Position Paper 4: The Gospel According To Jesus And Paul

Position Paper 4: The Gospel According to Jesus or Paul?

Jesus and Paul are two crucial characters in the New Testament. They both depict the Gospel on which Christianity is based upon, but there is debate about rather these two versions of the Gospel are complementary. Scholars like George Shaw claim that Paul is “anti-Christian,” and he “produced a fantastic theology” (Shaw 415-416). On the other hand, I believe that even though Jesus and Paul may present the Gospel differently at times, they are still advocating the same religion. Through the understanding of the similarities, differences, and contexts of the Gospels and Paul’s letters, it is clear that Jesus and Paul have the same underlining values and practice the same religion.

Paul’s

For starters, Jesus chose Paul specifically to spread his word and filled him with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:1-19). Alternatively, Shaw claims that “the conversion of Paul was no conversion at all [but] it was Paul who converted the religion” (Shaw 415). This is a bold statement and neglects the fact that a disciple named Ananias was also involved in the conversion, which validates that this was not Paul’s imagination. God, instead, “promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures” that Paul would “be an apostle” (Romans 1:1-2). Additionally, others believe that Jesus chose Paul but still suppose Paul taught a different religion. Jesus is omniscient, though. The Apostles prayed to Jesus and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart” (Acts 1:24). Since Jesus knew Paul’s heart, he would not have chosen him if Paul was going

For example, they both claim that Jesus is God. Thomas refers to Jesus as, “My Lord and my God!” and Paul writes to the Romans, “according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever” (John 20:28; Romans 9:5). Jesus and Paul each mention the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells his disciples to “receive the Holy Spirit” and Paul aims for the Romans to be “abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22; Romans 15:13). This emphasis on Jesus being God and the Holy Spirit are crucial to the Christian understanding of the trinity. Additionally, Jesus and Paul both preach the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:9). Paul even goes a step further and claims that “love is the fulfilling of the law,” which is surprising since he typically focuses on the “righteousness of God” (Romans 13:9;