This post is part 2 of 3. Please read Part 1 “The Narrative” if you haven’t read it already in order to get the flow and to better understand this post.
It is important to note that the traditional narrative of Christendom is not supported by scripture and is in fact, completely false. The truth is that the gospel of grace and the doctrine for the Body of Christ was revealed to the apostle Paul approximately 10 years after Pentecost by the ascended Lord Jesus Himself. Paul was designated the apostle to the Gentiles and received new revelations that were not known or understood by Peter and the other apostles. The gospel message that Paul preached was not learned or taught by men, but directly from the Lord many years after the cross.
“It’s impossible for anyone to believe something that was never revealed, but when God does reveal something He expects us to believe Him”
‘“The secret things belong to the L ord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.’
Deuteronomy 29:29
Multiple Errors:
- First and foremost, the gospel of grace and the doctrine of the body of Christ was revealed to the apostle Paul 11 years after Pentecost. How could Christ be preaching death, burial and resurrection when He was still alive? Furthermore, Peter and the other apostles HAD NO CLUE THAT CHRIST WAS GOING TO DIE ON THE CROSS, BE BURIED IN A TOMB THAN BE RESURRECTED THREE DAYS LATER (Luke 18:31-34).
- Peter and the 11 knew nothing about the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) or the Body of Christ because it wasn’t revealed yet. How can anyone say that Peter was preaching the gospel of grace when God Himself says I revealed it only to the apostle Paul?
- John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet, not a “Christian”. John lived under the Mosaic law and believed that Jesus was the Christ (“Israel’s Messiah”). He would have fulfilled the role of “Elijah” as prophesied in Malachi 4:5,6. If the nation of Israel accepted his message.
- There is NO Scripture record of Paul joining Peter and the other apostles to preach the gospel of grace. The record is the exact opposite! God makes it clear that He chose Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles. The resurrected Lord Jesus said it Himself that I revealed the gospel of the grace of God to Paul. Paul didn’t learn what he knew nor was he taught it by men but by the risen Lord Jesus Himself. (Galatians 1:11,12) (Ephesians 3:3-5) Most in Christendom seem to think Paul was taught by Peter and the other apostles. Ridiculous!
- It was God the Son who told the apostle Paul to go up to the Jerusalem Church and set the record straight. At the Jerusalem Council, it was Paul who stood his ground and told them “who seemed to be something” how it was going to be moving forward. (Galatians 2:2) (Galatians 2:6)
- At the Jerusalem Council “those who seemed to be something” Peter, John and James shared NOTHING of value to the apostle Paul. (Galatians 2:6,7,8,9) (Acts 15:11)
- It was the apostle Paul who shared with them what the risen Lord Jesus revealed to him. The apostle Peter at the Jerusalem Council makes his grand statement that most DO NOT REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT PETER REALLY SAID. ‘But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”’ Acts 15:11 Not the other way around! Paul didn’t go back to his congregations and say sorry guys but now you have to be baptized, circumcised, and keep all 613 laws.
- There is no Scripture support for Peter or any of the other apostles leaving Jerusalem to spread the gospel all over the world. They never left Jerusalem. (Acts 8:1; 7 years after Pentecost)
- The word “Christian” wasn’t used until Acts 11:26, in Antioch, not Jerusalem. Well after Paul’s conversion. Those who believed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God were called followers of “the way”.
There is so much confusion, division, and infighting among the Body of Christ because of this erroneous narrative. These biblical verses and facts demonstrate that the traditional narrative of Christendom is not supported by scripture, and it is critical for Christians to understand that the gospel of grace was revealed to Paul and not the other apostles, and that salvation is by faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, apart from any works or laws.
In conclusion, it is clear that the traditional narrative of Christendom is riddled with errors and misconceptions. The gospel of grace and the doctrine of the body of Christ was revealed to the apostle Paul approximately 10 years after Pentecost and not to the other apostles. Peter and the other apostles had no knowledge of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet and not a Christian. There is no scripture record of Paul joining Peter and the other apostles to preach the gospel of grace, baptizing all over the world. It was the risen Lord Jesus himself who revealed the gospel of grace to Paul. At the Jerusalem Council, it was Paul who stood his ground and shared with Peter, James, and John what the Lord had revealed to him, not the other way around. The word “Christian” wasn’t used until Acts 11:26, in Antioch, not Jerusalem.
The Bottom Line
To avoid confusion, division, and false teachings, believers must maintain a literal, grammatical and historical (in-time) hermeneutic. There has been much too much of man’s theology governing Scripture when it is God’s Word alone that reigns over theology.
The Bible is a progressive revelation it wasn’t all dealt out at once to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, or the apostle Peter. God is the same and will never change but the instructions He gave to mankind for salvation throughout Biblical history changed significantly.
For the first 2000 years, God dealt with all mankind directly and everyone spoke one language (Genesis 11:1). Then He made a change and chose just one man out of millions to start a new race of people for Himself (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). God deals with Jews with only (7 exceptions) for 2000 years. Dividing mankind by Jew and Gentile with the Gentile world without hope and no access to God (Ephesians 2:11,12). Then the sovereign God makes another change by choosing another man, Paul, (Acts 9:15; Acts 20:24; Galatians 1:11,12) with a new message of salvation for Jews and Gentiles apart from the Mosaic law and temple worship.