What Was Paul Really Persecuted For?

While it is true that Paul was “persecuted” for teaching against the Mosaic Law, he was persecuted by Jewish Believers. It is true that the Jewish Christians did hold to many of their traditions such as circumsision and keeping the sabbath, but it was ALSO the true Law of God that Jesus brought that they observed and not the Mosaic law.

The Jews were against Paul for preaching against the law of Moses.The Jewish Christians were against Paul for teaching that works of righteousness were not necessary for salvation. Paul was considered by the Jewish Christians an apostate for teaching doctrines contrary to the teachings of Jesus and there is even evidence from manuscripts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls that Paul was ex-communicated by James the brother of Jesus.

How do we know this?

Though Jesus came to fulfill the law, he definitely preached against the law of Moses and the Jewish traditions. Not to justify Paul, but the Jewish Christians were not against him preaching against the law of Moses, but for preaching that one didn’t need “works of righteousness” to be saved.

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

This was definitely Paul’s downfall with the Jewish Christians: salvation without works of righteousness. But Paul got himself into double trouble when he preached against keeping the Mosaic Laws. This got him in trouble with the Jews also.

Paul was rejected by all the churches in Asia and in Israel for his false teachings. He was forced to leave those areas and focus his “ministry” to the gentiles who were mainly Greeks and Romans in and around Italy, where his false doctrines were accepted and his form of Christianity became strong with the support of the Roman government.

Paul Taught a Different Gospel than Jesus

Christians today don’t realize this. Those who defend Paul saying that God raised him up to show the early church (not talking about the Jews here) how that with Jesus’ crucifixion, the Mosaic law was “nailed to the cross” and they didn’t have to keep it any more, is false interpretation.

They are saying that it took Paul to show the Jewish Christians that they no longer had to keep the Mosaic law and that was a revelation from God to him in some way. It doesn’t make sense that the first Christians who knew Jesus’ teachings first hand followed them would be keeping ALL the mosaic law as a requirement for salvation. Only the parts that Jesus said were of God was what they actually kept.

51:17 And He said against Moses “Indeed I do not speak against the law, but against those who corrupted his law, which he permitted because of the hardness of your hearts. (Gospel of the Nazarenes)

This is very presumptuos of the modern day Christians, since the Gospels clearly say that Jesus came to fulfill the law. However, it is actually talking about the law of God and not all the laws of Moses and the Jewish traditions, obviously, since Jesus blasted the the (false) teachings of the law that were not of God and were actually of men.

Jesus Taught It Was Necessary to Keep the Laws of Moses — But Not All of Them

What Jesus actually did was, not that he preached that you should not keep the law, but actually to keep the part of the law that was of God — and not of men (which he defined). Furthermore, Jesus taught doing the spirit of the law and not the letter. For example, in the eyes of the Jews Jesus broke the Sabbath by healing on that day or pulling one’s ox out of the ditch. What he was trying to show them was that doing good to your fellow man or animal, just because it is the Sabbath, is not a sin.

The Jewish Christians most certainly did keep the Mosaic laws, as it is obvious from history and the teachings of Jesus, but they did not observe ALL the law of Moses, since as Jesus clearly showed that it was not all of God as most modern Christians believe. Unfortunately, the parts that Jesus explains this must have been deliberately taken out and not included in the connonical gospels, obviously, since it was very contradictory of their dear Paul and the pauline doctrine that they worhipped.

25:8 “Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall in no way pass from the law or the prophets until all be fulfilled. But behold one greater than Moses is here, and He will give you the higher law, even the perfect Law, and this Law will you obey.“

25:10 “They who believe and obey will save their souls, and they who don’t obey will lose them. For I say to you, That except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

33:3 “The priests indeed receive such offerings as a reconciliation of the worshipers for the trespasses against that which they believe to be the Law of Moses; but for sins against the Law of God there can be no remission, save by repentance and amendment.”