|
|
|
Why Should We Follow Paul? By Warren Litzman
There are many religionists who believe following Paul is heresy. I would have felt the same way many years ago. But by the Holy Spirit’s leading I came to see that the Scriptures are plain. The only way that a born-again believer can follow Christ is by first following Paul. This is not a mere idea of my own. It is a truth that is firmly stated many times in the Scriptures (I Cor. 4:16, I Cor. 11:1, Phil. 3:17, Phil. 4:9, Gal. 4:12, II Thes. 3:7, II Thes. 3:9, II Thes. 3:4). These 8 Scriptures give a heavy weight of truth to the fact that Paul received something special from Christ: something that belonged only to the born-again and the Gentiles. Look at the special things Christ gave only to Paul. 1) Paul alone gave us pure grace. In the Old Testament, the word “grace” is usually translated to be “mercy.” Mercy is good, but not pure grace. Mercy is contingent on the recipient doing something to make it possible. This is the opposite of grace. Sadly, too many believers today are being taught mercy instead of grace. In Christianity, grace alone is sufficient (II Cor. 12:9). 2) Paul alone was given the message that the law of Moses and the laws of the Old Testament are abolished at the cross (Eph. 2:15, Col. 2:14). Most believers today are not taught this because modern religion cannot operate without law. Most born-again believers without the fullness of Paul’s revelation will live and die always worried about their law keeping. 3) Paul alone gives to the born-again their final gospel. He received from Christ a message that was strictly to the Gentiles (Acts 28:28), and was not a part of, or even a shadow of the Old Testament or prophecy. It begins in the latter part of Jesus of Nazareth’s ministry in Gethsemane and ends with the rapture of the church (I Thes. 4:15-17). The key to the final gospel is the in-Christ position. The first aspect of in-Christ position was when the sin of the world went into His body as He drank the cup in Gethsemane. From then on everything Paul writes about is contingent on being in-Christ. 4) Paul alone is the one to whom the revelation came that Christ lived in Him (Gal. 1:16-17). The revelation did not come to Peter or James or John or anyone else. Christ in the believer is strictly a Pauline truth. It is truth that was never known by mortals until it was given to Paul (Eph. 3:3-6). It is not only the final gospel, but it is the only workable gospel for today’s believers. Yet most believers know little of nothing about it as they are fed man-made religion daily¾devoid of Paul’s revelation. 5) Paul is the only one in the Scriptures that had a right to say the revelation Christ had given him was “my gospel” (Rom. 16:25, Rom. 2:16, II Tim. 2:8). This is important to our understanding. Since no one in the Old Testament knew this final gospel and since Jesus of Nazareth did not teach this gospel (He taught Moses law) and since no other disciple or Apostle preached this message, it is well that Paul called it his gospel. It is sad that modern religion has not picked up Paul’s gospel. Multitudes could be blessed if they did. |
|
Christ-life Fellowship litzman@christ-life.org 214-391-0488
|