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Analyzing Pauline Traditions

Paul of Tarsus and the Origins of Syncretism in the Christian Church

—  Page 6  —

Abram Did Not Remain In His Status Or Condition As At The Time Of His Call

Genesis 11:27-12:6 reads,

^11:27 Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. ^11:28 Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees. ^11:29 Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah. ^11:30 Sarai was barren. She had no child. ^11:31 Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran — his son's son — and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran, and lived there. ^11:32 The days of Terah were 205 years. Terah died in Haran.
^12:1 Now YHWH said to Abram, "Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. ^12:2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and make your name great. You will be a blessing. ^12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. In you will all of the families of the earth be blessed." ^12:4 So Abram went, as YHWH had spoken to him. Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he departed out of Haran. ^12:5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother's son, all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls who they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. And into the land of Canaan they came. ^12:6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanite was then in the land.

When Abram received his call from YHWH he was living among his relatives and in his country of birth and upbringing. He heeded YHWH's call and departed from his relatives and the country of his birth and upbringing. He did not do as Paul counselled his audience, to remain in the status or condition he was in at the time he received his call. If Abram had remained in his status or condition at the time he received his call he would have rejected his call, and thereby disobeyed YHWH!

Moses Did Not Remain In The Status Or Condition
As At The Time Of His Call

Exodus 3:1—4:31 reads,

^3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to Elohim's mountain, to Horeb. ^3:2 The angel of YHWH appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. ^3:3 Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. ^3:4 When YHWH saw that he turned aside to see, Elohim called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses! Moses!" He said, "Here I am." ^3:5 He said, "Don't come close. Take off your sandals from off your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground." ^3:6 Moreover he said, "I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob." Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at Elohim. ^3:7 YHWH said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. ^3:8 I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ^3:9 Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ^3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." ^3:11 Moses said to Elohim, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" ^3:12 He said, "Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve Elohim on this mountain." ^3:13 Moses said to Elohim, "Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you;' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?" ^3:14 Elohim said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM," and he said, "You shall tell the children of Israel this: "I AM has sent me to you." ^3:15 Elohim said moreover to Moses, "You shall tell the children of Israel this, 'YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations. ^3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, 'YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt; ^3:17 and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey."' ^3:18 They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, 'YHWH, the Elohim of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to YHWH, our Elohim.' ^3:19 I know that the king of Egypt won't give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand. ^3:20 I will put forth my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst of it, and after that he will let you go. ^3:21 I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. ^3:22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who sojourns in her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall despoil the Egyptians. ^4:1 Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, 'YHWH has not appeared to you.'" ^4:2 YHWH said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." ^4:3 He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it. ^4:4 YHWH said to Moses, "Put forth your hand, and take it by the tail." He put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand. ^4:5 "That they may believe that YHWH, the Elohim of their fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has appeared to you." ^4:6 YHWH said furthermore to him, "Now put your hand inside your cloak." He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. ^4:7 He said, "Put your hand inside your cloak again." He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh. ^4:8 "It will happen, if they will neither believe you nor listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. ^4:9 It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land." ^4:10 Moses said to YHWH, "Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." ^4:11 YHWH said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn't it I, YHWH? ^4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak." ^4:13 He said, "Oh, Master, please send someone else." ^4:14 The anger of YHWH was kindled against Moses, and he said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he comes forth to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ^4:15 You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. ^4:16 He will be your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as Elohim. ^4:17 You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs." ^4:18 Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." ^4:19 YHWH said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead." ^4:20 Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took Elohim's rod in his hand. ^4:21 YHWH said to Moses, "When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. ^4:22 You shall tell Pharaoh, 'Thus says YHWH, Israel is my son, my firstborn, ^4:23 and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'" ^4:24 It happened on the way at a lodging place, that YHWH met him and wanted to kill him. ^4:25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet. And she said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me." ^4:26 So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision. ^4:27 YHWH said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." He went, and met him on Elohim's mountain, and kissed him. ^4:28 Moses told Aaron all the Words of YHWH with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had charged him. ^4:29 Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. ^4:30 Aaron spoke all the Words which YHWH had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. ^4:31 The people believed, and when they heard that YHWH had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

YHWH Was Angry With Moses For Seeking To
Remain In The Status Or Condition As At The Time Of His Call

Moses was a shepherd when he received his call from YHWH. Upon trying to resist abiding by YHWH's Word to him, even going so far as to tell YHWH to find another person to do the job YHWH had at hand, YHWH became angry with him. It was only then that Moses yielded to YHWH's voice and heeded his call. He thereby ceased from being shepherd over his father-in-law's flock and commenced serving YHWH in the manner YHWH instructed him. Also, with respect to the circumcision of his son, Moses, through his conduct, sought to maintain the status quo. YHWH, angry with his conduct uncompliant with his Word, didn't answer him by words, but sought to kill him! It is only upon the circumcision of Moses' son that Moses' life was spared, and he was able to do the job YHWH commissioned him to do.

Be Ready And Willing To Change Your Status Or
Condition When You Receive YHWH's Call

It is evident that YHWH's Way, with respect to the manner humans should respond to his Call, is different and contrary to that of Paul. For whereas Paul counsels remaining in the condition or status one is in at the time of one's call, YHWH's way is doing whatever it is that he tells one, irrespective of whether or not one's status or condition at the time of that call changes. In other words, those called by YHWH should be willing and ready to change their status or condition from that at the time of their calling, lest their incur YHWH's Wrath.

The Holy Spirit Dwelling In A Person Does Not
Control That Person's Mind And Thoughts

In 1 Corinthians 7:40 Paul opines that his views are respectable due to the fact that he has the Holy Spirit. Is it the case that anyone who has the Holy Spirit has opinions that are always in harmony with those of the Holy Spirit? In other words, is it the case that once one has the Holy Spirit, one's opinions can no longer be different to those of the Holy Spirit, suggesting that the Holy Spirit takes over one's mind, denying that one freedom of choice or thought? Were Paul's opinions here expressed in 1 Corinthians 7 in harmony with those elsewhere expressed by the Holy Spirit, or were there differences between them?

It has been observed that several of the opinions Paul expressed in 1 Corinthians 7, forming the basis of his traditions delivered to the Corinthians and other assemblies, were contrary to YHWH's clearly expressed opinions by his Holy Spirit through his servants who preceded Paul in time. Therefore, if Paul indeed had the Holy Spirit, then he was not inspired by the Holy Spirit when he expressed these several opinions contrary to YHWH's Word.

If Paul indeed had the Holy Spirit it is noted that the Holy Spirit did not take over his mind, denying him freedom of choice or thought. Paul had choice in uttering what he did, and thought in his own mind what he communicated. That these were contrary to the Word of YHWH and his Holy Spirit shows that Paul was not speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he uttered these words. Therefore any notion from him, or anyone else, that the personal opinions of those who profess to be YHWH's servants should be respected, on account of their having the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, implying their personal opinions are inspired by the Holy Spirit, should not be highly regarded.

The Holy Spirit does not control one's mind, and whoever has the Holy Spirit in one is free to speak by the Holy Spirit or to ignore the Word of the Holy Spirit and speak contrary words, even as Paul is here seen to have spoken several contrary words.