JOE LA BIANCA

The Claims Of Paul -

Introduction -

Let me start by saying that I am not of Paul. Paul was not crucified for me and it is not Paul whom I exist for. I am of whom Paul wrote, Jesus Christ. In Acts 9:15, it says that Paul was God’s chosen instrument. Jesus chose Paul to carry his name before the Gentiles and before the people of Israel. Paul claims that he brought God’s word to light in Titus 1:3. This was the right time, according to Paul.

Since this claim is written to Titus, a man, and not to any place such as Corinth or Galatia, etc., one cannot claim that these words applied only to that place. Paul wrote this amazing statement to a man to show that God’s word was brought to the entire world by Paul.

In order to correctly understand many verses in the Bible, I will make three distinctions.

Number one - Paul

Number two - Paul as opposed to his companions

Number three - Paul and his companions as opposed to Peter, James, and John.

Paul said, when writing to his companions such as Timothy and Titus, that God chose him to give the gospel. When writing to places, Paul said that God revealed the mystery to himself, or to himself and his companions. He sometimes included his companions in this special category.

Paul was not referring to Peter, James, and John when he said that he and his companions were given the secret things of God, because Peter, James and John agreed to not go to the Gentiles in Galatians chapter two.

I will start with the books that Paul wrote to his companions in order to fully understand just who received the gospel.

1st Timothy -

1:1 - God told Paul to be an apostle

1:12 - Jesus considered Paul faithful and appointed him to his service

1:16 - Paul was the example to all who would believe. This is because Paul was the worst of sinners and if Jesus would show mercy to Paul, surely he would show us mercy. The point here is that Paul is the example to those who would believe - a universal example.

2:7 - Paul is the teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles, which means the world. Paul said that he was not lying about this. This one verse should be enough to show you that Paul is the teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Peter, James and John were never said to be the teachers of the true faith to the Gentiles. This extraordinary title belongs to Paul. Paul was sent by Jesus to be the teacher of the Gentiles and Paul was also sent to the Jews.

After the Jews considered themselves unworthy, Paul gave up on them and went to the Gentiles.

2nd Timothy -

1:8 - Paul said that he was the prisoner of Jesus for the gospel. He told Timothy to not be ashamed of him. The gospel was identified directly with Paul.

1:9 - God called Paul and Timothy because of His own purpose and grace.

1:10 - Life was brought to light through the gospel. In Titus 1:3 it says that God’s word was brought to light through the preaching of Paul.

1: 11 - Paul was appointed by God as the herald, apostle and teacher. This was why Paul suffered so much. Remember in Acts: Jesus said that Paul would suffer for the gospel in a unique way. Jesus specially chose Paul to bring the light of the gospel.

1:12 - Paul suffered for this, filling up what was lacking in regard to Christ’s suffering. No one else filled up Christ’s suffering - only Paul, because he brought the gospel to light.

1:13 - Everything Timothy heard from Paul was to be the pattern of sound teaching. It was Paul’s instructions that were the pattern that Timothy followed.

2:2 - The things Timothy heard Paul say in front of many witnesses were to be committed to faithful men. Paul’s words were the words of life and light. Timothy was instructed to pass down Paul’s words to teachers.

2:8 - Jesus Christ and his Resurrection was who’s gospel? Who’s? Paul’s. It was Paul’s gospel. See this? The gospel was given to Paul by Jesus. He called the gospel his own. He said, “my gospel.” Peter never said “my gospel”. Neither James nor John. Jesus bypassed everybody and gave this message directly to Paul. We believe Paul’s gospel for salvation.

2:10 - Paul endured the suffering for the Elect. If Paul would have quit, the Elect never would have heard. Paul knew that Jesus chose him to publish the gospel.

Titus -

1:3 - In God’s own time, He rendered apparent and clearly declared his word, which is the good news of Jesus. God did this through the preaching that was entrusted and committed to Paul. This was all in accordance with the command of God our Savior. Jesus committed this gospel to Paul. If Paul’s proclamation of the word of God is the time that God’s word was brought to light, then this means that before Paul, God’s word was not brought to light. It was Paul who published the gospel. Those who do not believe this are not believing Titus 1:3. They are not holding firmly the trustworthy message that was given to Paul.

Philemon -

1:19 - Paul told Philemon that he owed Paul his very self. This could only mean that Paul’s gospel, which Jesus entrusted to him, was the reason for Philemon’s salvation.

Romans -

1:14 - Paul was obligated in a special way to the whole world. That is what “Greeks and non-Greeks” mean.

1:16 - It was the gospel that Paul was referring to in these verses. The gospel was for the Jew and the Gentile. This debt that Paul owed was a worldwide obligation. Something about Paul obligated him to the whole world. This something was the gospel, which Jesus revealed to him.

15:15 - God’s grace was given to Paul.

15:16 - It was given to him to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.

15:18 - It was through Paul that the Gentiles were led to obey God. What a statement! How was it through Paul? Well, Jesus gave him the message that would save the whole world.

1 Corinthians -

1: 5-6 - It was Paul’s testimony which he and his companions brought to Corinth that enriched them in every way.

2:4 - Paul’s message was authenticated by the Spirit’s power.

3:10 - God’s grace gave Paul the expertise to lay down the foundation as an expert builder.

3:11 - No one can lay down a foundation other than Paul’s. The foundation is already laid down. The foundation is the starting point, and Paul said that he put it down. He made it clear that it was laid down and no man can build on any other foundation.

4:1 - We are to regard Paul and his companions as the servants of Christ that have been entrusted with the secret things of God. Do you regard Paul’s letters in this way?

4:6 - Paul applied these things to himself and Apollos so that we would not go beyond what is written.

4:15 - Paul was the spiritual father of the Corinthians. He was to be singularly special to them. This, of course, does not take Christ’s place. But it does distinguish Paul from those other people who were confusing the Corinthians with false teaching, not from Paul.

11:1-2 - Follow Paul’s example as he followed what Christ taught him personally. Paul passed the teaching of Christ on to the Corinthians.

11:23 - Paul received his doctrine from the Lord and passed it on. It says that Paul associated with Jesus and delivered what he received to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians -

3:6 - Paul and his companions were ministers of the New Covenant as opposed to the Old Covenant, or the Law of Moses.

4:1 - Paul and his companions had this ministry.

4:12 - Paul’s suffering carried the gospel to others so that they could live.

5:11 - God knew what they were, and so did Paul.

5:12 - Paul was not bragging. He just wanted them to take pride in him and his companions. This would give the Corinthians the answer for those who opposed the gospel.

5:20 - Paul and his companions were Christ’s ambassadors.

12:7 - Paul had great revelations. Special ones. So much so that God had to give Paul a humiliation factor. Paul’s thorn which was a messenger of Satan, was given to him to constantly show Paul his own weakness. This was to keep him humble. Peter did not need a special thorn in his side, neither did James nor John. Only Paul had to have this special reminder because of the great revelations that only Paul had.

13:3 - Christ was speaking through Paul.

Galatians

1:1 - Paul was not an apostle from men or by man. This means that Peter, James or John did not send Paul. Jesus and the Father made Paul an apostle. Paul wasn’t commissioned by the other disciples. Acts 22:14-15 shows that Paul was chosen by God to see the Righteous One, and hear words from His mouth. Paul is the witness to all men of what Jesus personally taught him. This teaching was the gospel, and it was unique to Paul’s letters.

1:11-12 - The gospel is not manmade, nor was it taught to Paul by man. Paul wasn’t instructed by anyone. He was given the gospel through direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

1:15,16-17 - Paul was set apart from the womb to reveal Jesus and to preach him among the Gentiles. He did not consult any man, but went to Arabia. This is where Paul heard the words from Jesus and saw His face.

2:6 - The seemingly important ones in Jerusalem, i.e., Peter, James and John made no difference to Paul. They added nothing to Paul’s message.

2:9 - Peter, James, and John were the important ones that Paul was meaning in verse six. Because right after verse six, he mentions their names and calls them “pillars”.

2:14 - Peter, because of men who came from James, was not acting in line with the truth. Many people do not address this portion of scripture, but I love it, because it supports the gospel that Jesus gave to Paul. The men from James made Peter prejudiced against the Gentile brothers. Why else would Paul say “Before certain men came from James, Peter used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles.” Paul was blaming James. Paul also had to rebuke Peter to his face for being a hypocrite. Peter would not eat with the Gentiles, because he was afraid of what the Jews might think. Peter did not understand that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile. I am glad he finally came to understand it in his life as evidenced by his second epistle, when he mentions Paul in a very positive way. But at this time, Paul had to rebuke Peter to his face in front of everyone. All this trouble is because of the leader of the church in Jerusalem: James.

Philippians -

3:17 - We are told to follow the example of Paul. This we do because Paul followed what Christ gave him, and that was the gospel.

3:18 - Many will not follow the example of Paul. They live as enemies of Christ’s cross. Do you see the correlation between following Paul’s example and the cross of Christ? Lifting up the cross is following Paul’s example.

Colossians -

1:6-7 - All over the world the gospel was bearing fruit. What gospel? The gospel of grace which Epaphras taught them. Epaphras was a minister of Christ on Paul’s behalf.

1:23 - Paul was a servant of the gospel which went to every creature under heaven. The scope of Paul’s influence was amazing.

1:24 - Paul filled up what was lacking in regard to Christ’s suffering. Without Paul, the gospel would not have been published, and Christ’s suffering would have lacked. How else could you interpret this verse?

1:25 - God gave Paul the commission to be the servant of the gospel. Paul presented the word of God in its fullness. Others had a partial understanding, but Paul had the full message. You can’t get around this one, no matter how hard you try.

1:26 - The mystery of the full gospel was hidden, but in Paul’s teaching it was disclosed to the saints. Read it and believe it! Don’t resist Paul’s gospel which Jesus gave him. In this portion of scripture, it said that God gave Paul the full message so that nothing would lack in regard to the cross. Every creature under heaven heard the full message from Paul.

1 Thessalonians -

1: 4-7 - God chose the Thessalonians because they believed the gospel of Paul and his companions. They imitated Paul and his companions, and became the model for all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. Those people followed Paul’s teaching and became world-famous for it.

2:4 - Paul’s group were men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. Remember that Paul had an agreement with Peter, James, and John in Galatians 2. They would go to the Jews, and Paul to the Gentiles. Paul’s men were not Peter, James, or John.

2:13 - They accepted Paul’s words as from God, not men. Paul’s message didn’t come from the church at Jerusalem. That church became known as a sect of Judaism by the unbelieving Jews. God did not let this continue. So Jesus, through General Titus, destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. This stopped Judaism in its tracks. We must also be like the Thessalonians and consider Paul’s gospel to be the word of God as opposed to the word of men.

2 Thessalonians -

1:10 - The Thessalonians will glorify Jesus because they believe the testimony of Paul and his companions.

2:13-14 - The Thessalonians were chosen because they believed Paul’s gospel.

2:15 - The teachings that were passed on were from Paul and his companions.

3:4 - The Thessalonians did the things that Paul and his companions commanded.

3:14 - If someone didn’t obey this letter that Paul wrote, the Thessalonians were to keep away from them. This letter was written by Paul; this strong authority was given to Paul from Jesus.

3:17 - Paul distinguishes all his letters.

You may ask why I went to this trouble to show you that it is Paul who gave us the gospel. It is because the Bible can be very confusing if you do not rightly dissect the scriptures. Get your theology from Paul and rest in the knowledge that faith plus the cross equals salvation. Never add anything else to this equation.

The Difference by Joe La Bianca

There are two ideas about holiness I’d like to write about. One is our standing through Christ, or the way God sees believers. The other is the way we live on earth, or the things we do. Is there a difference?

If you believe there is a great difference, then you are pleasing to God. If you think there is a small difference, then you are less pleasing to God. If you believe there is no difference, then you are not pleasing to God.

First let me say that I am not writing about living in clear cut, willful sin that the Word condemns. As believers, we died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? With that out of the way, let me continue.

If you believe there is a great difference between the way God sees the believer and the way the believer lives, you are well pleasing to God. This is because you exalt Jesus and His cross, and you exhibit true humility.

If you are viewed as spotless and perfect merely because you trust in the cross of Jesus, you lift up that cross and show the utter necessity for that cross. You declare that Christ is the one thing needful and without Him there is no hope. You validate everything Jesus has done on earth, and this pleases the One who sent Jesus. You also show a meek and humble attitude by seeing yourself in truth, as the dust you are. This is greatly pleasing to God, for God doesn’t like when little worms pretend to be somebody. We are not as good as our standing in Christ, for to go to Heaven we must be perfect, and no one is perfect. So God considers us perfect based on the performance of Jesus and our faith in that performance.

If you see little difference between your standing and your performance you are heading down the road to legalism. It will not be long before you become the sad, third person in my message. How can you compare your deeds with the work of Jesus on the cross? There is a gulf between the two that is so great you cannot see the other side. You must realize that Jesus is the only good Person and not throw the word “good” around too lightly. Remember how Jesus rebuked the man who asked him, “ Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? There is only one that is good, God!”

Was Jesus saying that He was not good? No, because He called Himself the Good Shepherd. He asked, “ Can any one convict me of sin?” When Jesus called Himself good, He called Himself God. When we say we are good, we say we are God. When we believe that there is another sinless person in this world, we are worshipping that person. This includes Mary. We worship ourselves when we claim goodness.

It is true that God affects our lives for the better when we believe in His Son. But this inward change, though wonderful, is not the same thing as our credited goodness that God imputes to us when we just believe. The inward change of heart wrought by God enables us to overcome in this world, or to make it till the end by keeping the faith.

But God can only do so much with dust, until He changes our bodies into glorified bodies. Our standing in Christ, however, is as perfect today as when we go to Heaven.

I am spending the most time on you, this second person, because you are reachable. The first person is fine, the last, lost. But you have hope to change. If you’ve been a church goer, and you are caught up in legalism because your performance is what you think makes you saved, let me give an example to show you this is not the way.

You believe you are good, that you do good deeds. Do you think there are other people that do more good deeds than you? Sure there are. Maybe some of these people are not even Christians, but do many good things.

From this example, do you see that good things cannot save you? Some people who reject Jesus may have more good works than you, so good works do not save. If Jesus was overly concerned with works, He would have commanded all to be 100 folders. Instead He said that there are 30, 60, and 100 folders.

In Matthew 13:8, Jesus said that seed fell on good soil and produced a crop 100, 60 or 30 times what was sown. The same seed produced different levels of fruitfulness. The 30 fold ground produced 70% less than the 100 fold ground, but was still just as saved! If good fruit saves us then there should be only one level. But if it is ancillary then this shows that good fruit is of lesser importance than faith in Christ. We do not reach a certain level of deeds and then we are saved. Good fruit is only the result of simple faith in the cross. It comes along side.

The third person is he who believes there is no difference between what Jesus gives us and good works, or that Jesus is there only to change the way we live. If this is how you believe, you are lost. You do away with the cross for yourself by believing so. Who needs Jesus and what He has done if we can earn salvation by works? If Jesus just empowers people then why would He die on the cross? Jesus is not one more Moses. We had a Moses already. We have already been told we are sinners by the law. Now we can run to the Savior. The law came through Moses but grace comes through Jesus.

Your religion is a legal one. You believe that God accepts you based on the way you live. You obey laws and God rewards you with Heaven. Where is Jesus in all this? The cross of Jesus means little or nothing to you. The cross gets hidden by your church dogma. The cross is only a symbol to you, a sign on a church wall. You don’t realize that the cross is our forgiveness, acceptance with God, and the termination of the law.

You think that Jesus is a mere example to follow, a martyr who was killed for His cause. You pray, “ God, help me to love the way Jesus did. Then you will accept me”. Your love for others cannot remove one of your sins. You can give your body to be burned and you will still die a sinner without the cross. God will not accept you because of the way you live. If you saw yourself in truth, you would know this. But you fail to see that you are a sinner. Jesus said that if the Son of Man is lifted up, He will draw all men to Him. But instead you lift yourself up. You tell God and people how good you are. You follow the law to be saved without seeing your inability to fulfill the law. You are the Pharisee who stands up and prays about himself, and not the Publican who confesses his unworthiness. You’re too busy looking down at your rule book to look up and see what God has done. When will you look up to Christ?

So we have three people: One looks to the cross in trust and is given the righteousness of Christ. He also receives the new nature given by grace which enables him to finish the race by keeping the faith.

The second compares his goodness to Jesus and is moving toward apostasy.

The last sees no difference between himself and Jesus, thus denying Jesus and His mission.

Who will you be, 1,2 or 3?