Paul's '
Distinctive' Terms?
"Time and again we have been warned against following human leaders.
In fact, many of today’s cults are perpetuated by doing this very thing.
Paul even says that choosing human leaders is an evidence of carnality
among Christians (1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4).
And yet, Paul is the only one in the New Testament, other than Christ, who
commands believers to “Follow me” (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:2).
Knowing that
Paul is writing as he was moved by The Holy Spirit, how should we
reconcile this seeming contradiction?
Remember, that the ministry of Jesus, while on earth, was only to
the lost sheep
of the house of Israel according to their prophetic program (Matt. 10:5-6; 15:24;
Rom. 15:8). The words which He spoke to them were not His own but the words
which the Father gave Him to speak (Jn. 8:26-28,38).
Our Lord Jesus Christ also had a subsequent heavenly ministry from His
ascended glory. In that one, Paul was chosen by God to be the speaker of
Christ’s words to the Gentile world and to live it as an example to others.
The red letter Bible has been popular for years with the words of Jesus
printed in red. Few realize that, to get to
The Words of our Lord Jesus for
today’s dispensation, you must go to the letters of Paul written to the Gentiles.
Paul was firmly against following human personalities with their teachings
and commandments of men. His ministry was not about that, but rather
The Divine Authority given to him as the Apostle of the Gentiles and
God’s spokesman for the Dispensation of the Grace of God.
If the believers missed that, they could not be established in the present
Grace Truth (Rom. 16:25)." (K. Lawson)
Full study:
Paul's Distinctive Terms
Amen.