Is Paul a False Prophet?

Was Paul A False Prophet?

An argument many non-Christians make is that Paul was a false prophet and distorted Christianity. Firstly, we can look at what the other disciples of our Lord felt about Paul.

The Disciples & Paul:

The apostle Peter states: “...even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles(or letters), speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction," (2 Peter 3:15-16 KJV). Not only does Peter call Paul a beloved brother, but he also verifies his writings. 

The apostle Luke also worked with Paul to convert the Jews. We read about this throughout the book of Acts, an account written by Luke. 

Early Church Fathers & Paul:

The early church fathers also favored Paul. “But who of us are ignorant of the judgment of the Lord? Do we not know that the saints shall judge the world? (1 Corinthians 6:2) as Paul teaches," (Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Chapter 11: Expression of grief on account of Valens). Polycarp – a very early church father – in his letter, quotes 1 Corinthians and notes it was a teaching of Paul. Why would Polycarp use Paul as an authority if he was merely some heretic?

"You are initiated into the mysteries of the Gospel with Paul, the holy, the martyred, the deservedly most happy, at whose feet may I be found, when I shall attain to God; who in all his Epistles makes mention of you in Christ Jesus," (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Chapter 12: Praise of the Ephesians). This quote shows us that Paul was greatly valued by an early church father. 

"I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles; I am but a condemned man: they were free, while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freed-man of Jesus, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being a prisoner, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain," (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans, Chapter 4: Allow me to fall a prey to the wild beasts). Here, Ignatius states Paul was an apostle and had authority to issue commandments, this shows a high perspective of Paul.

The Test by Jesus:

We must also remember that Jesus gave us a method to detect false prophets. As Jesus states, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them," (Matthew 7:15-20 KJV). One must see how a prophet speaks, what they say, and what they do. Does it align with the teachings of Christ or one of deceit? Muhammad and Smith repeatedly were known to use their place of power for poor things. They took many wives, filling their lusts while Paul was, as shown, seen as a fairly righteous man. One who could be trusted with teachings and knew what he was speaking on.

Conclusion:

Paul had a very high authority in Judaism, yet, he gave this up to follow Jesus. Paul even, according to his writings, likely died a martyr (2 Timothy 4:7-18). It seems very bizarre or even absurd that Paul would join Christianity merely because he wanted to. There was no benefit for Paul to do so, yet he did. This seems to indicate he truly believed what he preached.