The Gospel of Jesus and the Gospel of Paul
4th century fresco of Saint Paul Have you ever noticed that the message of Paul in the letters to the churches is somewhat different from the message of Jesus as recorded in the four gospels? Paul focuses on the theme of justification – how a person is declared righteous before God. Jesus on the other hand never mentions justification in his teaching. Paul also focuses on the contrast between law and grace. Jesus really doesn’t deal with that in his teachings. Jesus’ message centers on the coming of the Kingdom of God and the attributes and qualities of life in that Kingdom. I believe that God in his wisdom gave Jesus and Paul two different messages to proclaim. Jesus was sent to announce the coming Kingdom of God and to offer his life as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. Paul was given a different message. God revealed to him the full significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus and he was given the task of proclaiming that message to the Gentil