( for   or for   )

"Bad News Paul" Part Three What Conservative "Christians" believe, practice and promote is "Paulianity" not Christianity.
See   Part One of  "Bad News Paul" for his defense of slavery and his put-downs of women,  and Part Two, for his attacks on gays, on Jews, and on the poor."

Christian "Fundamentalism" is the triumph of
Paul of Tarsus over Jesus of Nazareth :

If nothing else, Paul of Tarsus was a super workaholic salesman.  Before any of the Gospels were published, he was indoctrinating his followers all over the middle east with his Epistles. Although Jesus had not chosen to include him among the original twelve "apostles" that he had personally trained to carry on his movement after he was gone from the scene, Paul of Tarsus travelled, preached and wrote so much more than all 12 of the apostles that Jesus had groomed to take over his ministry that their efforts were swamped by the ideas that Paul claimed to have received directly from "the Lord" in private revelations.

Was Jesus' choice and training of his twelve apostles a waste of his time and effort?

• Introduction  Luke Ch.1:
  1 "Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught."
• Jesus Appoints the Twelve  Mark 3 :
  "13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him."
• and Luke 6: "13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles".
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples   Matt. 4:
  18 ""As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
• Jesus Sends Out the Twelve   Matthew 10:
  "1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. 9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. 40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
• The Great Commission   Matt. 28:
  "16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
• Jesus Appears to the Disciples   Luke 24:
  "36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
• Jesus Appears to His Disciples   John 20:
  "19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
• Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah   Matt. 16:
  "13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadeswill not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bebound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beloosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”
• A Mother’s Request  Matt: 20
  "20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”“We can,” they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” 24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
• Jesus Appears to the Disciples   Luke 24:
  "33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

The very first order of business of this book, written by the same author of Luke's Gospel, is the filling of the place left open by the suicide of the 12th apostle, Judas. Pay special attention to the qualifications that are required in vv 21 & 22 of any candidate.

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” . . . . 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus – 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (but he must now be replaced) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let another take his position of overseer.’ 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us – one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles."

Paul was just a few years younger than Jesus. If Jesus had wanted him to take over his movement following his death and resurrection, he could have chosen him as one of the twelve original apostles. Not only did he not make that selection, but Paul was never mentioned in any of the four gospels, even though Paul's Epistles had all been published before the earliest Gospel (Mark's) was published in about 66 AD. The reason that Paul of Tarsus didn't have the qualifications set down as crucial by the leader of the apostles chosen by Jesus, was that Jesus hadn't invited him to be a close follower, and Paul was actually an enemy of the Christ's movement.
        After making a rather tardy appearance, however, in Ch. 9 of the Acts of the Apostles, by Ch. 16 through Ch..28 (the last), the only apostle left standing is Paul of Tarsus.

Didn't Peter teach
the same thing as Paul ?

There's a very good reason why these words sound so "Pauline". You see, this Epistle wasn't written by St. Peter at all, but by a Pauline Christian some 40 years or more after the deaths of both Peter and Paul. So it would be more accurate to attribute the words of the so–called "First Epistle of Peter" to Paul rather than Peter.

"For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.  For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish.
        As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone.  Love the family of believers.  Fear God.  Honor the emperor." (Compare to Roman's 13: 1–7) 2: "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable."[ 1 Peter 2:18 ]
        Compare to [ Titus 2:9–10 ]

"Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse."
        "Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives' conduct, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.  3 Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God's sight." (1 Peter 3: 1–5 ) Compare to Paul's Oppression of Women

The Ebionites view of Paul of Tarsus:
according to the 4 Gospels, Jesus
prepared 12 Apostles to carry on
his mission, but according to Paul,
Jesus put HIM alone in charge.

From the first century to this day there is a little-known group that has the best claim of being the successors of the twelve "apostles" that the Gospels say that Jesus himself had appointed as his official successors. This group called themselves "Ebionites". What has come down to us through the Epistles and the "Acts of the Apostles", written by Paul and his allies is Paul's version of his conflict with the original 12 Apostles, in which he is the one who triumphs over his challengers. According to the Ebionites, however, Paul of Tarsus was nothing but an imposter and a heretic. If that was true, then it has been true as well for the 19 or so centuries since then, and the triump of Paul has proven to be a catastrophe for true "Christianity".

Paul of Tarsus & "666"

Although the Ebionites have been a tiny minority, there have been a few scholars and thinkers, especilly since the end of the 18th century, who have been trying to awaken us to this smoldering tragedy, people like :

• Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832 ), one of England's most distinguished thinkers, published a work called "Not Paul, But Jesus".
          In this 150 page book, Bentham explored in excruciating detail many internal inconsistancies and conflicts between Paul's works and other parts of the New Testament. His main purpose, however, was to show the incompatibility between the doctrines of Jesus and Paul, as he concluded in his "Introduction": "it rests with every professor (i.e. "believer" IMHO) of the religion of Jesus, to settle with himself, to which of the two religions, that of Jesus and that of Paul, he will adhere: and, accordingly, either to say, Not Jesus, but Paul, – or, in the words of the title to this work, Not Paul, but Jesus.
          and later he wrote "Whatever is in Paul, and is not to be found in any of the four Gospels, is not Christianity, but Paulism." (Ch. XVI, Sec.1)
  and "If Christianity needed an Anti–Christ, it needed look no farther than Paul." (Ch. XVI, Sec.3)
• Thomas Hardy (British writer) (1840 – 1928 ) :
  "The New Testament was less a Christiad than a Pauliad."
• George Bernard Shaw ( 1856 - 1950 ) :
  "No sooner had Jesus knocked over the dragon of superstition
  than Paul boldly set it on its legs again in the name of Jesus."
• Carl Jung (Psychologist) ( 1875-1961 ) :
         "Paul hardly ever allows the real Jesus of Nazareth to get a word in."
  (U.S. News and World Report, April 22, 1991, p. 55)
• Albert Schweitzer ( 1875 – 1965) :
         "Where possible Paul avoids quoting the teaching of Jesus, in fact even mentioning it.  If we had to rely on Paul, we should not know that Jesus taught in parables, had delivered the sermon on the mount, and had taught His disciples the 'Our Father.'  Even where they are specially relevant, Paul passes over the words of the Lord."
Walter Kaufmann
(Professor of Philosophy, Princeton) ( 1921-1980 ) :
"Paul substituted faith in Christ for the Christlike life."
• Will Durant (Philosopher) (1885 - 1981 ) :
  "Paul created a theology of which none but the vaguest warrants
  can be found in the words of Christ."
  Fundamentalism is the triumph of Paul over Christ."
  & "Paul created a theology about the man Jesus, a man
  that he did not even know 50 or more years after the death of Jesus,
  with complete disregards for even the sayings attributed to Jesus.
  Jesus got lost in the metaphysical fog of Paul's brain".
• Carl Sagan (Scientist; Author) ( 1934 – 1996 ) :
          "My long–time view about Christianity is that it represents an amalgam of two seemingly immiscible parts–the religion of Jesus and the religion of Paul. Thomas Jefferson attempted to excise the Pauline parts of the New Testament.  There wasn't much left when he was done, but it was an inspiring document."
  (Letter to Ken Schei [author of Christianity Betrayed])
• Hyam Maccoby (Talmudic Scholar) (1924 – 2004 ) :
         "As we have seen, the purposes of the book of Acts is to minimize the conflict between Paul and the leaders of the Jerusalem Church, James and Peter.  Peter and Paul, in later Christian tradition, became twin saints, brothers in faith, and the idea that they were historically bitter opponents standing for irreconcilable religious standpoints would have been repudiated with horror.  The work of the author of Acts was well done; he rescued Christianity from the imputation of being the individual creation of Paul, and instead gave it a respectable pedigree, as a doctrine with the authority of the so–called Jerusalem Church, conceived as continuous in spirit with the Pauline Gentile Church of Rome.
          Yet, for all his efforts, the truth of the matter is not hard to recover, if we examine the New Testament evidence with an eye to tell–tale inconsistencies and confusions, rather than with the determination to gloss over and harmonize all difficulties in the interests of an orthodox interpretation."
  (The Mythmaker, p. 139, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1986)
• Bishop John S. Spong (Episcopal theologian) (1931 – ) :
  "Paul's words are not the Words of God. 
  They are the words of Paul – a vast difference."
  (Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, p. 104, Harper, San Francisco, 1991)
• Here's a newer contribution to this growing list, a book by Jim Stacey, called "Liberating Jesus from Christianity", which includes an important section called "St. Paul - the biggest culprit" by Jim Stacey ( if the original is no longer available, I've retained this copy).
{ John 3 : 31-36 }  

"( John the Baptist said of Jesus : )   He must increase, but I must decrease."  (Didn't Paul and Luther do very much the opposite?).  The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.  The one who comes from heaven is above all.  He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.  Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true.  He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.  whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath.

Martin Luther was one of the greatest promoters
of Paul's Epistles over Jesus' Gospels

As one of Paul's most famous admirers – I'm tempted to say "worshippers" – Martin Luther made it clear that he would have preferred a New Testament without the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and without the Epistle of James.   In Wittenberg, 1522 and in Laws, James p.1 he wrote:

"In sum, St. John's Gospel and John's epistle, (all of) St. Paul's epistles, especially Romans, Galatians and Ephesians, and St. Peter's first epistle are the books that show you Christ and teach all that is necessary and salvific for you to know, even if you were never to see or hear any other book or doctrine. . .  "In comparison with these the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw, because it contains nothing evangelical."  And Luther concludes:  "Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world.  As long as we are here in this world we have to sin.  This life is not a dwelling place of righteousness.  But no sin will separate us from the lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day."  (which Lutheran and Catholic admirers of Paul actually did in the German concentration camps)
        (and by this very same argument, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke "are gospels of straw, (compared to the Gospel of John and to Paul's epistles) for these have nothing of the nature of the gospel about them, and among the books or doctrines that you need "never to see or hear". )

We now know that the author of the Epistle of James was probably the brother of Jesus, who headed the church of Jerusalem and published his epistle about 17 years after Jesus' death.  On the other hand, we don't know who the author of the Gospel of John was, but that this was one of the last books of the bible to be written, some 60 years after Jesus died.
        So Luther favored the scripture authored by those furthest from Jesus over those closest to him.

---

When Martin Luther feared losing the support of the big political players of his time for his brand new church, the reformer turned his back on the peasants, and with his inflammatory address to the German nobility unleashed wholesale carnage against the peasantry: "choke, stab and kill, and if you die, take comfort, you do the work of God."  And when in 1541 he supervised in person the drowning of a five year old "devil's child" in the Zwickauer Mulde, a river in Saxony, Luther may really have thought of it as a high point in his lifelong wrestling match with the devil. 
        It is not, as if he didn't know what he was doing. "Yes, their blood is on me, but I put it in the hands of our Lord, who made me do it" (Martin Luther, "Table-Conversations").  Luther believed to have an excuse for rejecting even the remotest responsibility for his own actions, and he explicitly based this attitude on his "faith".  In the preface to his bible translation Martin Luther placed little value on the synoptic gospels, "to know Christ's works and His life's story is not the same thing as to know the gospel, because it does not mean that you know that He conquered sin, death, and the devil."

Here are other excellent sites
that have serious problems
with Paul of Tarsus :

I don't see any need to "re-invent the wheel". So whenever I find material that is so good that I can't improve on it, I simply quote it on my own site, or recommend it, as in the case of the following:

• Paul vs. Jesus , by Davis Danizier
• Paul-Chief-Culprit.html|
• The Apostle Paul Founder of Christianity, by Lewis Loflin.
• Paul, the first Heretic, by Holger Kersten.
• YAHSHUA (Jesus the Essene) vs. Paul (the heretic), by Rev. Brother Day, D.D.
• "Paul on Jesus", which shows how little Paul seemed to know of the actual teaching of Jesus of Nazareth (which was not published in the four Gospels until the late first century, after the publication of Paul's Epistles several years earlier.)

The following is a copy, word for word, from a treatise by the Rev. Scott Grady that makes my point better than anything I could write that while Conservatives profess to be "Christians", their beliefs are based on the teaching of Paul of Tarsus, rather than that of Jesus of Nazareth.
        I copied the following from the original, http://www.christianlibrary.org/authors/ Grady_Scott/meanstobechristian.htm on 08/07/07 and only modified it to emphasize the sources used by this preacher, showing which ones were from Paul (green font), which were from Jesus (bold red font) and which from other bible sources (purple font).

Just what does it mean to be a Christian? BODY I. IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE HAD ALL OUR PAST SINS CLEANSED. A. We were without hope before becoming Christians. Colossians 1:21 - And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled We deserve to be separated from God, simply on the basis of our unforgiven sins. Romans 6:23 B. Look at what happens at the point of our baptism into Christ. We have our sins washed away - Acts 22:16 We have the remission (forgiveness) of our sins - Acts 2:38 We are saved from our sins - 1 Peter 3:21 We have been redeemed from our sins - Ephesians 1:7; Romans 6:3-4 II. IT MEANS THAT WE BEGIN A NEW LIFE. A. We have put off the old person. Romans 6:6 - knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Ephesians 4:22 - that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, Colossians 3:9 - Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, B. We start a new life "In Christ Jesus" 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Romans 6:4 - Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, We are not "babes in Christ."         a. 1 Corinthians 3:1         b. 1 Peter 2:2 - as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, III. IT MEANS THAT JESUS IS NOW OUR LORD AND MASTER. A. He is our Lord. Acts 2:36 - "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Matthew 28:18- "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Revelation 17:14 - "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful." B. This means that we belong to our Lord - He has control over our lives. Romans 14:8 - For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 1 Corinthians 6:15 - Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! We are to give ourselves over to the Lord - 2 Corinthians 8:5 Colossians 1:10 - that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Galatians 2:20 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 - Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 - For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. IV. IT MEANS THAT WE MUST BE ACTIVE AS CHRISTIANS A. Christians are not "new creatures" so they can lazily ease their way to Heaven without any labor. Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 1 Corinthians 15:58 B. Look at all the times when the New Testament tells us to be active in good works. Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 1 Timothy 2:10 - but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 1 Timothy 5:10 - well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work. 1 Timothy 5:25 - Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden. 1 Timothy 6:18 - Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, Titus 2:7 - in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, Titus 2:14 - who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Titus 3:8 - This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3:14 - And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. Hebrews 10:24 - And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 1 Peter 2:12 - having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." All these passages, even if there were not any more in the Bible, should convince us that we should be active in doing the Lord's will and that he wants us to be zealous after good works. C. Our work for the Lord will be a standard by which Christians are judged. Revelation 20:12 - And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. Jesus condemned lazy disciples as being wicked. Matthew 25:25, 26 - "And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed." If the Lord placed a divine standard that those who refuse to work should not eat concerning physical things which God has promised us (2 Thessalonians 3:10), why do we think that spiritual matters should be different? He has blessed us bountifully, but will not allow us to ride home to Heaven of the coattails of others. *Copyright 2000 by Grady Scott

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