BTW To Calvin who will likely jump out and start saying "Your insulting paul! Your making disunity!" No I'm sincerely asking about paul's origins and the amount of faith being put in his words since Christianity is heavily influenced by him.
Jesus never said not to eat swine. There is no record of Him saying so, not in any gospel accepted as being canonical. You could have found this yourself if you had cared to look. In stead what He did say, is the exact opposite.:::
Matthew 15:11
it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." In other words it is not the eating of foods that defiles a person it is the speech which originates in the heart that defiles a person. After all we eat foods that grow in dirt, but that does not make us dirt.
Mhm, So it was not Jesus that forbid the eating of swine? But when has God cleansed them? They still eat rubbish and If we eat them and our body derives nutrients from them and we are what we eat, would you not care that pigs are unclean?
So, by your reasoning, if we are what we eat, we are what? a bowl of rice, an apple, a tomato a couple of slices of bread? A salad sandwich?
As for Paul you will be hard pressed to show anywhere he has contradicted Jesus. You might as well try to walk barefoot to the Moon.
As for the amount of faith being put in Paul's words, without faith in Christ Jesus, Paul and Paul's words are nothing. If you have a picture of Christians not having faith in Jesus, but venerating Paul, you are wrong.
Perhaps if you study the following you will begin to understand Paul's place in the scheme of things :::
Act 9:10
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."
Act 9:11
And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,
Act 9:12
and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."
Act 9:13
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.
Act 9:14
And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name."
Act 9:15
But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
Act 9:16
For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."
and,
Heb 6:1 T
herefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2
and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3
And this we will do if God permits.
The gospels record what is referred to in verses 1 & 2.
Paul's letters were by and large of a pastoral nature., so verse 1 and three speak to this.
Christians do not want to stay as enquirers, but people wanting to grow spiritually, that is why so much time is spent studying Paul's letters.
Paul amplified what Jesus said, he did not contradict. For example, in his letter to Timothy,::::::
1Tim 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
1Tim4:2
through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
1Tim 4:3
who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
1Tim 4:4
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
1Tim 4:5
for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
1Tim 4:6
If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.
And notice that right from the outset, back in Genesis we are taught this truth; that everything God created is good.::::
Gen 1:24
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so.
Gen 1:25
And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
So, to recap, Jesus never ever said don't eat swine.
All things created by God are clean now, and were so from the beginning.
Christians do not set aside what Jesus said in favour of Paul.
What you eat does not defile you only the thoughts of your heart.
In the end times will come evil speakers who will seek to cause the rejecting of what God has provided. (and I don't just mean food for the stomach)
