Paul and Jesus: No Contradiction, Only Confirmation

Written on 11 May 2025.

\=Paul and Jesus: No Contradiction, Only Confirmation=

Mike Adams, in the May 9, 2025 "Christ Light Special" episode of Brighteon Broadcast News, voiced a commonly repeated claim: that the Apostle Paul contradicts Jesus and is thus less authoritative. Adams argued that only 17% of the New Testament contains the words of Jesus, and that Paul never met Jesus personally, going as far as to question Paul’s legitimacy as a teacher of truth. However, this notion has been thoroughly debunked by Scripture itself.

\==Paul Preaches What Jesus Taught==

Paul affirms every core teaching of Jesus:

• On love, Paul writes:

  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10)

  This mirrors Jesus' teaching:

  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God... and thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37–40)

• On salvation, Paul says:

  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8)

  This aligns with Jesus' promise in John 3:16 and John 5:24 that those who believe in Him receive everlasting life.

\==Jesus Personally Appeared to Paul==

Contrary to Adams' assertion, Paul did encounter Jesus — not in the flesh, but in His glorified state:

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven... And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. (Acts 9:3–5)

Not only did Jesus appear to Paul, but He also commissioned him:

He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles. (Acts 9:15)

\==Peter Affirms Paul’s Writings as Scripture==

The Apostle Peter, part of Jesus' original twelve, recognized Paul's writings as authoritative and divinely inspired:

Even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you... as also in all his epistles... which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15–16)

\==All Scripture is Inspired, Not Just Red Letters==

Adams appeals to a "red-letter" Bible perspective, implying that only Jesus' direct words matter. But Scripture teaches otherwise:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

This includes the epistles of Paul, the Gospels, the Old Testament, and Revelation. Jesus Himself foretold that the Holy Spirit would guide His apostles into "all truth" (John 16:13), and Paul was included in that promise through divine revelation.

\==Faith and Works Clarified==

Adams also insists that salvation requires works in addition to faith. This contradicts the Gospel of grace taught by both Paul and Jesus:

• Paul:

  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. (Titus 3:5)

• Jesus:

  He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life. (John 5:24)

Works are the fruit of salvation, not the cause.

\==Conclusion==

The attempt to pit Paul against Jesus is a false dichotomy. Both spoke by the same Spirit. Paul did not distort Jesus' teachings; he clarified and expanded them under divine inspiration. The red-letter-only approach promoted by Mike Adams undermines the wholeness and harmony of Scripture. As Peter warned, those who twist Paul’s words do so to "their own destruction."

Christians who believe the Bible must reject the idea that Paul and Jesus are in conflict. Instead, they must uphold the unity of the New Testament message: salvation by grace through faith, with love and truth as its evidence.

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