Quote Originally Posted by clearvoice View Post
Paul to the unlearned...a stumbling block.

I read this or something like a it a few years back , and had my doubts about Pauline doctrines.

But today I understand the language Paul used better , and he is not against keeping the commandments of God (Torah), he is very against keeping the doctrines of the Pharisees (Men) for salvation (Modern Day rabbinical Judaism.)

The fact is , Paul is the most difficult author to understand. And even once you do understand him , it's really difficult to teach because you have to put so many things in their proper context. To Hear Paul correctly , You have to remove your bias against Torah , and unlearn the doctrines of lawlessness you once believed, and learn some things about the practicing Pharisees and their language , and why both the Messiah and Paul railed against them ( Pharisees).

The error is not with Paul it is with our lack of understanding , and our false doctrines that cloud our mind. The KJV doesn't help much either , it's best to study the Greek text of Paul's letters , and the Aramaic would probably be better. The closer you can get to the intent and 1st century context of the very Jewish author Sha'ul (Paul) the better.

Jer 16:19 O LORD, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable [things]."
Yep . . . the ol' "Paul didn't really mean what he clearly wrote" angle.

Overall, Paul was a pretty straightforward guy.

I know several former Hebrew Roots Movement folks who have eventually come out of Law 'keeping' error because the book of Galatians kept chipping away at their doctrine. When they finally came to grips with the fact that Paul wrote EXACTLY what he meant and stopped all the finagling with his words, they understood the Gospel as it is intended to be understood. As they re-read the rest of the epistles the Gospel was confirmed to them and they look back on their Law 'keeping' days with a sense of 'how could I have been so deceived?!'

I have actually seen HRM statements of faith for local fellowships that quote Paul's writings (merely quote the references, not write them out) to support error, but when you actually go the the Scripture they quoted it says the exact OPPOSITE of what they claim it does.

It really is the most amazing thing!

-JGIG