The Christian Bible is a set of contradictions. You can defend murder, mass murder, slavery, or defend their opposites: long suffering, peace, anti-slavery. It all depends on the verses that are cherrypicked. Yet if we read the words of Jesus, they have an everlasting quality to them and they remain consistent. It would seem that if a Christian were to follow the teachings of Jesus they would remain consistent and without error to their theological path. As it happens, the Christian New Testament is filled with as much contradiction, and Christians put at odds the philosophies of Paul the Apostle with that of Jesus their savior.

The Role of Jesus in Christianity

Jesus should be considered the cornerstone of the Christian faith. If He said to do something it would be done. Not only is Jesus the savior of the Christian, He is their guiding light and upon His name, do they pray for guidance as well as forgiveness.

Jesus is the spiritual guide of the Christian believer.

The Role of Paul in Christianity

Paul’s letters being added to the New Testament are a confounding point. Paul is a man, a person, prone to bias and cultural influence. He isn’t speaking as God, nor as the son of God. Paul attempts to be elucidating the message of Jesus to different churches.

Perhaps debatable, but I believe Paul’s role is to inspire and expound the words of Jesus.

Unfortunately his views sometimes come into contradiction with that of Jesus.

Paul vs. Jesus

In recent years a conservative Kentucky lawmaker quoted Paul from 2nd Thessalonians to say, “if a man doesn’t work, neither should he eat.” The statement was made against food stamp initiatives. This is a common view of conservatives: “don’t help the poor and needy, as it will take more money from the earners and give to the layabouts”.

Yet Jesus said in Matthew 25, that if a believer doesn’t feed “the least” hungry person, it’s as though they didn’t do it unto Jesus and they will be cast into eternal darkness.

Recently I was told by someone that a woman needs to care for her children and not ask the state or others for help, citing Paul’s letter to Timothy.

Handling the Contradictions

Keeping in mind that Paul is a human, prone to error and bias, it seems clear that the words of Jesus should always be held to a much higher status than that of Paul.

Would a Christian expect Paul to be the one dying for their sins, or for getting them into heaven? Of course not. Would they consider Paul to be the eternal judge, judging them guilty or good for their deeds?

It is only Jesus that has the power of eternal reward, so why is Paul given so much authority? The error of the Council of Nicaea was to include Paul’s writings into the New Testament, as it gives a sense of authority equal to that of Jesus.

Considering the Cherry Picking of Paul

Paul wasn’t a kind or compassionate fellow. He judged a lot of people, women perhaps the most. He got into it with women, demanding control of what they say, who they say it to and how they should dress. Specifically he said that women should have no authority over men, shouldn’t be allowed to instruct men, should be silent in church, shouldn’t wear jewelry or perfume.

Few churches today would align with that ideal, and many Christian women today are not so subservient to not talk back to men who disagree with them. Why is that?

Because we know that Paul is a man, prone to the historical and cultural bias of his day.

Why do People Quote Paul?

People who rely on quotes from Paul, do so for confirmation bias. They have an attitude or world view that they want defended. They want to be involved with government, so they cite Paul on obeying the “higher authorities.” They want to put women in their place, so they quote Paul. They want to have more income and give less to others, so they refer to 2nd Thessalonians.

People who rely on Paul, in contrast to Jesus, do so to rely a message of authority, government, anti-poor and so on. They often quote Paul to look down on others, to humble or punish others. “Obey the laws,” they quote Paul with a cheery shout as people are incarcerated or deported. “Know your place,” they reference Paul with authority as they shout down at women.

Paul is rarely used to uplift people. His words are most often used to harm or judge others – the very thing that Jesus warns about.

Are those feelings of authority, condemnation and hostility the message of Jesus?