{"id":37740,"date":"2026-05-22T16:20:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/jesus-and-paul-are-they-saying-the-same-thing\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T20:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:36:10","slug":"jesus-and-paul-are-they-saying-the-same-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/en\/jesus-and-paul-are-they-saying-the-same-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus and Paul &#8211; are they saying the same thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text text_lead=&#8221;yes&#8221;]The statements of Jesus and Paul differ in essential points. This has to do with their own respective missions. Paying attention to the differences and appreciating them in their own context sheds a great deal of light and understanding when reading the New Testament.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;706452&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Two misinterpretations<\/h3>\n<p>There are two misinterpretations of Jesus and Paul and the relationship between the two. They are two ways of looking at things that could not be more different:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jesus and Paul say the same thing<\/li>\n<li>Jesus and Paul have nothing to do with each other.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both views are extremes. There is something to both views. As is so often the case, a deeper understanding involves a process of differentiation. Where do Jesus and Paul say the same thing? And where don&#8217;t they? Such open questions can be challenging, because theological debates with far-reaching consequences run along the borderlines of these questions. Asking yourself such questions is an attempt to get to the bottom of what the New Testament says. Getting into the questions and discourses of the time is just as exciting as then considering the relevance for church and community today.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;432036&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Are Jesus and Paul saying the same thing?<\/h3>\n<p>That Jesus and Paul are saying the same thing is a view that is widely held in Christian circles. It sees the New Testament as a collection of reports and letters with <em>only one<\/em> message. There is no consciously perceived differentiation within the New Testament. Jesus and Paul are saying essentially the same thing, simply in different words.<\/p>\n<p>Typical features of this first view are [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; back_color=&#8221;color-xsdn&#8221; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; content_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;126837&#8243; back_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text_color=&#8221;accent&#8221; heading_semantic=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_size=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_transform=&#8221;uppercase&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;663428&#8243; text_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221; subheading=&#8221;Do you recognize these features?&#8221;]Are Jesus and Paul saying the same thing?[\/vc_custom_heading][uncode_list icon=&#8221;fa fa-arrow-right&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;color-vyce&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;737661&#8243; icon_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jesus already speaks to today&#8217;s church in the gospels<\/li>\n<li>Statements of the Gospels are &#8220;spiritualized&#8221; (e.g. discipleship)<\/li>\n<li>Where Israel is spoken of, this is transferred without further ado to today&#8217;s congregation from all nations<\/li>\n<li>Paul is the missionary who takes the message of Jesus out into the world<\/li>\n<li>Paul simply adapts the message of Jesus for the gentile peoples a bit<\/li>\n<li>Some of the Torah&#8217;s requirements for Israel (10 commandments, tithes, etc.) should also be relevant for the church from all nations<\/li>\n<li>Other demands in turn (circumcision) no longer have any relevance (unfounded and selective perception)<\/li>\n<li>Orientation for sermon and way of life is largely based on the Gospels<\/li>\n<li>and so on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/uncode_list][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; content_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;139037&#8243;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;108457&#8243;]This is a dramatic simplification of the New Testament. This simplistic view is problematic for many reasons. First, Jesus is removed here from the context of the time. Who He was, what His mission was, to whom He spoke &#8211; all this is not examined. Everything is related uncritically to their own situation or to today&#8217;s community. There is no critical examination of the text in context, so to speak. What Jesus says in the Gospels is also expected in the rest of the New Testament without further differentiation. Of course, it&#8217;s all the same, isn&#8217;t it?  Thus, the development after resurrection and ascension is not taken into account.<\/p>\n<p>Completely left out are questions like these: Why was Paul called to be the 13th apostle? Was that necessary? Were not the 12 apostles already sent out into all the world? Why didn&#8217;t the 12 implement this? What actually happened in the book of Acts? How are the letters of the apostle Paul to be classified? What happened to Israel? Does Israel have a future, and if so, where do we read about it in the New Testament? How do the 12 apostles relate to Paul?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Who among the 12 apostles ever implemented the Great Commission? None!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>These and other questions are not asked because it is assumed <em>a priori<\/em> that the same message resounds everywhere in the New Testament and that everywhere it is only about today&#8217;s church.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s <strong>one<\/strong> way of looking at it. Now let&#8217;s look at the <strong>second<\/strong> view.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;189297&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Did Jesus and Paul have a different message?<\/h3>\n<p>There are many contrasts between the Gospels and Paul&#8217;s letters. They always lead to disputes.<\/p>\n<p>One recognizes supposed contradictions that are quickly swept under the rug by others. Among the various views, there is also a radical view that states that Paul <em>abandoned<\/em> the teaching of Jesus. With Paul, then, the biblical witness runs off the rails. Or to put it bluntly: The problems begin with Paul. Others describe it like this: Only with Paul the Christian church starts, because until and with Jesus everything was still purely Jewish. Christianity, then, was a <em>reinvention of<\/em> Paul. Jesus remained a Jew, with an expectation for Israel, while Paul moved away from this context.<\/p>\n<p>Jewish New Testament scholars who study Jesus and Paul repeatedly note that Jesus was not part of a particular Christian church, but that He acted as a Jew with a thoroughly Jewish message. He spoke of the fulfillment of the promises to Israel. Jesus never went beyond that. In churches, people are usually not aware of this. The majority of Christians have lost sight of this because they have become too accustomed to the tint of their own lenses to be able to recognize the original colors.<\/p>\n<p>This Jewish expectation &#8211; only Paul deviates from it. Thus, according to this view, a dividing line does not run between Tenach (Old Testament) and New Testament, but between Paul and the rest of the Bible. In an extreme form, Paul, or more precisely the ancestral Christian identity or the church&#8217;s understanding of the congregation, is then rejected.<\/p>\n<p>Typical features of this second view are [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; back_color=&#8221;color-xsdn&#8221; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; content_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;670918&#8243; back_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text_color=&#8221;accent&#8221; heading_semantic=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_size=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_transform=&#8221;uppercase&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;185438&#8243; text_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221; subheading=&#8221;A mix of observations and conclusions:&#8221;]Do Jesus and Paul have a different message?[\/vc_custom_heading][uncode_list icon=&#8221;fa fa-arrow-right&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;accent&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;627920&#8243; icon_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jesus spoke as a Jew to Jews<\/li>\n<li>Jesus spoke about a Jewish expectation<\/li>\n<li>Paul spoke as a Jew to Gentiles<\/li>\n<li>Paul spoke about an expectation for gentiles<\/li>\n<li>Jesus remained firmly anchored in Israel and in the promises to the fathers<\/li>\n<li>Paul left Israel and the Jewish expectation and started something new<\/li>\n<li>Jesus&#8217; concepts of faith and understanding of God were different from Paul&#8217;s (according to Martin Buber, for example, in &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/52025.Two_Types_of_Faith\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Two Types of Faith<\/a>&#8220;, which is presented in a somewhat more multifaceted way in David Flusser&#8217;s epilogue)<\/li>\n<li>Paul turns away from the message of Jesus<\/li>\n<li>Paul teaches a different image of God, worldview and humanity than Jesus (and Judaism)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/uncode_list][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;116498&#8243;]Some of this is an important insight. They are things that are concretely taken from the biblical text. However, other points are problematic.<\/p>\n<p>When does this view become problematic? Differences are sometimes seen as separating Jesus and Paul from each other. There is a polarization that pits Jesus against Paul. The agreements are forgotten, as is Paul&#8217;s strong Christocentric preaching. However, those who present the differences as insurmountable come to the conclusion that Paul is centered on Christ, but that this Christ is completely different from the Messiah of Israel. From here it is only a small step to the assumption that Paul founded a new religion.<\/p>\n<p>For Jewish readers of the New Testament, this is understandable, all the more so as the Church&#8217;s tradition has moved further and further away from the original context of the New Testament. But perhaps one could also draw parallels here with the Tenach and the Jewish traditions, which are also moving away from the original.  Wasn&#8217;t that what Jesus was criticizing over and over again? Nevertheless, there are differences between Jesus and Paul.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;236262&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Recognize differences<\/h3>\n<p>The controversy over Jesus and Paul is an important controversy over the understanding of the Bible. Specifically, it is about understanding the New Testament. But it is also about the persons and groups that are mentioned there: Jesus, his disciples &#8211; the later apostles, in addition also Paul as an additional apostle &#8211; it is about the church and of course about Israel and Israel&#8217;s expectation. All these people are inseparably intertwined. Inseparable also means: We cannot simply divide Jesus and Paul. Without Jesus, Paul wouldn&#8217;t be there Without Paul, however, the church would not have existed today.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Without Jesus, Paul wouldn&#8217;t be there Without Paul, however, the church would not have existed today.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It is striking that it is not the 12 apostles but Paul, as the 13th apostle, who did the greatest evangelistic work<a class=\"bibleserver extern\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bibleserver.com\/ELB\/1.Korinther15%2C10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(1 Corinthians 15:10<\/a>). Why did this happen? Why is one on the road all over the world while the others stayed more or less at home? But that&#8217;s not all. Certain expressions like &#8220;body of Christ&#8221; are found only in Paul&#8217;s letters. They became the basis of today&#8217;s understanding of the church. On the other hand, an expression like &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/en\/the-kingdom-of-heaven\/\">kingdom of heaven<\/a>&#8221; is found only in the gospels, there even only in Matthew.<\/p>\n<p>So there are peculiarities that are found only in <em>a<\/em> group of reports or letters and have no meaning anywhere else. So some expressions appear only here, not there. They are in one context but not mentioned in another context. So it is by no means the case that everyone always talks about the same thing. And this justifies the question about the &#8220;differences and agreements between Jesus and Paul&#8221;.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;977043&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Between cult and faith<\/h3>\n<p>One more problem wants to be mentioned here: our own view of the Bible. The images we make for ourselves of biblical figures can easily become cult figures. A cult figure is never what the person himself is, but only what the followers make of it. Not always can the images of Jesus celebrated today be found back in Scripture.<\/p>\n<p>Again and again I observe something like a Jesus cult, when things are thought and said that are far removed from the biblical testimony. Jesus can become a cult figure, a religious projection screen that has little in common with the Bible. When the name of Jesus is mentioned in every other sentence, but never referenced to the context of the New Testament, I quickly suspect religious projection. Such things have little to do with the biblical testimony. Sobriety would be the pleasant contrast to this. Didn&#8217;t something similar happen with the person of Mary in the Catholic Church? We can quote things and people from the Bible without really being familiar with them (cf. <a class=\"bibleserver extern\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bibleserver.com\/ELB\/Matth%C3%A4us7%2C21-23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mt 7:21-23<\/a>). It is not enough to simply quote things from the Bible.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Bible, Jesus is not a projection screen and cult figure. Jesus is not to be demystified here, but merely considered in his own context. We have to decide for ourselves between cult and faith. As a principle, one could state here: What is written wants to be taken seriously. No more and no less. The same is to be done for Paul, for example. For Paul is not to be stylized as a founder of religion, but only to be recognized in his own context. Just as Jesus came with a mission, Paul also came with a mission. [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;903353&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>A new approach<\/h3>\n<p>The testimony of the Bible, however, allows for a third approach that is well grounded in Scripture. We now want to give this a little more space here as an alternative consideration. The point is to read and understand the <em>testimonies in their own context<\/em>. Differences between Jesus and Paul are then the result of different situations, different missions and different audiences. Each message has value in <em>its own<\/em> context, but cannot be readily applied to another context. So it is not &#8220;either Jesus or Paul&#8221;, nor are they both &#8220;talking about the same thing everywhere&#8221;.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>So it&#8217;s not &#8220;either Jesus, or Paul&#8221;, nor &#8220;do they both talk about the same thing everywhere&#8221;.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Simplified, one could say that the time before the cross is not equal to the time after the resurrection. This would already provide a great deal of clarity. Also, one could see that Jesus, as a Jew, spoke almost exclusively to Jews &#8211; leaving some encounters with proselytes. Paul, on the other hand, goes out into the world and speaks primarily to non-Jews. This statement also already helps in the interpretation of the biblical story. But that is just the beginning. There is more.<\/p>\n<p>But everything in turn.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;755705&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Those being sent out<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus came from God (John 8:42). He came into the world for judgment in order &#8211; figuratively speaking &#8211; to make the blind see and the seeing blind (John 9:39), He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:17). Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1Tim 1:15). Jesus was recognized by others as the Son of God (Jn 1:34, Jn 1:49 and many more), which according to the high priest would fit the description of the expected Messiah (Mt 26:63, compare also Peter&#8217;s statement in Mt 16:16).<\/p>\n<p>Jesus Himself says that He came <em>&#8220;in the name of His Father&#8221;<\/em> (John 5:43). Paul, on the other hand, came as <em>a &#8220;slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle&#8221;<\/em> (Romans 1:1). Immediately after Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life received a new foundation, he began to proclaim in the synagogue in Damascus that <em>&#8220;Jesus is the Son of God&#8221;<\/em> (Acts 9:20).<\/p>\n<p>So Jesus came on behalf of God, who sent Him. Paul came as a messenger of Jesus Christ.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;141131&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Two orders<\/h3>\n<p>Let&#8217;s listen to what Jesus says about his own mission:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nMt 15:24<\/p>\n<p>Jesus came to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). In the context, this people does not mean the church, but clearly the people of Israel. Paul confirms this later when he writes:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;For I say that Christ became the minister of the circumcision for the truthfulness of God, to confirm the promises of the fathers.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nRom 15:8<\/p>\n<p>Paul, however, received a completely different assignment. Of this commission Jesus said to Ananias in Damascus:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;This is My chosen instrument to bear My name before the eyes of the nations, as well as kings and the sons of Israel.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nActs 9:15-16<\/p>\n<p>Although Israel is also mentioned here, what is quite new is that Christ Jesus was called an apostle specifically for the non-Israel peoples. Paul was the <em>apostle of the nations<\/em> (Rom 11:13) and he writes:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;Therefore I, Paul, am the bondservant of Christ Jesus for you who are of the Gentiles.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nEph 3:1<\/p>\n<p>Thus, two orders stand side by side here:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Jesus&#8217; mission was first and foremost for Israel,<\/li>\n<li>the apostle Paul was called by Jesus (!) especially for the rest of the nations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>With this, differences in the statements of Jesus and Paul could now be well justified and presented in an understandable way.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;124440&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Paul and the 12 Apostles<\/h3>\n<p>Paul&#8217;s calling deserves a closer look. In fact, there were already 12 apostles who had received the command to go out into the whole world. This was the so-called &#8220;Great Commission&#8221; (Mt 28:19) that Jesus gave to His disciples. So why does Paul still need to be sent <em>to<\/em> the nations? Paul is not even part of the 12 apostles.<\/p>\n<p>Already the calling of Paul in Acts 9 is a departure from the situation Jesus set up in the Gospels. When Judas&#8217; place was replaced, the rest of the apostles indicated there what was needed for the office of apostle: it had to be someone who had already gone along with the rest from the time of John&#8217;s baptism until the Ascension (Acts 1:21-22). This is how it was handled by the apostles in Jerusalem. But this was obviously not the case with Paul. What was actually going on here?<\/p>\n<p>Something else is thought-provoking: who among the apostles ever implemented the Great Commission? None! Not only did the 12 apostles never obey the Great Commission, but there is a clear difference between the wording of that Great Commission and Paul&#8217;s ministry. Jesus spoke of making <em>disciples of<\/em> <em>whole nations<\/em>. Paul, on the other hand, calls people <em>&#8220;from&#8221;<\/em> all nations.<\/p>\n<p>Whether whole nations are made disciples or individuals <strong>from the<\/strong> nations are called into the church is just not the same. Whatever else might be said about this, one thing is clear: Paul never implemented the Great Commission either. He never speaks of it in the way Jesus spoke of it. Paul does not make disciples of nations. Nor does he teach them to &#8220;keep the commandments&#8221;, as Jesus explicitly stated in the &#8220;Great Commission&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Believers from the nations, called through Paul&#8217;s ministry, are never called &#8220;disciples.&#8221; <a href=\"http:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/nachfolgen-oder-nachahmen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This term<\/a> belongs entirely in the Gospels. In summary: The apostles did not carry out the Great Commission &#8211; neither the Twelve nor Paul. The burning question here would be why is that?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The apostles did not carry out the Great Commission &#8211; neither the Twelve, nor Paul. The burning question here would be why is that?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Although Paul was far more active than all the other apostles (1 Corinthians 15:10), his journeys were not &#8220;missionary journeys&#8221;, even though they are often referred to as such. Paul was on his way with a different message and did not make disciples of nations. Paul does not have the same in mind as the twelve in Jerusalem. The Epistle to the Galatians describes in detail how the circumstances take place.<\/p>\n<p>After his beginning of faith, Paul reports that it &#8220;seemed good&#8221; to God to reveal His Son in him, that he might preach Him as the gospel among the nations. He did not present this gospel to the other apostles, but went first into the Arabian desert (Gal 1:15-17). It was not until 3 years later that Paul went to Jerusalem, first as a personal visit, and then again, 14 years later, to present <strong>the gospel he preached<\/strong> to the 12 apostles as well (Gal 1:18 to Gal 2:2).[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;299300&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>My Gospel<\/h3>\n<p>What is  <em>&#8220;the gospel proclaimed by him [Paul]&#8221;?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>At the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of <em>&#8220;<strong>his<\/strong> gospel&#8221;,<\/em> which <em>was &#8220;according to the <strong>unveiling of a mystery<\/strong> that <strong>was kept secret<\/strong> in eonian times <strong>, but has now<\/strong> been <strong>revealed<\/strong> &#8220;<\/em> (Rom 16:25). Not only does the apostle explicitly speak here of a gospel that belongs to &#8220;him&#8221;, i.e. of something that characterizes his preaching, but he also speaks of the fact that this <em>gospel<\/em> came <em>through a revelation<\/em>.  Revealed was a secret, something that was unknown until then. And this is what happened:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;For I make it known to you, brethren, that the gospel I preached is not according to man. For I neither received it from man nor was I taught it, but it came to me through a revelation of Jesus Christ.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nGal 1:11-12<\/p>\n<p>So Paul did not receive the gospel he preached from the twelve apostles. He received it directly through a revelation from Jesus Christ. It was new because what had been hidden until then was revealed. Perhaps he received details during the time he was in the Arabian desert? In any case, he was to proclaim Jesus as God&#8217;s Son among the nations (Gal 1:16). Let&#8217;s keep in mind that this was about a good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus is central here. It is about His person. That is the unifying factor between different expressions. This justifies the realization that others recognized that the one who<em>  who once persecuted us, now proclaims as gospel the faith he once followed. And they glorified God in view of me&#8221; <\/em>  (Gal 1:23-24).<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, there were differences. Then, according to a new revelation, when he went up to Jerusalem, it was to present &#8220;his&#8221; gospel to the other apostles in Jerusalem (Gal 2:2). He met with James, Cephas (Peter) and John (Gal 2:9).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8221; &#8230; and I went up after a revelation and presented the gospel to them (especially to those who were respected), which I preached among the nations, so that I would not run or walk into the void.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nGal 2,2<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;381386&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Two Gospels and two target groups<\/h3>\n<p>If Paul had preached exactly the same thing as the 12 apostles, there would have been no need to present it specifically. While both the 12 apostles and Paul spoke of Jesus, they each did so in their own context.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Context of the 12 apostles:<\/strong> The good news proclaimed by the 12 apostles stems from the same expectation and proclamation as Jesus&#8217; proclamation. Jesus proclaimed the <a href=\"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/en\/the-kingdom-of-heaven\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gospel of the kingdom<\/a> for (primarily) Israel. <\/li>\n<li><strong>Context for Paul:<\/strong> Paul was proclaiming previously unknown things and was specifically addressing the non-Israelites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;But of those who are respected (whatever reputation they once had, as if they were something, does not matter to me, since God does not think anything of a man&#8217;s external reputation), these respected ones did not submit anything else to me, but on the contrary, because they saw that I was not to be trusted with the  I am entrusted with the <strong>gospel of uncircumcision<\/strong>, as Peter was entrusted with  <strong>that of circumcision<\/strong> (for the one in Peter for the <strong> Apostleship of the circumcision<\/strong> works, he also works in me <strong> for the nations<\/strong>), and recognizing the grace given to me, James, Cephas, and John, who are considered pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that  <strong>we worked for the nations, but they worked for circumcision<\/strong>&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><br \/>\nGal 2:6-9<\/p>\n<p>Two things are at stake here: the scope of the order and its effect on the one hand, and the content of the order on the other. Paul was entrusted with the gospel <strong>of the<\/strong> uncircumcision, just as Peter was entrusted with the gospel <strong>of the<\/strong> circumcision. Likewise, Peter was entrusted with the apostleship to the circumcision, just as Paul was entrusted with the apostleship to the nations. They recognized each other&#8217;s mission and gave each other the brotherly hand.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, it was stated that the 12 apostles had <strong>their own<\/strong> gospel for the believers from Israel, as well as Paul had his <strong>own<\/strong> gospel for the nations. What Paul proclaimed was due to <em>new<\/em> revelations of Jesus Christ. This was certainly challenging for the other apostles to understand, as Peter also reported later:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;Therefore, beloved, in this expectation, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless before Him in peace, and consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you, as also in all the epistles, when he speaks in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable distort to their own destruction, as also the rest of the Scriptures.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\n2Pet 3:14-16<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;131077&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>The same Lord, different goals<\/h3>\n<p>So although we get clear indications in this passage as in others that all the apostles were in contact with each other, it was also obvious that their messages and audiences were different. They built on the one Lord, Jesus Christ, as well as on the same knowledge that He was the Son of God. The same cross and the same resurrection are the foundation. However, the target groups are different and the outlook is also different.<\/p>\n<p>Peter and the rest of the apostles of the 12 had in mind the establishment of the kingdom for Israel after 3 years of instruction from Jesus (Acts 1:6). Jesus had spoken about this in the Gospels. In the same line of Old Testament promises, Peter spoke to the believers from Israel as a spiritual vanguard: <em>&#8220;But you are a chosen generation, a &#8216;royal priesthood&#8217;, a &#8216;holy nation'&#8221;<\/em> (1Pet 2:9, Ex 19:6). This was the outlook of the prophets, that first Israel should repent to its God, and only afterwards, through the &#8220;royal priesthood of the now sanctified nation of Israel,&#8221; would the rest of the nations be blessed. It is the fulfillment of the promises made to Israel. As the prophet Micah writes, for example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the head of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. And peoples will flock to it, and many nations will go and say, &#8216;Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us by his ways. And we will walk in his ways. For instruction will go out from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nMic 4:2<\/p>\n<p>The prophets, Jesus and the 12 apostles all speak of the establishment of the messianic kingdom for Israel. Israel&#8217;s salvation is the turning point. Then the word will go out from Jerusalem and the <strong>nations<\/strong> will be <strong>discipled<\/strong>, as the Great Commission describes.<\/p>\n<p>With Paul, however, the nations are <em>not<\/em> blessed <em>through the obedience of Israel<\/em>, but <em>through the disobedience of Israel<\/em> (Rom 11:11-15). So what Paul writes is on a different page of history than the prophets had ever seen. That&#8217;s the way it is with secrets &#8211; they were unknown before (Rom 16:25). What we call the church today, the &#8220;ekklesia&#8221; or called out from all peoples, is not a &#8220;reinvention of Paul,&#8221; but it is a &#8220;revelation of a mystery.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Now here is the differentiation: God calls out more than just one church. The church in Jerusalem was the vanguard, the firstfruits from Israel. This church was called out of Israel (Mt 16:18) so that the people as a whole could be saved (cf. Peter&#8217;s call at Pentecost, Acts 2:36). The church from all nations, however, was called out because of a new calling, for which Paul was chosen as an instrument. He spoke of secrets that were now being revealed.<\/p>\n<p>That is why there are differences between Jesus and Paul or between Peter and Paul. They are not diametrically opposed, nor do they talk entirely of the same thing. The differences, however, should be recognized and appreciated.<\/p>\n<p>The expectation for Israel foresees a blessing and a future on earth, while Paul is the only apostle to speak of a heavenly citizenship. This is like a key to understanding the New Testament. The key can now be easily applied to the reading of the New Testament. The statements are clear: they are indications of correlations. We should find the courage to interpret biblical passages in their own context.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;148012&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>The story continues<\/h3>\n<p>There is a development within the New Testament. The story continues. In Ephesians, the apostle describes the situation for the Gentile believers as follows:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been made near through the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who has made the two [believers from Israel and those from the nations] one and has broken down the middle wall of the enclosure (the enmity in His flesh) &#8230; to create the two in Himself into one new humanity.<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\nEph 2:13-18<\/p>\n<p>Paul is not writing to unbelievers here. He writes to believers from the nations. <em>&#8220;You who were once afar off,&#8221;<\/em> these were the Gentile believers who did not have the same access as the children of Israel at the beginning of the proclamation. Let us remember the Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus because of her demon-possessed daughter (Mt 15:22-28). She addresses Jesus as <em>&#8220;Son of David&#8221;<\/em> and, as a foreigner, a non-Jew, refers to the expectation of Israel.  Jesus answered her, <em>&#8220;It is not nice to take the children&#8217;s bread and throw it to the little dogs.&#8221;<\/em> The Jews, they are the children. The little dogs, these are the nations that include the Canaanite woman. This woman was aware that she actually did not quite belong. But she had faith and answered, <em>&#8220;Yes, Lord! For even the little dogs eat of the refuse that falls from their masters&#8217; table. Then Jesus answered her, &#8220;O woman, your faith is great; let it be done to you as you wish! And from that hour her daughter was healed.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In this short story, in which Jesus limits His task to Israel, He does know a blessing for non-Jewish people, but it is comparable to the crumbs of bread falling from the table. It is not much. This changes only hesitantly elsewhere, for example when Peter gets involved with proselytes. He had to be persuaded with visions to allow a proselyte like Cornelius to come closer (Acts 10).<\/p>\n<p>This hesitant attitude toward the gentiles changes only with Paul. With Paul, grace becomes great. That, too, took time. Only in the Epistle to the Ephesians, written from his imprisonment in Rome at the end of His life, does He come to speak of the mystery. No more mediator function of Israel, no differences between believers from Israel and from the nations, but <strong>all<\/strong> have access to the Father <strong>in one Spirit<\/strong> (Eph 2:18). This, Paul writes, was the mystery of Christ, which was unknown before. But there &#8211; in one of his last letters &#8211; he makes this known:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;In the Spirit [highlight] those from the Gentiles [\/highlight] are <strong>joint<\/strong> lot holders and a <strong>joint<\/strong> body and <strong>joint<\/strong> partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of God&#8217;s grace .<\/em>..&#8221;<br \/>\nEph 3:6-7<\/p>\n<p>Together with the believers from Israel &#8211; that was the secret. That was new. What we call church today is essentially built on this realization. This is the characteristic of the church from all nations, called by the gospel of grace, that in it Jew and Gentile are one, and that they both have direct access to the Father &#8211; completely without mediation from a priestly ministry of Israel. This is a defining characteristic of the new humanity in Christ Jesus. In the Gospels, however, nothing of this was known.<\/p>\n<p>So there is a development taking place in the New Testament. Tracing them helps to better understand the biblical story in the New Testament. A better understanding of the statements of Jesus, as well as the statements of Paul, provides clarity for the proclamation. [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;128797&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h4>Deepening<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>What is more influential for you: the reports about Jesus from the Gospels or the reports of the Risen Christ in the letters of the Apostle Paul? What input did this article give you?<\/li>\n<li>Paul reports at the end of His life that all in Asia Minor have forsaken him<a class=\"bibleserver extern\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bibleserver.com\/ELB\/2.Timotheus1%2C15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(2 Tim. 1:15<\/a>). This was his greatest area of activity. Has Paul also been forgotten many times in preaching today?<\/li>\n<li>Not only was Paul largely left at the door, but Peter was chosen in his place by church tradition to be the apostle to the church from the nations. This is how the Roman Catholic Church sees the <em>Pope as the successor to Peter<\/em>. Can that be questioned now?<\/li>\n<li>The Reformation was triggered by Martin Luther when he understood the message of the Letter to the Romans (a Pauline letter!). With that came the liberation. Could it spark a reformation again today if we go back to Paul? What would a more differentiated reading of the New Testament then have to look like?<\/li>\n<li>Where in the New Testament do we find church doctrine?<\/li>\n<li>Where in the New Testament do we find outlook and fulfillment for Israel?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=&#8221;small&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;296120&#8243;]This text was first published on July 3, 2016 and has been republished here, slightly revised.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space empty_h=&#8221;3&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"pld-like-dislike-wrap pld-template-1\">\r\n    <div class=\"pld-like-wrap  pld-common-wrap\">\r\n    <a href=\"javascript:void(0)\" class=\"pld-like-trigger pld-like-dislike-trigger  \" title=\"\" data-post-id=\"37740\" data-trigger-type=\"like\" data-restriction=\"cookie\" data-already-liked=\"0\">\r\n                        <i class=\"fas fa-thumbs-up\"><\/i>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n    <span class=\"pld-like-count-wrap pld-count-wrap\">0    <\/span>\r\n<\/div><div class=\"pld-dislike-wrap  pld-common-wrap\">\r\n    <a href=\"javascript:void(0)\" class=\"pld-dislike-trigger pld-like-dislike-trigger  \" title=\"\" data-post-id=\"37740\" data-trigger-type=\"dislike\" data-restriction=\"cookie\" data-already-liked=\"0\">\r\n                        <i class=\"fas fa-thumbs-down\"><\/i>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n    <span class=\"pld-dislike-count-wrap pld-count-wrap\">0<\/span>\r\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Key to Understanding the New Testament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":35939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[634,596,616,638],"tags":[617,593,597,594,567,599,570],"class_list":["post-37740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biblical-persons","category-community","category-dispensationalism","category-topics","tag-dispensationalism","tag-dispute","tag-gospels","tag-jesus-christ","tag-new-testament","tag-pauline-epistles","tag-theology"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Jesus and Paul - are they saying the same thing? 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