The Journy of Paul

How do Jews factor into Christianity? During my 28-year journey so far, I had to take a fork in the road. Things didn’t make sense to me. Jews are going to hell, Jews are no longer God’s people, Christians are, Jews thought and still do think, salvation comes from works. I was confused as to way all of this was. I mean, if they were God’s chosen people, you’d think they’d know better, right? Maybe we are the ones mixed up! Let’s go to the beginning of time. God created Adam and Eve. They were not Jews, not Israelites, not even Hebrews. They just were people. They had kids and on and on until Abraham. Not even he was a Jew, but in Genesis 14:13, Abram is called a Hebrew. We don’t get Israel until Jacob, when his name was changed to Israel do you end up with the children of Israel, the 12 tribes. Genesis 32:24-28. Some scholars do say the Hebrews came from Shem, Noah’s son. In fact, biblically, all people stem from the sons of Noah, Shem Hem and Japheth. It is fair to say the cult...

The Common Christian Pastor and many followers pin salvation on one thing, Original Sin. If we didn’t sin, well then, we’d have nothing to be saved from. I must ask, is the doctrine of original sin correct or not, and is everything beyond that, pinned to this one doctrine? I say, no. Original sin is an idea that was kicked around by a few back in the day. Back in the day being the 2nd through the 4th century. People like Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and others had proposed the idea, but it never stuck. That is until Augustine of Hippo began to push the idea. He was the first to suggest that the guilt of Adam’s sin was inherited. They suggest that we are dirty from birth and thus we need salvation. Let us go back in time and ask our founders what their idea about sin. I speak of course of the Hebrews or Israelites. Let us stop for a moment and recall Romans 11:17, some of the branches, Jews, have been broken off. WHY? So that the wild olive branches, Gentiles,...

The Nasty Truth Daniel 9:24 mentions “…to put an end to sin,” The Lord can put an end to sin, but I have to ask you, and answer this question truthfully. Jesus came and was crucified. Has sin ended, and better asked, has sin ended in those who proclaim to be believers? The answer to this question is a big fat resounding ‘NO!” I don’t know about you, but I have witnessed folks who seemed to be very devote believers fail. Mostly around adultery, some around greed, and addiction. The standard pat answer from believers is, “They are just human and given to human failings.” Well, if Sin was truly ended then they would not have that failed, would they? So, the truth is, the Jewish concept of sin is 100% correct. We have free will and must battle daily between good desires and bad desires. Sin has not ended and still resides within us. Jesus’ time on earth was spent battling hypocrisy and a lack of faith. The Lord spoke of returning to the Lord, repentance, believing, loving, and livin...

Christianity and Antisemite roots How does one write about such a topic and keep it short enough to keep the reader’s attention? I implore you to read this and to check out everything I am saying. As my professor used to say, always check to make sure the professor is telling you the truth! The Early Church For nearly 300 years, the church, all believers, met in homes. Small groups of believers met in a person’s home, forming a very homogeneous group. All those letters Paul wrote where to home based churches. There was no over arching formal organization that kept each church in check. Hence, Paul had to address issues. The church leadership was made up of Elders, note it was plural, more than one. Sometimes there was an overseer, which would later become known as a bishop. And then the helpers, the deacons. First Corinthians gives us the only look into a home meeting. We must face the reality that most of the followers of the way, as this new sect of Judaism was called, was mai...