The apostle Paul, the writer of fourteen books of the twenty-seven in the New Testament, is called various things and dismissed because his teachings do not align with various social standards. Many claim Jesus yet reject the apostle Paul. Many have degraded Paul’s writings as though his writings have no place in the Bible. They set Paul aside for not being a disciple during Jesus’s ministry despite being converted from hostility as a witness of Jesus’s resurrection.
Conflict with Paul
The apostle started and helped start churches throughout the Mediterranean from Syria to Italy if not Spain. His words reflect the earliest record Christian beliefs and Paul’s conversion dates to 2–3 years after Jesus’s crucifixion. Paul’s words about grace and love are cast aside because he taught people to humble themselves and live lives of sexual purity. However, he is supposedly sexist for revealing God’s made men first and God set men to be spiritual leaders (1 Tim 2:11–14). Some think Paul was bigoted for exposing the depravity of a society that rejects God and is given over to sexual passions even unnatural lusts (Rom 1:24–27). Some do not prefer the church government presented in Paul’s words because each congregation is autonomously led by elders rather than a single ruling pastor, committees, votes, or a hierarchy of bishops with a Pope (1 Tim 3:1–15, Titus 1:5–9).
Paul and All the Others
What are the effects and consequences of not accepting Paul’s writings? Does not accepting Paul’s writings mean not accepting the rest of the writings in the Christian Scriptures? If you do not accept Paul, then you cannot accept 2 Peter because the writer accepted the writings of Paul as Scripture (2 Pet 3:16). No one can reject Paul and accept 1 John as that book recognizes the writing of the apostles including Peter (1 John 1:1–4). Furthermore, Peter also accepted John (2 Pet 1:16–21). Now, those who reject Paul must reject 1 Peter to be consistent. After all, the apostle Peter instructed Christians to subordinate to the governing authorities, servants subordinate to masters, and wives subordinate to husbands (1 Pet 2:13–3:6).
By rejecting Paul’s writings, one would have to dismiss the Gospel of Luke since Luke was with Paul and agreed with Paul (Acts 16:10). Paul quoted Luke’s Gospel as Scripture (1 Tim 5:18; cf. Luke 10:7; 2 Tim 2:8). Setting aside Luke also means setting aside Luke’s book of Acts and the previously written gospel narratives that Luke mentioned in Luke 1:1–3. The gospel narratives that Luke extensively shares material with the Gospel of Matthew and shares chronology with the Gospel of Mark. This leaves only two New Testament authors, James and Jude. However, Jude closely resembles 2 Peter 2 even speaking of fulfillment of Peter’s revelation, so the one rejecting Paul and Peter could not reasonably accept Jude. James was also an apostle with Peter, associated with the Twelve, and accepted Paul (Acts 15; Gal 1:18–2:10), so someone dismissing Paul would dismiss James’s epistle.
The Cross on Christ
If someone rejects Christ’s words given through the apostle Paul, do they reject Christ? Paul taught about the apostles of Christ, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches” (1 Cor 2:13). This is just as Jesus declared that He would give His words to His apostles (John 17:8). Those who listened to Jesus would listen to His apostles (John 15:20). Jesus also revealed that He would send His Spirit to guide His apostles in all truth (John 14:26; 16:12–13). Because of this, Paul wrote, “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor 14:37). Paul was converted by Christ, claimed revelation from Christ, preached a gospel revealed separately yet was accepted and approved by the other apostles (Gal 1:11–19, 23; 2:2, 9).
The consequences of rejecting Paul’s writings are devastating so that such a person enters into a cloudy deism at least. Rejecting the writings of Paul means rejecting the New Testament. By rejecting the New Testament, the consistent person would reject all the words of Jesus found throughout the Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation. However, as previously noted, Jesus revealed that all of the Truth in Christ’s words were given to His apostles as revealed through His Spirit. By dismissing Paul, there goes the apostolic Scriptures and the early Christian faith (Eph 2:20; 3:5).
You or God?
The rejection of Paul is a character judgment of the sincerity and honesty of Paul and all of the New Testament writers. Can believers dismiss the apostle Paul and by so doing dismiss Christ? Jesus declared, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority” (John 7:16–17). When dismissing Paul’s words for conflict of one’s preferred social ethics and personal righteousness? Are people to listen to their own hearts first or to God’s Word in the Scriptures? Jesus proclaimed, “For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). Jesus taught things that offended people so that crowds stopped following Him (John 6:66). Isaiah presents God’s words, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts'” (Isaiah 55:8–9). Rejecting Paul’s words includes questioning Paul’s inspiration noted by his definition of love, his proclamation of the fruits of the Spirit, and much more. Such rejection devastates holy virtue in the faithful. Can highly esteemed opinions stand against Paul’s most profound statements? Should anyone consider personal thoughts higher than God’s thoughts?
By rejecting Jesus’s words given through His apostles and prophets, then faith is all or nothing for the Scriptures. Should people give up prejudices toward the Bible that are based on their personal morality? Should people reinterpret certain scriptural writers to disregard teachings that offend them and others? The whole point of the Bible is to reveal God because humanity is sinful and will contradict God.
True Christian discipleship starts with Christ. True faith consists of essential virtues of humility and meekness for which the world mocks and scoffs at the thought of such for their declaration of “pride.” However, the apostles taught everyone to subordinate to God in faith, thus to subordinate to their government, their masters, and each other (1 Pet 2:13–3:6). Humble submission to God is the virtue of true faith that trusts in the God of Jesus Christ. By this, Christians trust God to work things out through His grace. Without sincere humility, there is no real faith, and this is what this discussion is all about. Humble yourself before the words of Christ as delivered through His apostles and prophets, and let no one consider one’s thoughts greater than God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Breath of God 
In John 15:20, Jesus taught His apostles, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
In Matthew 23:34, Jesus revealed, “On account of this, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city.”
In Luke 10:16, Jesus declared, “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me. And he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me” (cf. 10:2).
In 1 Corinthians 4:1–3, Paul recognized, “Let a man consider us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found faithful.
3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court. In fact, I do not even examine myself.”
Rejecting 2 Peter is not Rejecting Peter. It’s rejecting 2 Peter, which is fake, just as much as Paul’s credentials.
Who wrote this comment? Oron? Prove that this comment is not a fake. Is this another AI bot?
How do you expect me to do that? By now the AI bots are probably smarter than the devil himself.
Exactly my point. To dismiss someone’s message with one’s name on it is prejudice unless you have good evidence to prove otherwise. The appeal to possibility is a logical fallacy. I cannot make appeals to plausible explanation because it goes nowhere but to skepticism and, or agnosticism.
Yeah, but that’s how the entire Biblical canon was finalized. There are books that have equal historical merit, while one is canonized and the other is rejected. 2 Peter should rejected just as the Apocalypse of Peter because of how unlike 1 Peter it is written. It was heavily debated like many of the other pseudepigrapha. It was canonized because off its doctrine, in spite of knowing that Peter couldn’t have possibly even been alive when it was written. Your illustration is pathetic compared to what is and actually always been at stake. You do not have an infallible Pope to tell you what to read, and you have no infallible consensus of Orthodox patriarchates to tell you what to read. You have to tell yourself off a conclusion using the multiple lights of multiple lamps at multiple angles. If you don’t, the shadows and sillouettes will take away your depth perception, forcing you to probe your path like a minefield because you won’t open your other eye.
Nah. You give too much credit to critical scholars and Papal and patriarch assertions. Are you familiar with apostolic canon? Just as the OT books were added to the Law of Moses as each one was written and given to the protection of the priests as commanded by Moses. See the end of Joshua as his book was added to the Law. Likewise, the NT was collected under the oversight of the apostles in the first century. Are you familiar with the apostolic canon? See Norman Geisler’s book on the NT Canon (Evidence of an Early New Testament Canon https://a.co/d/dJF63Q5). I have articles about that on this site. Look up: New Testament connection on this site.
Who of the apostles does Geisler claim to be alive when the Apoclypse and the Pastorals were written?
Does he quote a list that was published then, which perfectly matches his canon? Why did they not create a prolegomena to the canon they listed and signed together? Geisler couldn’t put together half a paragraph without redefining something so that it would deceptively suit his needs. Every criterion he can give for canonicity would delete some books which he likes and add others that he doesn’t like. Do you think that the Council of Jamina is binding? Why should James be included when you, I , and Martin Luther all know that is against Paul’s gospel unless you mangle it?
Now, you’re being dense. His sources are the primary sources.
Peter was follower of Jesus and so as John. Luke’s gospel is history that he verified. Paul teachings were inspired. Why should Jesus send his teachings inspired while he himself came to earth and deliver his teachings to his disciples? Also, how you don’t really see the difference between Jesus’s teachings and Paul’s teachings? Why for you following Jesus is not enough? I will follow Jesus till I die and I don’t believe in Paul as equivalent to God. If he says something that agrees with Jesus’s teaching I will accept it otherwise I will follow only Jesus