Did Paul Ever Meet Jesus?

I’m getting so tired of ignorant people dismissing Paul’s biblical writings by claiming that he never met Jesus. Nothing could be further from the truth. Haven’t these people ever read the Bible? If not, they would be advised to stop commenting on something they’ve never read.

Who do they think struck Paul down and spoke to him on the Damascus road? Barack Obama? No, Paul did not meet Jesus (as far as we know) while Jesus physically walked on earth. However, his encounter with the Son of God has had more impact on the world than 99% of the earthly meetings with Jesus that ever took place. Paul went on from his experience with Jesus to write the majority of the New Testament and take the gospel to the gentiles.

Here’s the problem: Some people just don’t like what Paul has to say about sin – especially some of today’s most popular forms of it – so they seek to discredit him in some way. Well, it doesn’t work.

Every biblical writer, including Paul, was inspired by God, so their words stand on an equal footing, even with those of Jesus himself. Therefore, one doesn’t have the option of simply plucking Jesus’ words from the Bible and ignoring everything else that’s written therein. The Bible is not a buffet.

Comments

[ken]

you've been brain washed as well...

[Abe Van Luik]

This was brought to my attention recently by someone who thinks you have spoken truth.

I have several problems with what you asserted, however. How is it that this claimed apparition changed the world but the other 99%, live encounters, did not? Could it be that Paul crafted a new religion that was paplatable to his Roman audience by throwing out the vestiges of Judaism that Jesus was defending and living? Read the Bible, it tells you Jesus defended the same law that Paul disparaged.

You claim that all in the Bible is inspired, which makes God lack ethical principles in a very bad way given the allowances in that book for slavery, polygyny, patriarchy and even genocide.

One could and should interpret Paul's experience as being the same as Joseph Smith's experience. In fact the two are quite comparable. Both claimed interaction with Jesus and started hihgly successful new religions. Both created a lot of written material made into scripture by their followers.

Sorry, but I do not agree with you that only those who have sin issues and who do not read the Bible accuse Paul of never having met Jesus. If the person who taught him his religion was Jesus, then Jesus needs to explain to belivers why he taught things in his life that he found it necessary to repudiate through Paul after his death.