Paul quoting Jesus

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (1st & 2nd Timothy, Titus)

Wrapping up the series with Paul reinforcing Christ’s teachings to his young proteges in the “Pastoral Epistles.” Hopefully this has been a helpful series, and next time you hear someone claim that they deny Paul’s writings because he “never quoted Jesus” you can show them that they are clearly wrong.

1st Timothy 1:12-13—And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man.

  • Acts 26:14-18—“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads…I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

1st Timothy 1:15—This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

  • Luke 19:10—“The Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.”

1st Timothy 2:5-6—For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.

  • Matthew 20:28—“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

1st Timothy 6:6-10—Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

  • Matthew 6:24-25—“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (1st and 2nd Thessalonians)

1st Thessalonians 1:9-10—For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

  • John 17:3—“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

1st Thessalonians 2:14-16—For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

  • Matthew 23:13-15—“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
  • Matthew 23:29-36—“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (Colossians)

Part 7, continuing the daunting task of correcting those who would rather live by their own righteousness than to admit that God is God.

Colossians 1:5—…because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit.

  • John 15:16—“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

Colossians 1:13—He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

  • Matthew 11:26-28—“Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (Philippians)

Making the light manifest to those who sit in darkness, denying the truth of God’s word by saying that because Paul did not use long quotes from our Lord in his epistles, that he was somehow starting some “new religion.” Uh…yeah…you bet.

Well, starting with the verse that started me on this path, here are some more cases of Paul elaborating on the principles laid down by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:13—I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
John 15:5—“Without Me you can do nothing.”

Philippians 1:19-20—For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

  • Matthew 5:10-12—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
  • Matthew 10:17-23—“You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (Ephesians)

Once again, showing the truth from God’s word to the unenlightened, the ungodly, the one who professes to be wise while they are still foolish.

Ephesians 1:7—In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20—When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Ephesians 1:18—…that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe…

John 14:1-3—“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Ephesians 1:19-21–...according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Matthew 26:63-63—And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Ephesians 1:22—And He put all things under His feet…

Mark 12:35-36— Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”‘”

Ephesians 1:23—…and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Matthew 16:18—“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (Galatians)

Today, we look at the places where Paul told to the saints in Galatia of the things taught by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:1—Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).

  • Acts 22:15-18—“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’“

Galatians 1:3-4—Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

  • Matthew 20:27-28—“And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
  • John 16:33—“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Galatians 1:15-16—But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…

  • Acts 22:9-10—“And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’“

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (2nd Corinthians)

Part four of our series, enlightening the one who draws near to Jesus with their lips, while their hearts are far from Him.

2nd Corinthians 1:3-5—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

  • John 14:15-18 (KJV)—“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

2nd Corinthians 1:17-19—Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ…was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.

  • Matthew 5:37—“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

2nd Corinthians 3:5-6—Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

  • John 6:61-63—When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

2nd Corinthians 3:14-16—But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

  • Luke 10:21-22—In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
  • Matthew 13:13—“Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (1st Corinthians)

Number three in the series, going through Paul’s epistles and showing the stiff-necked and ignorant that yes, Paul did quote Jesus, even if he didn’t do so word-for-word.

1st Corinthians 1:10—Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

  • John 17:20-23—“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

1st Corinthians 1:20-21—Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

  • Luke 10:21—In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (Romans part 2)

The second installment of this series showing the ignorant and scoffer the many times when Paul did, in fact, quote the things said by our Lord–albeit, perhaps, not word-for-word. We continue in Romans.

Romans 9:3-5—For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

  • Matthew 23:37-39—“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate!“

Romans 9:6-8—But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

  • John 8:37-41—“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.”

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“Paul never quoted Jesus” (Romans part 1)

What is the refrain we always hear from the theological liberal or the Emerging guru, or Purpose-Driven™ Pied Piper who is sooooo much smarter than us knuckle-dragging fundamentalists? The same, tired, lame old, “Paul preached a different gospel than Jesus” or “Paul was setting up a religion to compete with Christianity” or–as the title of this post bears witness–“Paul never quoted Jesus!!”

Well, it just so happens that all of these arguments are wrong. Especially the last one. Now, it is true, that save for one passage (1st Corinthians 11:23-26), Paul never quote our Lord word-for-word.

BUT!!

That is not to say that Paul never reiterated the same principles as Christ. This concept dawned on me as I was preparing a lesson on Philippians 3:14—I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. I realized that Paul was simply giving us the flip-side of what Jesus said in John 15:5—“For without Me, you can do nothing.” Without Christ we can do “nothing”–with Christ we can do “all things.” It’s two sides of the same coin.

Here is part 1 in what I hope to be a series going through Paul’s letters and showing where he does indeed repeat many of the same principles that Jesus laid down. We begin with Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome.

Romans 1:16—For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

  • Luke 9:26—“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

Romans 1:28-32—And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality…who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

  • John 3:19—“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

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