Honored By An Accusation

Pic quote Galatians 2 v 20

Many of you know that I took a long break in October that carried over into the first part of November.  Before I turned off comments for the break, I received a comment that left me shaking my head.  I did not approve the comment nor did I respond to the man who wrote it.  I will not name him.  He does not follow my blog and I have only seen him on my blog that one time.  I have been wanting to write this since the first week of October, so please bear with me.  It will be a bit long, but I will be posting long sections of Scripture to speak truth to his accusation (just in case he visits my blog again).  There is only one Gospel of Jesus Christ and I will preach it and defend it with all my heart!

The man left the comment after reading my post “One Year Blogging For Jesus!” that I wrote back on my anniversary of August 10th.  He started out nice, introduced himself as a brother in Christ, and congratulated me, then his comment got weird.  He told me that I sounded like the Apostle Paul in how I preached the Gospel and he told me I was “Paulinian.”  Yes, he said, “Paulinian.”  “Okay then,” I thought.  He then told me that the Apostle Paul was arrogant and he preached a different Gospel that was false.  Then he took it a step further and told me that I needed to repent for preaching the Gospel like Paul.  At the end of the comment I discovered the heart of the matter as he tried very poorly to explain to me that we are saved by works and we need to work our way to Heaven.  He is so wrong on everything he said I actually felt bad for him.  Now you know why I didn’t post the man’s comment.  I did not want to embarrass him.  He is not a Christian and he does not know what he is talking about.  He definitely doesn’t understand the Bible.

First of all, if you are a Christian, then you should know it is a great honor to be compared to the Apostle Paul!  I have never in my entire 23 year walk with Jesus ever heard a person that claims to be a Christian slander Paul like that.  It literally left me shaking my head.  I don’t know what faith that guy is, but he is not a Christian.  He is most likely involved with some cult that masquerades as Christian, but they are really wolves in sheep’s clothing.

The guy accused the Apostle Paul of being a false preacher, slandered Paul by calling him arrogant, slandered the Gospel Paul preached and slandered God’s Word by doing so, then proceeded to preach a false gospel to me while telling me to repent for preaching that Jesus is the only Way to Heaven.  Craziness!  I have dealt with false preachers who preach a false gospel of saved by works, but I’ve never heard anyone talk like that guy.  Paulinian?  Where did he get that phrase?  Weird.

Paul was the man who God used to write the majority of the New Testament and he was a great champion of the faith!  The man was slandering Paul and the words God wrote through him that became part of the Bible we read today!  Almost every New Testament letter was written by Paul!  He was not a false preacher and he was not arrogant either!  The Lord used him to spread the true and only Gospel, which is that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not by works.  Paul was actually very humble calling himself “the worst of sinners.”

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”

1 Timothy 1:15-17

Those are not the words of an arrogant man. Those are the words of a man who has been humbled by the all consuming love of God!  Paul knew how much grace and mercy had been poured out on him and he knew that his only hope of salvation was through faith in Jesus Christ.  The only Gospel of the Bible and the only Gospel Paul preached was that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Here is how the Apostle Paul preached the Gospel:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

Paul dealt with these same types of accusations against him in his time.  It’s crazy that there are false preachers in our time that are still accusing him!  There were all kinds of false preachers trying to taint the Gospel back then, and just like today, they always preached lies about working your way to Heaven.  Let us turn to Galatians to let Paul respond for himself.  What he wrote almost 2,000 years ago is still very much valid and relevant today!

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all.  Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 1:6-12

That “revelation from Jesus Christ” happened on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9.  Paul was using his Hebrew name Saul at that time and he was a very zealous persecutor of Christians.  He was on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians when he had an amazing miraculous encounter with Jesus that saved his soul and changed his life forever.  Paul was not a false preacher!  He was sent by Jesus Christ Himself!

The Road to Damascus Saul's vision

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.  He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.  So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias.  The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.  In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.  And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go!  This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it.  Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord–Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here–has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again.  He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.  At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.  All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?  And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?  Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.”

Acts 9:1-22

What an amazing and miraculous conversion the Apostle Paul had!  He was not arrogant, he was not a false preacher, and he did not preach a false Gospel!  He was a humble man of God who was commissioned by Jesus Christ Himself and he preached that a person can only be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.  That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and there is no other Gospel!

We are not saved by works or any other way.  Just as Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia and Rome:

Pic quote Galatians Romans

Pic quote Galatians 3

Amen!  Jesus Christ is our redemption!  All of us have sinned and it is the Blood of Jesus Christ that forgives our sins and saves our souls, not works!  We receive the Holy Spirit by believing in Jesus, not by human effort!  Give Jesus the glory He deserves!  I most certainly will not repent for preaching the Gospel like Paul did!  That is not something we need to repent for!  That is something we need to aspire to!  I am humbled and honored that someone thinks I sound like the Apostle Paul, and I pray that God will give me the strength and endurance to faithfully honor Jesus Christ like he did!

The Apostle Paul
Painting done by Kenneth Wyatt

Jesus Christ is Lord and He is the only way to Heaven.  No amount of good works will ever get you there.  We are saved through Jesus alone, Jesus said so Himself, and He is the One that sent the Apostle Paul to preach His Gospel to the world!  It is not a good idea to slander God’s Word, His Gospel, or the Apostle Paul and a real Holy Spirit filled Christian would never do that.  We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Just as Paul said in Galatians 2:21, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”  Jesus died for us to set us free from sin and death!  That is the Gospel, and I will preach it until my very last breath!  Jesus Christ is Lord!

Grace and peace to you all!

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16

 

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2023 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

53 thoughts on “Honored By An Accusation”

      1. Hi brother that word you talked about Pauline sorry can’t spell it but I have 🌎 heard actual real born again Christians use that word biblically. That man who thinks he is saved by works is under the condemnation of Gala Galatians 1 and the rest of Scripture.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. You speak with such compassion about this man, it’s inspiring. And I agree it is an honor to be compared to Paul! Grace is truly a pivotal part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is something I always try to testify of to my fellow friends and congregation. It isn’t that works aren’t a good thing; it’s that the works aren’t what earn our redemption. As you illustrate with scripture, that gift is already freely given. Amen ❤️.

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  5. Well, you couldn’t have given your post a more appropriate title. This guy certainly is not a preacher of Christ, he is a prosecutor like Saul. Ryan, your preaching is by The Bible and your passion to preach The Word is out of belief and love for Jesus, and faith and love for God. Amen!!! Thank God you write and preach for Him! We are wonderfully blessed by that. Amen!

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  6. Beautiful post! Just a beautiful and right-on post. The more irate and the more deranged the skeptic becomes… usually that level of ruckus is proportional to the magnitude of truth being espoused. The man was plumb mad… possibly on two levels. Yet you treated him with the Grace empowered in you by the Holy Spirit. Good job brother. Jesus has been glorified. And what encouraging follow up comments by your commentors. You people are a comfort.

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  7. I have received comments from (probably) the same man. His odd rejection of Paul’s writings definitely places him outside the true Church. You have faithfully and accurately set the record straight. Thank you for that. J.

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. Being compared to Paul is definitely a compliment. 🙂 Whenever someone is more focus on “scripture” than on loving one another, we can 100% tell that they’re not followers of Jesus.

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  12. What a compliment to be compared to Paul. Paul is one of my favorites ❤️. I love that the enemy tried to hurt you and yet God turned it into a divine devotion! Congratulations! That was a victory for Christ!🤝🙂👏💖

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  13. My family and I used to know someone who believed Paul to be a false apostle. I never understood it – it just doesn’t add up; if Paul’s writings are to be thrown out, then we must reject Peter’s writings, since he called Paul’s letters “Scripture”. And then the Acts of the Apostles is overwhelmingly, abundantly clear that Paul was nothing short of a true servant of God and divinely inspired. To reject Paul, one has to throw out Acts. Which raises questions about Luke. Etc, etc. A very slippery slope.

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      1. Reminds me of a lady my family knew, in either the US or Canada; she went from either Christian or Messianic to Jewish (she rejected Jesus and the entire New Testament), who subsequently briefly questioned Isaiah. Which, considering his role in the books of Kings and Chronicles – and those books’ pivotal role in Biblical history – is even more tenuous than rejecting Paul.
        One of my half-brothers, a couple years ago, seemed to really come to Yah/God, and have a hunger for the truth. He still has that hunger… but has since fallen for the wrong “truth”, deciding that Jesus and the NT were Roman inventions (?!), and eventually becoming a Flat Earther.
        I can only pray for him.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. It really is mind boggling. I will pray for that lady and your half-brother. May the Lord have mercy on both of them. P.S. We took the kids to see Frozen 2 yesterday and we all loved it. Story was well done and it was funny. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I thought you’d enjoy it! It’s rather fun and well-plotted, and catchy. I also liked the more serious/mature feel. I found myself singing “Into the Unknown” afterwards.
        Just today, I took advantage of Amazon’s Black Friday sales to order most of the Star Wars movies.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Aside from MIB, I’ve seen Will Smith in Independence Day and Enemy of the State.
        I also rather like Tommy Lee Jones.
        I also recently finished watching the old Batman film series with Keaton, Kilmer & Clooney.

        Liked by 1 person

      9. I’m not sure what I think of Batman & Robin (I’m going to watch it again soon), but I love the other 3. One of my favourite parts of the series is Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey as the villains (Two-Face and The Riddler) in Batman Forever. So fun to watch! I also rather liked Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr Freeze made a pretty cool villain (pun not intended). Jack Nicholson was creepy but brilliant (and kinda fun) as the Joker. Danny Devito nailed the Penguin. Michael Keaton rivals Christian Bale for the best Batman, and Val Kilmer was great in the role as well. I thought George Clooney made a great Batman but a poor Bruce Wayne.
        Anyway, enough of my raving; I’ll save it for the eventual reviews! (LOL)

        Liked by 1 person

      11. Cool. I’m more than halfway through the MCU, having recently seen Guardians of the Galaxy. One of their most fun movies to date!
        I’ve also seen the first two DCEU movies, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, of which I liked Man of Steel. (Couldn’t finish BvS.)

        Liked by 1 person

  16. It doesn’t surprise me that this man attacked the apostle Paul… If one can discredit Paul, he discredits the New Testament as a whole. I only feel sad for him that he thinks he has to work to get into heaven, knowing that this is an impossible task. How stressful and guilt-ridden his life must be.

    I appreciate how tactfully you handled this, Ryan. There is a time to call people out and there is a time to be discreet and I believe you were right to be discreet on this one.

    God bless you, brother. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. Your crown in Heaven is going to be AMAZING! I agree with a lot of the comments, we need to pray for these lost souls and have compassion for them. How lonely and sad it must be to be them. When I’ve received comments demanding that I change my post to what “they” know is the only way, I am brokenhearted because the Bible is so clear. So as I’m deleting the negative comment I pray for them and hope the Spirit shows them the True Light! Keep up the good work brother!

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