The Deception of Paul

The figure of Paul the Apostle is one of the most influential in the development of early Christianity, but his role and teachings have also sparked significant controversy and debate.

• Paul was not and is not a true apostle

• Paul never met Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry

• Paul was not chosen by Jesus in the way the original apostles were

Paul's teachings and influence on the early Church were part of a deliberate deception to distort the original message of Jesus. That is thanks to the Roman Catholic Church which regards Paul as a true apostle, often referring to him as "Saint Paul, the Apostle." The Catholic tradition teaches that Paul's apostleship was validated by his encounter with the risen Christ and his subsequent ministry, which was recognized by the other apostles in Jerusalem (as seen in Acts 15).

Paul’s Claim to Apostleship

Paul's claim to apostleship is based on a dramatic experience he had on the road to Damascus, where he reported encountering the risen Christ in a vision (Acts 9:1-19). Despite this encounter, Paul was not one of the original twelve apostles, who were personally chosen by Jesus. Paul's self-proclaimed apostleship lacks the direct validation that the other apostles had. In fact Paul's proclamation marks him guilty as a false preacher. If Paul was a true disciple of Christ he would've humbled himself and now worked to elevate himself to a place where he does not belong. Heal Earth Church, the True Church of Christ, questions the legitimacy of his authority to teach and lead the early Christian community.

Divergence from the Original Message

The great deception of Paul is that his teachings often diverge from the message of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels. While Jesus focused on the Kingdom of God, emphasizing love, humility, and social justice, Paul’s writings are often more concerned with theological concepts like justification by faith, the nature of sin, and the role of grace.

Paul introduced doctrines that were not part of Jesus' original teachings, that makes Paul a heretic. He effectively created a new version of Christianity that was more palatable to Gentile audiences and aligned with his own interpretations. He is a deciever.

For instance, Paul's emphasis on faith over works (as seen in Romans 3:28) contrasts with the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized the importance of righteous living and adherence to God's commandments (Matthew 5:17-20). This shift in focus is clear and blasphemous distortion of Jesus' message, prioritizing belief over action.

Influence on the Early Church

Paul's writings form a significant portion of the New Testament and have heavily influenced Christian theology, particularly in Western Christianity. His letters, or epistles, were among the earliest Christian documents to be widely circulated and were instrumental in shaping the doctrines of the early Church. However, some argue that the inclusion of Paul's letters in the New Testament canon was a strategic decision by early Church leaders who sought to centralize and standardize Christian teachings, possibly at the expense of other, more authentic teachings that aligned more closely with Jesus' original message.

Paul’s influence also extended to the structure and organization of the Church. His writings provided a framework for understanding concepts like ecclesiastical authority, the role of clergy, and the relationship between faith and law. Critics argue that this framework helped establish a hierarchical and institutionalized Church that moved away from the more egalitarian and communal practices that may have characterized the early Christian movement.

Paul the Deciever

Did you know that Paul was a former persecutor of Christians before his conversion (Galatians 1:13)? That alone should raise questions about his true motivations and the authenticity of his later teachings.

I believe Paul was an agent of the Roman government. Paul’s teachings were intentionally deceptive, serving to dilute or misdirect the true message of Jesus. Paul, whether knowingly or unknowingly, introduced ideas that would make Christianity more accessible to the Roman world, but at the cost of compromising the original teachings of Jesus.

Moreover, there are texts, such as the "Epistle of James," that seem to directly counter Paul's teachings, particularly on the issue of faith and works, suggesting that there was significant disagreement within the early Christian community about the correct interpretation of Jesus' teachings.

The question of Paul’s role in the early Church and the authenticity of his apostleship remains a deeply contentious issue. For those who view Paul as a deceptive figure, his influence on Christian doctrine is seen as a corruption of the original message of Jesus, designed to appeal to a broader audience at the expense of truth. This perspective calls for a critical re-examination of Paul’s writings and their place in Christian theology, advocating for a return to the teachings of Jesus as the true foundation of the faith.