by means of the words of one's confession, it comes to pass, now.
Jesus's words are in a different context, speaking to unbelieving Pharisees and their unbelief and words opposing his ministry. Their words were going to condemn them on the day of judgment. But, they had the option of using words to be justified if they had renounced their unbelief and confessed their faith in Christ, at baptism.
Another way to view Jesus' statement is to say: Choose your word carefully, you may have to eat them.
HipGnosis:
4.
Rom.6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Jesus says: Matt 19:29 "And every one who has
left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for
my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
and,
Luke 14:28 "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down
and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?.....33: So therefore,
whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
Paul was summarizing his argument that there are no benefits of sin, just death is all you get "paid"; He then contrasts this to God's Free Gift, that doesn't result from man's works, rather through the sacrifice of Christ, Eternal Life has been made available to us. Salvation has always been free, by grace through faith. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David all had a relationship with God based on faith, that were as Noah "who found grace in the eyes of the Lord". But, this faith cost them something. Faith has to have works or deeds, or it "is dead being alone" as James pointed out. Thus, Abel's faith cost him his flock and his life. Noah's faith cost him years of labor and frustration that no one would listen. Abraham had to leave his homeland in his journey of Faith. The Gift of eternal life, or the relationship with God is "free"; you can't buy that. But, to stay in that grace, it costs you everything. "He that would save his life shall lose it; he who loses his life (that is gives up control of his life) for my sake and the gospel, shall gain it." This concept is lost on much of the church today.
HipGnosis:
5.
2Cor.8:21 "for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but alsoThe way you, or your source, cut out the text before Jesus comment in Luke 16:15 shows that you know there is no comparison: two different contexts. Paul's texts were all referring to believers telling them to do what is right or noble in the sight of others; don't be dishonest, don't be busybodies; don't be involved in questionable activities.
in the sight of men.
Rom. 12:17 "Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought
for what is noble in the sight of all men.
Rom.14:18 "he who thus serves
Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men."
1Cor.10:33 "just as I try
to please all men in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of
many, that they may be saved."
Jesus says: Luke 16:15 "But he said to them,
You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for
what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
And Luke
6:26 "Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to
the false prophets."
Jesus, was criticizing the Pharisees, who rather than be concerned about God's opinion of them, were only worried about how they looked to others, congratulating themselves that they weren't as bad as someone else. Jesus warning in Luke 6:26 is to tell the disciples, you're going to have opposition if you're faithful to me. If you don't and everyone is cool with you, you might be on the wrong side. Living a respectable life doesn't entail that people won't speak evil of you anyway.
HipGnosis:
6.
And here's the biggie - the cornerstone of Paul's message: Rom.7:9-10 "I was
once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I
died; the very commandment which promised life proved to be death to me."
But
Jesus said: Matt.19:17 "If you would enter life, keep the commandments."
And
Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven."
Paul teaches other men, not to break the commandments,
but to discard them entirely. This is in direct contradiction to Jesus.
You didn't include references to your last allegation. In Romans 7: 8-25, Paul is re-living what it was like for him first entering into sin, by means of his knowledge of the Law. He argues that the Law is good, but that "Sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead." In the verse you quoted, Paul refers to the fact that he was alive unto until "the commandment came"; likely, this was before his bar mitzvah. Paul plays out this scene, which is a portrait of every person, bound to sin, though they want to do good. Finally, he asks "who shall free me from this body of death". The answer is God in Christ Jesus:
"Rom 8:3 What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He
condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature
like our sinful nature, to do away with sin.
Rom 8:4 God did this so that
the righteous demands of the Law might be fully satisfied in us who live
according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature."
Thus, as he says, the Law is holy and good, but it can't save you unless you keep it perfectly. Moses said: "the man that doeth these things shall live (be alive to God) by them.". But, as Peter said: "Act 15:9 God doesn't discriminate between Jewish and non-Jewish people. He has cleansed non-Jewish people through faith as he has cleansed us Jews. Act 15:10 So why are you testing God? You're putting a burden on the disciples, a burden neither our ancestors nor we can carry. (Referring to a Law system of righteousness) Act 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they."
Jesus comment quoted in Matt. 19:17 was made to the rich young ruler, who was trusting in his own works to earn him salvation. Upon further conversation, Jesus challenged him to keep one more command that he wasn't keeping, not to be covetous!... Jesus concluded in Mark's account: "how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!" We must serve God not Mammon. The point Jesus was making that this man still had a sin problem, despite his proud record, and needed to repent and follow Christ.
The verse quoting Christ in the Sermon on the Mount: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: " is a little strange, because it seems to teach that these who break Jesus' command will be in the kingdom, but they will be the least in it! I assume that's because they're in a section of his kingdom called gehenna... i don't know.
Jesus taught that His message was to be followed, we are to obey Him as well as to keep the Law as He summarized it "Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself". The distinction between what Christ taught in this regard is, He was talking about the duty of one who has already become his disciple, having received eternal life by faith.(John 1:12-13 "However, he gave the right to become God's children to everyone who believed in him. These people didn't become God's children in a physical way-from a human impulse or from a husband's desire to have a child. They were born from God.")
Paul was talking about the fact that we are unable to gain eternal life by keeping the law, because no one can keep the Law. Only Christ did that and He offers to share his righteousness with us by imputation.
Here's the diagram:
Fall of man > bondage to sin > Law given to magnify bondage to sin and establish sacrificial system to atone for sin; it is an imperfect system, slated to be replaced > Christ came to be the one final perfect sacrifice > Faith in His vicarious atonement causes His earned righteousness to be imputed to us > We are given the Life of the Spirit so that we can live the life He would have, fulfilling the righteousness of the Law > Thus, we may stay in fellowship with Him and enter life, as He told the rich young ruler.
Regarding the Mosaic covenant , the laws of circumcision, clean and unclean foods, and the Sabbath, the New Testament is clear that those laws have been absorbed into the New reality.
They were types of New Testament realities: 1. Circumcision now is of the heart, spiritual reformation, for male and female. 2. All foods have been pronounced clean. Now, we are to "touch not the unclean thing", moral uncleanness. 3. The day one keeps the Sabbath is up for each person to determine. Jesus said He is lord of the sabbath. He is our true Rest. HOWEVER, I understand that Jews are to still keep these laws because they are in covenant with G-D as a Nation; but these things don't earn them salvation, they are marks of their salvation, and required of them by God.
