"Christians follow Paul, not Jesus."
That used to be my favorite argument as a Muslim.
Then I actually studied Paul.
And the argument fell apart.
Paul wasn't some random guy inventing theology. He was a Pharisee trained under Gamaliel, one of the most respected Jewish teachers of his generation.
He knew the Torah.
He knew the prophets.
And he hated Christianity.
He persecuted Christians, dragged them from their homes, and approved their executions.
Then something happened.
He encountered the risen Christ.
And overnight, the man hunting Christians became one.
Think about that.
If Paul invented Christianity, why did he spend his life pointing people to Jesus instead of himself?
Why did Peter, James, and John endorse him?
Why did his teachings align with the apostles who actually walked with Christ?
And why would he willingly endure beatings, imprisonment, stoning, and eventually execution for a message he knew was false?
People may die for something they mistakenly believe is true.
But they do not willingly die for a lie they invented themselves.
Paul didn't create Christianity.
He met the risen Jesus and spent the rest of his life proclaiming Him.
If you've been told Paul invented Christianity, you've been handed a slogan, not an argument.
@SonnyUploaded@NotSonnyFaz@BekLoverNYC If God forgives the penalty, then He is not just and seizes to be God. You have to know and understand who God is and how He operates before you do podcasts about Him.
@atotutubaidoo@Preacherrapper So Yes, a truly born again believer cannot sin because He has the seed of God in him. If perhaps, they find themselves still doing dead works and stuck with the old man, then they are just not matured in the things of Christ which is their new identity.
@atotutubaidoo@Preacherrapper them, has not come to maturity in Christ Jesus. That’s why Paul says put on the new man in Christ and set your affections on things above where the new man dwells with Christ.