Was Paul an Imposter Apostle or Appointed by Jesus? Ep. 1406: Christian Questions Podcast

CQ REWIND SHOW NOTES and Study Questions📁resources.christianquestions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/10214632/CQ_Rewind_10-13-2025_Was_Paul_an_Imposter_or_Appointed_by_Jesus.pdf

Here are some of the questions we answered in this Podcast:

[00:14:35] Did all the churches in Asia reject Paul?

[00:17:00] Was Paul a false apostle warned about in Revelation 2:2?

[00:22:45] Did Paul teach a different gospel than Jesus did?

The Apostle Paul wrote a significant portion of the New Testament. There are 27 different books in the New Testament, and Paul is credited with writing about half of them. For the vast majority of Christians, his writings provide extremely practical teachings and examples for us to build upon the single and solid foundation of Jesus Christ. That being said, there are some Christians who believe Paul was an imposter, a self-appointed apostle who was actually diminishing the power of the Gospel of Jesus. What would make someone question the validity of Pauls’ writings? It turns out there are several varied reasons for this perspective. The question is, are they legitimate and what do they imply?

A major challenge

One of several major challenges to Paul’s apostleship we confront in this episode is that Paul never listed the Ten Commandments (christianquestions.com/10-commandments/) in full. While true, this actually mirrors Jesus’ own approach. Neither quoted them entirely but both emphasized their moral essence. Paul affirmed many commandments individually: he quoted the Fifth in Ephesians 6:1–3 and referenced the Sixth, Seventh, Eight and Tenth in Romans 13:9. He also implied the First and Second in Acts 17 and taught truthfulness in Ephesians 4:25, echoing the Ninth. Though he never explicitly cited the Third (against taking God’s name in vain), neither did Jesus, although reverence for God’s name (christianquestions.com/category/series/who-is-god-series/) was clearly implied.

Another objection

Another objection claims Paul’s stance on circumcision contradicts Jesus. A key point about Paul’s teaching in Galatians 5 is that he opposed legalism, not circumcision itself. He warned against using rituals for justification, emphasizing that salvation comes through Christ alone. Paul even had Timothy circumcised—not for salvation, but to aid in the ministry work among Jews.

Further objections—such as the claim that all churches in the Roman province of Asia (youtu.be/vqq4aLfCANk) rejected Paul (2 Timothy 1:15) or that Revelation 2:2 denounces him can easily be answered by contextual study. Such study reveals that Paul’s abandonment was due to shame over his imprisonment, not doctrinal rejection. The denouncing of false apostles in Revelation clearly refers to later imposters, and not Paul himself.

Ultimately, Paul’s gospel is given to complement Jesus’ message, as it is tailored for Gentile audiences unfamiliar with Jewish law. His teachings emphasized love, transformation and Christ-centered righteousness, not ritual observance. Scriptural evidence clearly points to Paul as a faithful apostle, not an imposter.

Subscribe to this YouTube channel, Christian Questions.
--Visit our website www.christianquestions.com for more audio, video and Bible study materials.
--Follow us @cqbiblepodcast