In reading the letters of the Apostle Paul to the churches, it is clear that Paul had many detractors and was in constant conflict with false teachers and false brothers who had entered the church in sheep’s clothing, seeking their own gain. Peter himself testified that many things Paul had written were difficult to understand, and there were some who twisted things he wrote and, as well, other scriptures to their own destruction.

The practice of self-serving heresies never ceased, and the same phenomenon as then continues even today and has become even more common with the increasing awareness and emphasis on the Jewish roots of Christianity.

While it is certainly a good thing that many Christians today are awakening to the Jewish roots of the faith and shaking off the remaining shackles of Roman doctrines to place Christianity in its original Jewish context, there are some who desire to go a step further and put on the old shackles by bringing themselves back into the bondage of righteousness through works under the Mosaic law.

To accomplish this, it has become necessary to either misinterpret Paul—which is more common—or to dismiss Paul altogether and declare him a false teacher who should not be a part of the Bible. Indeed, for it is clear that many of the very same distortions of the scriptures—which Paul himself addressed in his letters—are espoused today to support the belief that we are still subject to the Mosaic law.

Most specifically, the epistle to the Galatians seems as relevant today as it was at the time when Paul wrote, “Tell me, you who desire to live under the law, do you not read the law?” (Galatians 4:21)

Paul was called by God to teach the transition from works to grace—God having given Paul a greater understanding than all of the other apostles through an abundance of revelations—for which reason, Paul was sometimes compelled to declare his credentials as an apostle and say things he otherwise would not: “I speak as a fool,” Paul says, having to boast of himself out of necessity in defending the high position God had placed him in.

Seeing how this contention continues, it is therefore necessary that the same boasting be carried out on Paul’s behalf to defend not only Paul and his teachings but the very saving grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To begin with, Paul’s calling was not by man but by a direct personal encounter with Christ himself on the road to Damascus. This is even strengthened further by the witness recorded by Luke of Ananias, who was sent to Paul by the Lord who said unto him, “Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16

Therein, God himself is Paul’s first endorsement. Furthermore, if you are to dispose of Paul, who wrote the most books in the New Testament, it seems you must also dispose of Luke, who wrote the largest volume of words in the NT, including a gospel. Luke was with Paul, seemingly to the end. He recorded the miracles done at the hands of Paul, including healings and the raising of the dead. Peter also, in his second epistle, bears testimony to the wisdom given to Paul by the Lord.

Paul was instructed as a Pharisee and trained in the law. He knew the Torah and the writings of the prophets better than all of the other disciples before him, most of whom were called from being fishermen and more common men. Once Paul was saved, having the advantage of his prior knowledge of the law, God used his knowledge to open up a greater and deeper understanding of the law and of Christ. So much so, God allowed him to be afflicted, lest he become puffed up by the multitude of revelations delivered to him. For this, he sought the Lord three times, who said, “My grace is sufficient for thee,” and he accepted the burden the Lord placed upon him.

Anyone who can truly grasp even parts of the depths of Paul’s writings knows that his words are God-given. His understanding of spiritual things is deep, and his prophetic revelations of the future are so accurate and revealing that all his writings are beyond anything the carnal mind could devise and assemble. In Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, Paul captures the very heart of God—as much as is possible with words—and the essence of the Word of God and the fullness of the Spirit. It is certainly one of the greatest works of literature ever written.

Anyone who distorts or rejects Paul’s teachings, even if they proclaim the name of Jesus, does not truly comprehend the Lord in spirit and truth but is embracing a religion of works of self-righteousness rather than the saving grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As great as all the Apostles of Christ are and deserving of all honor, it was Paul who was chosen by God to make those things written before by the prophets known by bringing in a better understanding of the depths and mysteries of God and of his plan for salvation, past, present, and future. Anyone who rejects Paul to embrace the ordinances and workings of the first covenant, which Jesus fulfilled for us, is sacrificing grace to place themselves back under the bondage of the law, which only Christ kept in perfection. For only by faith in Christ are we justified, and not by the keeping of the ordinances given to Moses, which Christ came to fulfill.