The Two Gospels of Paul

by Michael Spyker

Without Apostle Paul we would not be fully informed about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and what he achieved. Gaining these precious insights, which now form the basis of the Gospel - the Good News about Jesus - must have been terribly costly to Paul and it completely overturned his life. In the process he was almost psycho-spiritually destroyed and in a real sense reconstructed. Physically he took the brunt of severe persecution in proclaiming his Lord, the one he loved so dearly. A few times he was near death and the burdens of his prayer life must have been exhausting. How did all this come about?

   Paul as a young man was a zealous educated Jew named Saul. He would, I believe, have observed Jesus at least occasionally in person and may well have observed the crucifixion in Jerusalem and considered that punishment justified. Another teacher who was leading the people astray was biting the dust painfully, Saul might have concluded. Then rumors began to circulate about the resurrection of this Jesus. Once it became clear that a new religious sect had formed, Saul got a real head of steam up. As a meticulous keeper of the Law and Jewish religious practices he was determined to defend The God of Israel against heresy. Anyone following this scorch of Judaism was to be persecuted possibly unto death, a conviction that found good support amongst the Jewish leadership. It resulted in the stoning of Stephen with Saul standing by approvingly. Next he was off to Damascus in search of adherents to the Jesus cult, people of the Way as they called themselves, for their number was spreading fast. And then it happened!

   Saul rode into a vision, a visitation, literally, on the road to Damascus. A light from heaven flashed about him. It was so real and powerful that he fell off his horse. Jesus had come to meet him with the question, 'Why are you persecuting me?' Saul, in discovering that he was being addressed by Jesus, somehow realized that it also was the God of Israel he was facing, the one he so fervently served. It turned his world completely upside down in seconds. His spiritual frame of reference based on the Jewish faith received a definitive blow. Suddenly Saul was groping in darkness, mentally and also physically for the encounter left him blind for three days. 'Go to Damascus,' Jesus told him, 'and wait there.'

   Nobody knows what internal turmoil Saul experienced those three days. It can't have been easy for a complete change of heart was taking place. Saul had always tried to serve his God to the best of his ability. Now it appeared that Jesus Christ actually was the Son of that God, as Jesus had declared himself to be during his walk on earth. Saul accepted the truth of it wholeheartedly now and received the Holy Spirit into his life. Jesus sent a man called Ananias to pray with Saul who got his sight back and was baptized. Saul began to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God in Damascus.

   Obviously he was received with considerable hesitation by the followers of the Way who had heard of his fearsome reputation. That was the case in Damascus and later in Jerusalem. The Jews, whom he now began to urge to believe in Jesus Christ, were far from impressed either and would persecute him for the rest of his life. To Christians it became clear that Saul was genuine. He changed his name to Paul. If anyone could justify a name change it was Saul considering how completely a different person he had become. Not that he could explain his new belief in Jesus theologically all that well those early days. There was much to be revealed to him yet, when he spent years in isolation in the desert.

   Paul had been trained as a scholar in the intricacies of Jewish beliefs. Therefore it is not surprising that when Jewish tradition began to infiltrate the Christian faith with its ideas Paul spoke up strongly. He explained that indeed what Jesus had achieved should be interpreted in light of Jewish history and teaching as this was recorded in what Christians would call the Old Testament, but only to a point. Something new had happened. The 'old' was and to be superseded by a 'new' revelation - the New Testament. This defense by Paul against Jews' beliefs I will call the 'Legal Gospel of Paul.' It stands next to the 'Mystical Gospel of Paul' and together they form the One Gospel of Jesus.

   The Legal Gospel deals with the Law of the Old Testament, how a person may be considered perfect and holy. It's pretty obvious that nobody will ever be actually perfect and holy and thus everyone falls short of this standard - short of the Law. God, who is perfect, understands imperfection but cannot identify with it. However, God can communicate with people and give them insight and rules on how to live godly lives. On this road to holiness and an acceptance by God, the Law is the best the Jewish faith has on offer. Jesus, who was a Jew, declared that there was nothing wrong with that idea, the Law was good and to be upheld even though it was a standard against which people would always fall short. God needed to be merciful and overlook these shortcomings and it was Jewish belief that such would be the case. The Jews hold to that till this day. Absolute certainty about God's acceptance can not be given though.

   Paul had been a persecutor of the church. His history as a Jewish believer was one of strict adherence to the Law and violence against those who taught heresy. It's just that he got it all wrong. He knew, however, that Jesus had completely forgiven him for that dark side of his life and that now the Spirit of God dwelled in him. Paul was most intimately connected with God. As a Christian he was determined to live a holy life more than ever. But the Law kept standing as a testimony against him. Jesus himself had proclaimed that not one comma of the Law would be done away with, ever. So acceptance by God through the keeping of the Law remained impossible. An explanation was needed about the certainty of divine acceptance in spite of those human limitations which the law so clearly highlighted. For Paul knew that he was not perfect and yet was fully accepted by God. He found his answer by reconsidering what happened in the life of the father of all Jews, Abraham.

   The twelve tribes of Israel - there are only two left of which the modern Jews are descendants - originate from Jacob, one of Abraham's grandsons. Abraham, as an old man without an heir, was told by God that he would be the father of a multitude of people even though his wife Sarah was barren. Abraham, against all odds, believed it and at an old age Sarah gave birth miraculously. That's the key, Paul decided. It's not physical lineage that matters with God, whether you are born a Jew who received the Law, but the spiritual lineage - whether you can believe in God as Abraham did. Whether you can have faith in the One God sent to solve the problem of the Law and its demands - in Jesus Christ. For those who believe in Jesus the Law no longer has the final say regarding divine acceptance. Jesus is the miracle of God and faith in him is the new revelation, the next step in the divine plan that seeks to bring people into God's presence.

   Based on this insight, Paul could declare that people can find a right standing with God regardless of their shortcomings by believing in Jesus as the Son of God and what he achieved - the church calls it a justification by faith.

   Bringing this kind of legal perspective to bear on the Good News allows for lots of theological deliberations - the systematic interpretation of the nature and purposes of God. It appeals to the rational mind and 'this is how it works' explanations. However, as mentioned, there is another gospel which Paul was as excited about. One that is far more mysterious and fluid and based on Paul's mystical experiences. It offers amazing insight. A near complete explanation of the 'Mystical Gospel of Paul' can be found in Icebergs, Spirituality and Religion, a free download from www.celebrationofjesus.com

   Paul had incredible experiences in prayer. He received many special insights and saw profound things in contemplation, some of which he wasn't allowed to talk about - God said. Much of it he would have found difficult to express well anyway. But of the achievements of Jesus Christ and what those meant for the world today, Paul could give a full account. It was knowledge based not on the Law, but on Revelation. It was mystery revealed.

   The full weight and magnificence of the divine plan must have come to Paul in stages. It's too much to take in otherwise; so 'out of this world,' that it can blow your mind - the rational side not the intuitive part. Once getting the full picture Paul was absolutely astounded which may explain his unlimited enthusiasm for Jesus. Never in the history of humanity had there ever been anything like what Paul discovered. Neither would there be in future. This was 'once only' and it would bless everyone who was willing to listen. Paul traveled far and wide talking about it, established groups of believers along the way, and stayed in touch by writing.

   At the end of his letter to the church in the Roman province of Galatia he comments that 'neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.' The circumcision issue is one of the questions the early church was facing with regard to Jewish Law and tradition. Forget the Law, Paul insisted, it's been superseded. What matters now is being a New Creation, the one Jesus referred to when he told an important Jew named Nicodemus that a person must become born again, not of the natural body but of God's Spirit. Paul understood that with the resurrection of Jesus something altogether new had arrived that was to be available to people everywhere. Jesus, the Son of God, lived as a human being for about 33 years. He died and rose again. He died as a human being and rose in a different form. This time he appeared not as a person born of flesh but as one born of heaven, with a body that would last forever and was not pestered by the limitations of decay and evil. The exact nature of this New Creation Paul couldn't tell. It's like imagining what an apple tree looks like when considering the seed. If you've never seen an apple tree, the seed won't tell you anything.

   What excited Paul so much was that the seed of that New Creation will be spiritually implanted into every person who believes in Jesus Christ. It will have an impact on a person right away, while still living on earth. It can grow and bring psycho-spiritual health; all by the hand of God. It will appear in its fullness after a person's physical death for it will never die and live for ever. The New Creation is a new potential in everyone who believes in Jesus. A New Person is on offer. This mystery is to be accessed by faith. Once received the New Creation power will not develop automatically but needs nurturing for it to grow. Paul has lots to say about that. Still, whether it will reach full stature in the believer or remains in embryo form, it ensures that Heaven is waiting for the believer's arrival one day. And that's just one of Paul's insights on God's mysteries. There are many others. The difficulty with mystery is that it cannot be categorized easily and reasoned through. Perhaps that's why people tend to drift towards the 'Legal Gospel' more readily than towards the 'Mystical Gospel' of Paul. However, the power and the life rest with the mystery side of the Good News. That's a fact to be remembered.

   There is a rule in spirituality that being comes before doing. Who you are feeds what you do. True happiness will be found in being right rather than in doing with success. The question of being is an interesting one for who am I anyway? Who's to know, if I'm not even sure myself? People are mostly known for what they do; you can measure that. But being - how do you measure that? Society functions on the foundation of doing; of adhering to the rules and having a social conscience that translates into correct activity. Business and organizations function likewise as does the Church, mostly. It explains the attraction of the 'Legal Gospel of Paul.' You can get a handle on that and on all the other rules and requirements that are part of Christianity. The problem is: modern people are not that interested in a spirituality that is rigidly contained within a set of rules, and rightly so. Sure, the mystery of Jesus may yet shine through a little. And few would suggest that no regulation at all is best. However, when the focus of much that happens is on doing, a vibrant spirituality will disappear. Regulations are the stake that holds up the vine. There's no life in it.

   Jesus isn't a bringer of rules. In fact, he came to reiterate that rules are of secondary importance. He came to bring life with all the mystery it involves. Of course, being is a far more slippery customer than doing. Being originates solely with God while rules quickly come under the control of people. Godly being is a journey rather than an instruction manual and begins with considering the person rather than the regulations. If the person blossoms in the Holy Spirit few rules are needed that aren't obvious.

   The 'Mystical Gospel of Paul' is what Christianity is about. That's where the power of a New Reality resides. Of course, it must be supported by solid explanations from the 'Legal Gospel.' By keeping that balance right a church becomes attractive and effective in helping people grow. Anything less simply will not do. For then the rules will begin to overpower the Giver of Life and a real Celebration of Jesus becomes difficult. Let me end by paraphrasing what Paul wrote to the Galatians about circumcision and uncircumcision. 'I don't care what church you belong to, whether it's Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox. What rules and traditions you keep. It's not about that. It's about you realizing the power within you of a New Creation! It's about New Life!'