I think the fact is any letter of Paul isn't Scripture and was never meant to be Scripture. The letters were to specific people and specific places at specific times, they hold no prophesy that isn't just taken from TPP.

Personally to me they are interesting, but nothing I can't disagree with - and nothing to build my life on.

Walt,
These are truly legitimate questions - as Swalchy says. Don't quit here!
- the authority structure of "the church" - elders, deacons, etc.,
- the proper place for women's contribution to advancing the kingdom
- the right teaching on the harvest/rapture
- the right teaching on the set apart feast days for native and non-native Israel

Paul brings all these issues (and more) to the foreground and it is right for us to discuss them and seek the Spirit-filled understanding of them! Your questions/posts bring clarity, honesty and much needed balance. They inspire "digging" into the treasure of YHWH's Word - as Swalchy's and so many others' contributions bring Spirit-gifted scholarship and insight.

One of the biggest blessings of this forum is the manifold wisdom of YHWH displayed in so many different people and in so many different expressions. Don't lose heart, keep advancing - as we all keep advancing we help and encourage each other to keep seeking the kingdom so that YHWH is exalted!!

Here is where I am with all this.

For many years Paul was my hero. I mean, he even went toe to toe with "those who thought they were somewhat" and won the day with his superior doctrine. Then I read that Paul was actually the worst evil ever loosed on mankind and that everything he allegedly wrote is not to be trusted. My head is spinning by this time and I must grip the edge of the table to remain in an upright position. Then, others come along with equally powerful cases defending Paul but expressing doubt as to the authenticity of some of the letters attributed to him. There are detailed lessons and examples in Hebrew and Greek, and references to scholarly tomes which only a relative few can read with comprehension. For us common folks, all this could quickly become information overload and we will be edified not at all.

I have grown to love the brothers and sisters in these forums. But, like Walt bemoaned, I suspect that Mother is no longer being allowed to be in charge around here.

To keep myself sane, I am going to cling to what I know is Truth: the Torah, Prophets, and Writings, the eyewitness accounts of Yahushua's time with us, and His revelation to Yahuchanon. As for the rest of the Renewed Covenant, or New Testament, or whatever you want to call that part of the English Bible, I feel comfortable just leaving it alone. I mean, since its trustworthiness can't be proven, wisdom suggests that I treat it as untrustworthy and, therefore, not from the Father.

What I DO know is that our Father loved me enough to give me the Truth, to open my eyes and my understanding. I trust Him. He is going to bring me through this current onslaught some way, somehow (my personal life has under heavy attack these past few months and the situation is only looking worse every day). It is all I can do right now just to stand with Yob and refuse to charge Yahuweh with evil. As for being able at this time to participate energetically in lively debates, bringing to the talks the results of laborious research and sparkling insights ... well, on my best days I am no match for the intellects roaming these hallways.

Bottom line from my point of view? Should I be concerned that I do not know of a certainty whether or not a letter was authored by this or that person? I think not. Will I be rejected if I don't understand or retain all the proofs from both sides displayed before us in such awesome detail? I hope not.

Shalom. Yahuweh be with you.

Richard

Edited by user Tuesday, July 13, 2010 9:11:05 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Rework and spelling correction

I don't believe that I used that as my reason for remarking that we aren't allowing Mother to rule the forum, Robski. I despise the "love, peace, and bunny rabbits" spin that the world tries to put on things, especially the way they use it to warp the minds of preschoolers. Moreover, I too am passionate about the things of Yahuweh, and I have been told that I look and sound terribly angry sometimes when in reality I was just being impassioned.

The misbehavior to which I referred is the use of demeaning and cruel rebukes, as in labelling someone's opinion as ridiculous, or their conclusions as idiotic, as has been done in various places throughout this site. Don't get me wrong: I have done and still do the same thing from time to time. But that doesn't make it right, or loving, and it doesn't make it a behavior our Mother would approve. I believe that to avoid running off the more sensitive or fragile members of the community, we might want to tone down our descriptions of their erroneous thoughts, ideas, and conclusions. In other words, let's not write in such a way as to seem as though we are biting and devouring one another.

Brother, please do not misrepresent what I say or preach to me as though I had brought forth some hippy doctrine of tolerance for all. I was a US Marine back in the days of the Viet Nam thing, so I am well able to deal with ugliness and to take vicious criticism. Not everyone has my experience, however, and I don't think it wise to demand that they be as tough-skinned as some of the rest of us. Thanks.

Thank you for the reply, Robski. Behaving like a welcome member of a family is completely foreign to me, so I beg your indulgence if I don't always know how to repsond appropriately. In my limited familial experience, whoever could yell the loudest and present the most believable threat was the one who had the final say on everything. This loving, nurturing family thing is totally new. I do love the idea of being part of a real Family where honest, unfeigned love rules; it's the doing of it that I stumble at - and that is completely on me. I must learn to remove the chip from my shoulder before I enter the room; I have to learn to relax rather than automatically being defensive; and I must trust that I really am welcome and respected by believers I have never met. A tall order, but nothing is impossible with Him with Whom we have to do.