If you sat down and thought about who were the most quoted characters of the Bible, who would you think of? Jesus would likely stand at number one, right? We have a lot to learn from Jesus through not just His crucifixion and early life, but His parables as well. So, there’s a lot to talk about and quote throughout our daily lives.
There’s also Moses. Although, I typically just think of the phrase “Let my people go!” and that tends to loop within my head more than anything else in regards to Moses.
However, if there were specific teachings that I remember learning just as much as the teachings of Jesus, it would have to be the teachings of Paul and the letters he sent to various areas and the Church. Is there an issue with this? Not necessarily, but there are times that I think we place Paul on a pedestal and line him up right next to Jesus in terms of importance and we tend to take everything that Paul says as blanket truth.
This would not be the first time Paul has been idolized. Paul even mentions what appears to have been idol worship of him rather than the Corinthians worshiping and praising God.
My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?
-1 Corinthians 1:11-13
Within this passage, Paul stresses the importance of unity in Christ and the dangers of being divided. Not only is division in the Church dangerous, but division within your own personal faith equally dangerous.
I think we need to be careful with some of Paul’s teachings, as they are not always a direct command from the Lord. Paul is VERY specific when he is citing his opinion versus what he believes God is telling him to say. Typically, his opinion will lean on what is going on in the areas to which he is writing to.
In the 7th Chapter of I Corinthians, Paul discusses his opinion on the unmarried, and specifically states at the beginning of this discussion that it his opinion and not a command from the Lord; and he does the same when he states he is speaking a command of the Lord (An example being in I Corinthians 14).
I have also personally noticed that Paul appears to write with much more authority when stating a command from the Lord rather than his opinion, which I believe portrays the important difference between the two.
This is not to say that his opinions are not worth reading or considering. To put it simply, it’s very easy to place importance on something when you can associate it with a person or have a name to reference; but too easily this turns into “Well Paul said…” or “Well, Pastor John Doe said….” and not “The Lord says…”
I want those of you who read this to think on these questions: Who, if anyone, have I let take spiritual authority over my life? Is it Jesus? Paul? Or maybe someone in my immediate life – like a pastor?
The pastor will be the focus for the next blog. Stay tuned!
Blunt Christian Talk 
I think this my favorite post from Blunt Cheistian Talk yet! Very thought provoking, with a perspective on Paul I haven’t previously considered. This is a good reminder of checking ourselves, and to consider not just the source of our guidance, but what truths are they based on, rather than “idolizing” the indivual giving us that guidance. Thank you, and I am really looking forward to your next post.
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