Question on reading the New Testament for the first time.

[OliverC]

Hi
Kindly note the purpose of this thread is to address and remove my doubts, not to debate or pick holes.

I have been reading the New Testament for the first time and I am starting to feel great confusion on some areas. Feel free just to address one or more of my questions.

Here are 4 initial issues for me (quotes based on CEV):

1) Jesus taught to the Jews not to the Gentiles;

Matt 15.24 Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”

I don't see why or how Jesus extended this explicitly Himself beyond the Jews?
Paul extends it by removing the Law. I am not clear on the laws (see questions below).

2) Paul says we are no longer bound by law but through faith in Jesus yet Jesus says differently it seems. I present Paul first:

Paul confirms that the Jesus has freed us from the Law:

Romans 7.4 - 6
4 That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so that we could serve God. 5 When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6 But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.

Jesus however doesn't confirm the end of the law even with His own coming:

Matthew 5
17 Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18 Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.

19 If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20 You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

3) Paul introduces some laws again, I don't know the ground for this teaching if he also teaches the laws have been removed:

1 Cortinthians 6.9 - 10
Don’t you know that evil people won’t have a share in the blessings of God’s kingdom? Don’t fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual will share in God’s kingdom.

Paul's condemnation seem to go against John's and Jesus' words:

John 3.18

18 No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned.

27 John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it.
36 Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life.

4) Paul seems to have been "cruel to Jesus" and Paul's authority is in his own hand i.e. it could be self imposed authority:

Acts 22.
8 “Who are you?” I answered.

The Lord replied, “I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to.” 9 The men who were travelling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.

And:

Acts 22.14 Then Ananias told me, “The God that our ancestors worshipped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One Who Obeys God and to hear his voice.

The above makes me think that Jesus was not pleased with Paul and that Paul did not have direct authority from Jesus. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance. Just to re-stress my purpose, I am not out to do harm, but request solid solutions.

God bless.

 

[GrayAngel]

Hi
Kindly note the purpose of this thread is to address and remove my doubts, not to debate or pick holes.

I have been reading the New Testament for the first time and I am starting to feel great confusion on some areas. Feel free just to address one or more of my questions.

Here are 4 initial issues for me (quotes based on CEV):

1) Jesus taught to the Jews not to the Gentiles;

Matt 15.24 Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”


I don't see why or how Jesus extended this explicitly Himself beyond the Jews?
Paul extends it by removing the Law. I am not clear on the laws (see questions below).

Jesus' main focus was the Jews, but He also ministered to the gentiles. The woman at the well is one example. She was a Samaritan, people with whom the Jews ordinarily wouldn't even associate with.

I believe that Jesus' reason for focusing on the Jews has to do with their readiness to it. They knew the law, they knew the prophecies, they should have received Jesus with open arms (although scripture tells us that many of them did not). The Jews were also the chosen people of God, so it was only right that salvation would first be offered to them. But after Christ's death, He made it possible for the invitation to be extended to the gentiles.

2)Paul says we are no longer bound by law but through faith in Jesus yet Jesus says differently it seems. I present Paul first:

Paul confirms that the Jesus has freed us from the Law:

Romans 7.4 - 6
4 That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so that we could serve God. 5 When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6 But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.

Jesus however doesn't confirm the end of the law even with His own coming:

Matthew 5
17 Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18 Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.

19 If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20 You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

Paul never claimed that the law should be done away with. He said that Jesus' death freed us from the power of the old law. This is the whole reason Jesus came to die for us.

Now there are some Jewish traditions that Paul claimed the Jews couldn't expect the gentiles to live by. For example, he says that it is enough for the heart to be circumcised, so that physical circumcision isn't necessary.

If you read carefully what Jesus was saying in His Sermon on the Mount, you'll notice Jesus doing a similar thing. He brings up a law, like adultery, and says that it is not enough simply to avoid committing physical adultery, but if you look at a woman with lust in your eyes you have committed that sin already. What Jesus was saying, and what Paul understood, was that the letter of the law is not as important as the heart of the law.

3) Paul introduces some laws again, I don't know the ground for this teaching if he also teaches the laws have been removed:

1 Cortinthians 6.9 - 10
Don’t you know that evil people won’t have a share in the blessings of God’s kingdom? Don’t fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual will share in God’s kingdom.

Paul's condemnation seem to go against John's and Jesus' words:

John 3.18

18 No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned.

27 John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it.
36 Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life.

What Paul was referring to was unrepentant sin. In fact, if you keep going and read verse 11, he says, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

4) Paul seems to have been "cruel to Jesus" and Paul's authority is in his own hand i.e. it could be self imposed authority:

Acts 22.
8 “Who are you?” I answered.

The Lord replied, “I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to.” 9 The men who were travelling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice

And:

Acts 22.14 Then Ananias told me, “The God that our ancestors worshipped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One Who Obeys God and to hear his voice.

The above makes me think that Jesus was not pleased with Paul and that Paul did not have direct authority from Jesus. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance. Just to re-stress my purpose, I am not out to do harm, but request solid solutions.

God bless.

The first quote is Paul's telling of His conversion. This was before He was a Christian. But after God blinded Him, He sent Ananias to Him to restore his sight.

In verse 21, Paul says what God had commanded Him to do, "Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"

 

[OliverC]

Thanks a lot GrayAngel
So are we still bound by the heart or deeper meaning of the old law but the power has been removed? I can understand your point, but I thought we were free completely?

Is the command of God to go to the Gentiles in verse Acts 22.21 how Paul receives God's commission? Is this Paul's authority to speak on God's behalf and establish what is a sin of the flesh?

 

[GrayAngel]

Thanks a lot GrayAngel
So are we still bound by the heart or deeper meaning of the old law but the power has been removed? I can understand your point, but I thought we were free completely?

We are free in the sense that Christ's sacrifice has saved us once and for all. We don't have to worry that if we don't follow the law well enough that we will go to Hell. However, Paul never said that we are free to do as we please. On the contrary, we are to strive to live a godly life. And if we don't, he says that our faith is dead.

The law hasn't been thrown out the window. If we love God, we will live a life of purity and service to Him, as best as we are able.

Is the command of God to go to the Gentiles in verse Acts 22.21 how Paul receives God's commission? Is this Paul's authority to speak on God's behalf and establish what is a sin of the flesh?

Acts 22 is actually a restatement of what was already shown earlier in the book. He's retelling the story for others to hear. But Paul was commissioned by God to minister to the gentiles. If God wasn't planning to use him, He wouldn't have sent Ananias in the first place, and He wouldn't have restored his sight.

 

[bling]

Hi

Here are 4 initial issues for me (quotes based on CEV):

1) Jesus taught to the Jews not to the Gentiles;



I don't see why or how Jesus extended this explicitly Himself beyond the Jews?
Paul extends it by removing the Law. I am not clear on the laws (see questions below).

First off you have a group of humans on earth that have been prepped (the Jews) while the Gentiles are in the same need for a savior if you can get the Jews to trust Jesus to help them (believe in Jesus as the Servant Messiah) they are ready (prepped) to lead the Christian life.

There is also a huge problem: “The Jews at this time have kept themselves separate from the Gentile (this was to keep them purer for the eventual Messiah), so if Jesus goes to what the Jews see at the time as the un-pure gentiles and develop the gentiles into a religious group it would be perceived by the jews as a gentile religion and they would have nothing to do with it.

Christianity is being rolled out on Pentecost and the fastest way for it to grow is by going to the Jews first (they are prepared with well-schooled knowledge for following God and have been waiting for the Messiah. The Gentiles will be best served from a large rapidly grown base of well-prepared Jews.

2) Paul says we are no longer bound by law but through faith in Jesus yet Jesus says differently it seems. I present Paul first:

Paul confirms that the Jesus has freed us from the Law:



Jesus however doesn't confirm the end of the law even with His own coming:

The “Law” was in full effect for all of Christ’s life on earth, until after the cross. With the cross all the (positive) promises in the Old Law were completed (fulfilled), so there is nothing left to cling to.

Jesus during His life on earth will say obey the Laws, but He also talked of a near future time:

John 4: 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

That time came after the cross.

3) Paul introduces some laws again, I don't know the ground for this teaching if he also teaches the laws have been removed:



Paul's condemnation seem to go against John's and Jesus' words:




4) Paul seems to have been "cruel to Jesus" and Paul's authority is in his own hand i.e. it could be self imposed authority:



And:



The above makes me think that Jesus was not pleased with Paul and that Paul did not have direct authority from Jesus. Thoughts?

God/Jesus was not pleased with Paul when he was Saul persecuting and killing Christians. After Paul’s conversion and Baptism, Saul became Paul and allowed Christ’s Spirit to live and work through him to do exactly what Christ would do. Jesus selected Paul to be an apostle.

 

[bling]

So are we still bound by the heart or deeper meaning of the old law but the power has been removed? I can understand your point, but I thought we were free completely?

You are free to do whatever you want to do, so what do you want to do?

God’s Love is totally unconditional, so your response to doing anything is at best out of gratitude, but never obligation. We get to do a lot of wonderful stuff that pleases God, so do you want to know from the New Testament stuff that pleases God? (that is what is being listed in the NT, but doing it “earns” you nothing more than you already have, since you have already been given everything (you are not in heaven yet but have a birth right that cannot be taken away to enter heaven). You also have the privilege and honor of allow God the live and work through you to accomplish great stuff.

 

[jehoiakim]

Great questions answering them can get rather complicated but generally I believe it is very easy to misunderstand paul if u are up for a serious study on how the or nt Jesus and paul fit together I highly recommend a study u can take online called hate sod through first fruits of zion. It is intense and lengthy but I cannot recommend it enough especially if u are not satisfied with standard Christian intepretations

 

[OliverC]

Thank you GrayAngel, Bling and jehoiakim
For your helpful replies.

 

[food4thought]

Hi
Kindly note the purpose of this thread is to address and remove my doubts, not to debate or pick holes.

I have been reading the New Testament for the first time and I am starting to feel great confusion on some areas. Feel free just to address one or more of my questions.

I have greatly appreciated your inquisitiveness and willingness to accept answers in the other thread.

Here are 4 initial issues for me (quotes based on CEV):

1) Jesus taught to the Jews not to the Gentiles;

Matt 15.24 Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”
​

I don't see why or how Jesus extended this explicitly Himself beyond the Jews?
Paul extends it by removing the Law. I am not clear on the laws (see questions below).

Jesus went to the Jews first because He was their promised Messiah, which means the same as Christ- Annointed One. The OT promises were for the Messiah to bring Israel back to prominence in the world and establish a Kingdom on the throne of David, Israel's greatest king. The Jews rejected Him though, because He was fulfilling other OT promises than the ones they wanted Him too (being the suffering servant instead of being the conquering king) and also because He refused to embrace the religion of the Pharisees, the super-self-righteous religious right of the day (not in any way making a commentary of the religious right of today, which is far less self-righteous). When the Jews rejected Jesus and had Him crucified, they opened the door for the gospel of salvation to go to the rest of the world, which the Jews termed Gentiles (us, unless you're Jewish ). Today, God is working with and through the Gentiles, but during the last days He will again engage the world through His people Israel as the OT promised, and He will establish a kingdom from the throne of David as promised, and He will judge those who oppressed His people as He promised. This is what the book of Revelation is all about according to most Evangelical Bible scholars, but this view is highly debated amongst other scholars. Still, IMO, this is the best view because it takes into account all the promises made to the Israelites by God in the OT.

2) Paul says we are no longer bound by law but through faith in Jesus yet Jesus says differently it seems. I present Paul first:

Paul confirms that the Jesus has freed us from the Law:

Romans 7.4 - 6
4 That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so that we could serve God. 5 When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6 But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.
​

Jesus however doesn't confirm the end of the law even with His own coming:

Matthew 5
17 Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18 Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.

19 If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20 You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
​

As another poster mentioned, while Jesus was alive the Law was still in full effect. Jesus was teaching a Jewish audience, and He was showing them that the Law was of the inward heart, not just the outward observance.

The ESV translation of Matthew 5:17 is suspect... most Bible translations say that Jesus said He came to "fullfil" or "complete" the Law. So Jesus was teaching that His life, death, and resurrection would be the fulfillment or completion of the OT Law of Moses. The ESV is a solid Bible translation, but no translation is perfect... they all have spots where the words they choose are subject to debate. Myself, I prefer the NIV, NASB, and NKJV.

The Law still has not passed away, it is in full effect on the unsaved. Paul, in the book of Galatians stated that the Law is a "tutor to bring us to Christ". No man will ever be accounted righteous by keeping the Law, it is only by faith in the promises of God through Jesus Christ that salvation comes. In the book of Acts chapter 15, the Apostles gathered together sent out a letter to the Gentile believers (again, that would be us). In that letter they confirmed that the Gentile believers were not to be placed under the Law, and that only these necessary things were to be adhered to from the old Law: no idolotry, no sexual immorality, no eating of animal blood and things offered to idols. The rest of the NT gives other commands like not lying, murdering, stealing, etc. These are the moral laws that a Christian is to live by, they may have been in the OT Law, but as the book of Hebrews states, we have a better covenant. The Old Covenant Law of Moses has been replaced with the New Covenant of Christ's sacrifice. The OT Law is now used to point the unbeliever to their need for salvation, it cannot provide salvation or increase one's righteousness before God. The NT laws are rules to live by as we grow in Christ, but they do not improve our standing before God or gain us salvation.

3) Paul introduces some laws again, I don't know the ground for this teaching if he also teaches the laws have been removed:

1 Cortinthians 6.9 - 10
Don’t you know that evil people won’t have a share in the blessings of God’s kingdom? Don’t fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual will share in God’s kingdom.
​

Paul's condemnation seem to go against John's and Jesus' words:

John 3.18

18 No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned.

27 John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it.
36 Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life.
​

As I stated above, we have rules to follow as Christians, and those who are saved will follow them, but those who do not follow them simply testify that they are not following the Spirit of God. Now none of us keeps these rules perfectly, as John states in 1st John 1:8-10 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
So the main point is that we have a heart set on following after God, and when we fall short and sin we ask for forgiveness and Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We don't need to know all the rules to be a Christian, we just have to know the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and by following Him we are assured of being righteous... this is the overall point of Rom 8:1-14 NKJV "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (3) For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, (4) that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (5) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. (8) So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (9) But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (10) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. (13) For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

4) Paul seems to have been "cruel to Jesus" and Paul's authority is in his own hand i.e. it could be self imposed authority:

Acts 22.
8 “Who are you?” I answered.

The Lord replied, “I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to.” 9 The men who were travelling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.
​

And:

Acts 22.14 Then Ananias told me, “The God that our ancestors worshipped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One Who Obeys God and to hear his voice.
​

The above makes me think that Jesus was not pleased with Paul and that Paul did not have direct authority from Jesus. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance. Just to re-stress my purpose, I am not out to do harm, but request solid solutions.

God bless.

This post has already gotten ridiculously large, and I think this last question was adequately answered already.

Hope this helps, and sorry it is so long;
Mike

 

[OliverC]

Thanks a lot Mike, a lot to think about and digest, but appreciated. I am going to have to take a bit of time out to digest all I am learning and finish reading the NT (almost there).

 

[If Not For Grace]

Until the DEATH and rise of Jesus-the law was in effect. It was His sacrifice that gave us the doctrine of Grace.

 

[OliverC]

Until the DEATH and rise of Jesus-the law was in effect. It was His sacrifice that gave us the doctrine of Grace.

Hello Grace
So the law was annulled and does not apply to gentiles since Jesus's resurrection over 1900 years ago, correct?

 

[food4thought]

I can't speak for Grace, but I don't believe that the Law of Moses was annuled, I believe that it has been superceded by the Covenant of grace. The Law still stands as God's righteous standard for those who do not relate to Him through Jesus.

 

[barryrob]

Hi
Kindly note the purpose of this thread is to address and remove my doubts, not to debate or pick holes.

I have been reading the New Testament for the first time and I am starting to feel great confusion on some areas. Feel free just to address one or more of my questions.

Here are 4 initial issues for me (quotes based on CEV):

1) Jesus taught to the Jews not to the Gentiles;



I don't see why or how Jesus extended this explicitly Himself beyond the Jews?
Paul extends it by removing the Law. I am not clear on the laws (see questions below).

2) Paul says we are no longer bound by law but through faith in Jesus yet Jesus says differently it seems. I present Paul first:

Paul confirms that the Jesus has freed us from the Law:



Jesus however doesn't confirm the end of the law even with His own coming:




3) Paul introduces some laws again, I don't know the ground for this teaching if he also teaches the laws have been removed:



Paul's condemnation seem to go against John's and Jesus' words:




4) Paul seems to have been "cruel to Jesus" and Paul's authority is in his own hand i.e. it could be self imposed authority:



And:



The above makes me think that Jesus was not pleased with Paul and that Paul did not have direct authority from Jesus. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance. Just to re-stress my purpose, I am not out to do harm, but request solid solutions.

God bless.

1 The Good news Jesus told the Jews he later stated the it was to be spread all over the earth:-
Matthew 24:14
And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.

2 When Jesus spoke the Law of Moses was still in force but after Jesus death that Law was fulfilled* and Christians them came to be under the Law of The Christ**:-

*Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the Law, . . .
**Galatians 6:2
Go on carrying the burdens of one another, and thus fulfill the law of the Christ. = Love

3 They are fundamental moral principles that Christian must teach and live by to please God.

4 Paul recounts the event were Jesus appeared to his on the road to Damascus whereupon he, Jesus, sent him to a faithful Christian “Ananias” to correct Paul so he coud become a Christian, see cts Ch. 9.

Acts 22:12-16
“Now Ananias, a certain man reverent according to the Law, well reported on by all the Jews dwelling there, 13 came to me [Paul] and, standing by me, he said to me, ‘Saul, brother, have your sight again!’ And I looked up at him that very hour. 14 He said, ‘The God of our forefathers has chosen you to come to know his will and to see the righteous One and to hear the voice of his mouth, 15 because you [Paul] are to be a witness for him to all men of things you have seen and heard. 16 And now why are you delaying? Rise, get baptized and wash your sins away by your calling upon his name.’ = thus pleasing to God.


rob

 

[hedrick]

Hi
1) Jesus taught to the Jews not to the Gentiles;

He said he was sent to the Jews. The great commission at the end of Matthew gives his followers a charter to go to the whole world. As pointed out in other responses, Jesus did deal with some non-Jews. E.g. he said that one Centurion had great faith (Mat 8:5 ff) But that wasn't his specific mission.

2) Paul says we are no longer bound by law but through faith in Jesus yet Jesus says differently it seems. I present Paul first:

Jesus and Paul often say things that look different, because they're in different terms, but if you look carefully turn out to mean the same thing.

Paul said that the Law no longer applied as law. However he is very clear that we still have to act ethically. Most Christians think that the law still acts as a guide for what is ethical.

Jesus said (at least in Matthew) that the law continues. But he reinterpreted it so broadly that he really just preserved the intent, not the letter.

I claim that abolishing the law as an authority but retaining it as a guide is really the same thing as retaining the law but interpreting it so it's only about intent. These both reject what I'd call the legalistic use of the law.

3) Paul introduces some laws again, I don't know the ground for this teaching if he also teaches the laws have been removed:

My conclusion is that Paul's statements (as well as Jesus') need to be qualified by an understanding of God's forgiveness. Paul's lists of sins in Rom 1 and 1 Cor 6:9 cover enough that it's hard to believe there's anyone who isn't on one of those lists.

The only sensible reading I can come up with for Paul's lists is that Christians aren't characterized by sin. It's something that's unacceptable, and we need to repent it. As noted above, while the Law may not be enforceable legalistically, we are still expected to act ethically. The lists are presumably an attempt to list things that aren't ethical. But it's clear from other passages that he realizes it's going to happen and we can be forgiven.

4) Paul seems to have been "cruel to Jesus" and Paul's authority is in his own hand i.e. it could be self imposed authority:

If you read all of Acts 22, it also shows Paul given authority. This is why Paul's experience is called a conversion. Acts and Paul's own letters both say that Paul had been an enemy of Christ, but Christ chose him, converted him, and then sent him in his name.

 

[Sketcher]

1) Jesus taught to the Jews not to the Gentiles;

Matt 15.24 Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”

I don't see why or how Jesus extended this explicitly Himself beyond the Jews?

The Jews needed to be given their chance, so he spent the majority of his ministry with the Jews. As a non-Jew, it does not offend me at all that Jesus didn't spend more time in Tiberius among the Romans living there. I still have salvation from him, and his teaching.

2) Paul says we are no longer bound by law but through faith in Jesus yet Jesus says differently it seems. I present Paul first:

Paul confirms that the Jesus has freed us from the Law:

Romans 7.4 - 6
4 That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so that we could serve God. 5 When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6 But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.

Jesus however doesn't confirm the end of the law even with His own coming:

Matthew 5
17 Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18 Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.
19 If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20 You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

Paul actually agrees with Matthew 5:17-20 in Romans 3:31, and he does not contradict either verse in Romans 7:4-6. Rather, Paul's point is that we are not saved by observing the minutiae of the Law, with the curses for disobedience and the blessings for obedience, having nothing but our own strength to live pleasing lives to God. Jesus did the hard work for us. Rather, we live pleasing lives to God because of what Jesus did, by the Spirit. Remember that Jesus also said:

"Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." - John 4:21-24

3) Paul introduces some laws again, I don't know the ground for this teaching if he also teaches the laws have been removed:

1 Cortinthians 6.9 - 10
Don’t you know that evil people won’t have a share in the blessings of God’s kingdom? Don’t fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual will share in God’s kingdom.

Paul's condemnation seem to go against John's and Jesus' words:

John 3.18

18 No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned.

27 John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it.
36 Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life.

Remember, Jesus also said:

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?" - Luke 6:46

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." - John 3:19-21

And remember, John was speaking in the context of ministry, correcting his disciples who were jealous that Jesus was drawing a bigger crowd. John's mission was to point to Jesus, and in verse 27 he affirmed Jesus' divine ministry, signs, and works. He was not insinuating that every deed that occurs must be permissible because God allowed it to happen.

4) Paul seems to have been "cruel to Jesus" and Paul's authority is in his own hand i.e. it could be self imposed authority:

Acts 22.
8 “Who are you?” I answered.

The Lord replied, “I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to.” 9 The men who were travelling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.

No. Remember, Jesus said:

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’" - Matt 25:40

And:

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’" - Matt 25:45

And:

Acts 22.14 Then Ananias told me, “The God that our ancestors worshipped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One Who Obeys God and to hear his voice.

The above makes me think that Jesus was not pleased with Paul and that Paul did not have direct authority from Jesus. Thoughts?

Well, Jesus was certainly not pleased with what Paul was doing before the encounter on the Damascus road. He had a different purpose for him, which he communicated through Ananias.