The bible is full of simplistic statements masquerading as God-given theological doctrines. Many of them are naïve and palpably false.

Why are some Christians so upset when we question Paul’s epistles? Why do they become abusive when we demonstrate painstakingly that Paul’s doctrine is at variance with Jesus’? The reason is simple; many Christians are Christians not because of Jesus but because of Paul. Without Paul, Christianity would no longer hold any attraction for them.

There are false prophecies in the bible. They are intended to dilute the impact of the more radical prophets. Everything points to the scribes and the priests as the architects of these distortions, since they are often pilloried by the radical prophets. Jesus confirms this by accusing them: “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:6).

Jesus says: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). Many take this to mean there is life in the scriptures. But Jesus says different. He tells the Jews: “You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40).

Most Christians read the epistles of Paul with a veil over our eyes. Otherwise we would realise how ridiculous they often are. Read the following so-called scriptures again and see if you would still consider them to be the infallible word of God.

The gospel Paul preached is different from that of Jesus. Paul’s gospel is about “the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24). This says: “Rejoice: Jesus died for our sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). However, Jesus’ gospel is not about dying for sins but about the kingdom of God. This says: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17).

Paul says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16). This might well be true, but that does not make all scripture the word of God. If God inspires me to write a letter, it would not make my letter God’s letter. The letter would still be mine.

Jesus says: “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-16). This echoes Jacob’s prophecy: “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” (Genesis 49:27).

Jesus warns: “False christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” (Mark 13:22-23).

Moses tells us how to identify a false prophet. He says: “You may be asking yourselves, ‘How can we tell if a prophet’s message really comes from the LORD?’ You will know, because if the LORD says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesn’t, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

Jesus says if a man witnesses about himself, his witness should not be believed: “He who speaks of himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” (John 7:18).

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul found it necessary to answer his critics: “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

Christians assume Paul preached the same gospel as Jesus. But close scrutiny reveals otherwise. Paul never heard Jesus preach; he simply fabricated his own gospel and attributed it to Jesus. As a result, there are many contradictions between the doctrine of Jesus and that of Paul.

Every Christian must decide whether he is a follower of Jesus or a follower of Paul. Don’t make the mistake of many in assuming the two are the same. For starters, take a closer look at the following.

Ask the average Christian for his pastor, and he is likely to refer you to mere mortals. But David declares in his most famous psalm: “The LORD is my pastor; I have everything I need.” (Psalm 23:1). If David has everything he needs because he made the Lord his pastor, why do Christians persist in accepting ordinary men as their pastors? Why do we tend to prefer the counterfeit to the original? Why are we inclined to prefer the earthly to the heavenly?