One of my former Bible students came by school and made a comment that we don’t have to follow the teachings and commands of Paul. The student said that we only have to follow the “red letters”, i.e. the teachings and commands of Jesus. I knew where he was going with that comment. He said that Jesus did not condemn homosexuality. He said that Paul was just homophobic and that Paul’s opinions were just his personal opinions and not binding on us today.

Galatians becomes a critical letter for us today as we face the LGBQT issues that seem to be splitting churches right and left. The Judaizers in Galatia were trying to undermine Paul’s authority as an apostle. Their issue in Galatia was not LGBQT but instead was Judaizer forcing Gentile converts to be circumcised as was required of Jews under the Law of Moses. No doubt they pointed out that Paul was not one of the original 12 apostles, which was true. Even Paul admitted that he was the last of the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:⁸ and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus about 6 years after the death of Jesus, thus qualifying him to be an apostle. But in the 2nd Corinthian letter, he made it clear that he was not inferior to any of he other original 12 apostles in authority. 2 Corinthians 11:⁵ For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.” 12:Actually I should have been commended by you, since I was in no respect inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. ¹² The distinguishing marks of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs, wonders, and miracles.”

In the letter to the Galatians he defends his apostleship vigorously. In chapter 1 he argued that he received his gospel message (in which he did not make Gentile converts be circumcised) directly from Jesus and not from the other apostles. He makes it clear that he only went to Jerusalem 3 years after his conversion and only stayed 15 days, not nearly enough time to get a school of preaching training from the other apostles! Maybe some Judaizers were claiming that Paul got his teachings from the apostles but didn’t get some teachings on circumcision of Gentile converts correctly. But Paul is adamant that he did not get his gospel from the other apostles in any way. In chapter 2 he then stated that he did not go to Jerusalem again util 14 years later when he attended the Jerusalem Council in 50 AD to discuss the issue of Gentile converts being circumcised. He boldly states that Peter, James (the Lord’s brother), and John were the pillars of the Jerusalem. church but that he did not yield to them on the issue even for an hour. He said that their reputation as the apostles and leaders of the church meant nothing to him. He added that he even opposed the apostle Peter to his face when Peter was influenced by a group of men coming from James in Jerusalem to Antioch in Syria telling the Jewish Christians in Antioch to not eat with the Gentile Christians. BTW that’s pretty strange, if Peter was the first pope, that Paul would be rebuking the pope! It is obvious that Paul is claiming to have the same authority as the other apostles.

If Paul was a true apostle, which he was, then his teachings were inspired by the Spirit and infallible (without error). He is not just giving his uninspired opinions on issues. He was giving teachings inspired b by the Spirit. The apostle Peter even called Paul’s writings “Scripture”, giving them equal authority to the inspired writings of the Old Testament. 2 Peter 3:¹⁵ and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” Surely no one would question the apostleship of Peter, and yet Peter claims that Paul’s writings were inspired Scripture.

Back to the critical LGBQT issue. Paul clearly says that homosexuality is a sin. Romans 1:²⁶ For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, ²⁷ and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” 1 Corinthians 6:⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” The Greek word for homosexuals is arsenokoites: Homosexual, sodomite. The same word is used in 1 Timothy 1: ¹⁰ for the sexually immoral, homosexuals, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.” I once talked with a minister of a church that accepted homosexual members and marriages. He argued that the Greek word for homosexual in these passages did not mean homosexual. Every Greek lexicon confirms that it does mean homosexual. If that isn’t enough, Romans 1 makes it even clearer without relying on Greek words.

The authority of Paul as an apostle is a critical issue today and we must defend his apostleship just as he did 2,000 years ago in the Galatian and Corinthian letters. The LGBQT issue should be easily resolved if we accept the inspiration of Paul’s writings. Those who reject Paul’s apostleship and authority do so without any proof or reasonable argument. They do so simply b/c they don’t like what he said about homosexuality.

One last point. One of the qualifications of an apostles was that one had to see the resurrected Jesus. Acts 1:²² beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” Paul was not with Jesus for the 3 years like the other apostles, but he argues that he did indeed see the resurrected Jesus. 1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ² If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” The resurrected Jesus appearing to Saul on the road to Damascus is one of the biggest proofs of the resurrection of Jesus. There is nothing else that could have changed Saul from persecuting, even killing, Jewish Christians except that he saw the resurrected Jesus. Jewish Christians were terrified of Saul and would not have dared to try to convert him. Seeing the resurrected Jesus qualified him to be an apostle even though he was not with Jesus the 3 years that the other apostles were with Him.

The church should be the “pillar and ground of the truth”. Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:¹⁴ I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; ¹⁵ but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” It is not surprising for atheists and agnostics to argue that Paul was not an apostle, but it is shocking for churches like some of the Methodist churches (and other denominations before that) arguing that his writings against homosexuality are not inspired. If even believers reject Paul’s writings, what hope is there to convert the unbelieving world who question the authority of the Bible as the word of God? I shudder to think what Jesus must feel about the direction some of the churches are going in. I also wonder how many millions of dollars are collected to support the staff and buildings of churches that reject Paul’s teaching on homosexuality. I believe Jesus would be turning some tables over if he were to make an appearance to the churches in the U.S.