Author Archives: Paul Pavao

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About Paul Pavao

I am married, the father of six, and currently the grandfather of five. I teach, and I am always trying to learn to disciple others better than I have before. I believe God has gifted me to restore proper theological foundations to the Christian faith. In order to ensure that I do not become a heretic, I read the early church fathers from the second and third centuries. They were around when all the churches founded by the apostles were in unity. My philosophy for Bible reading is to understand each verse for exactly what it says in its local context. Only after accepting the verse for what it says do I compare it with other verses to develop my theology. If other verses seem to contradict a verse I just read, I will wait to say anything about those verses until I have an explanation that allows me to accept all the verses for what they say. This takes time, sometimes years, but eventually I have always been able to find something that does not require explaining verses away. The early church fathers have helped a lot with this. I argue and discuss these foundational doctrines with others to make sure my teaching really lines up with Scripture. I am encouraged by the fact that the several missionaries and pastors that I know well and admire as holy men love the things I teach. I hope you will be encouraged too. I am indeed tearing up old foundations created by tradition in order to re-establish the foundations found in Scripture and lived on by the churches during their 300 years of unity.

Working Out Salvation with Fear and Trembling in a Wealthy World

Apparently, there are people who think that when Jesus sits on his glorious throne and puts the sheep on his right and the goats on his left, that he will say to Mother Teresa, “I was hungry, and you did … Continue reading

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Bathing in the Scriptures and the Presence of God

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t get important reminders from Scripture. Today: Prov. 25:26 – Like a muddied spring … is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.–I have done that so much in my life. … Continue reading

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The Role of Early Church Unity in Strengthening Modern-Day Faith

This is a guest post by Merry Usman. In a world increasingly fragmented by denominational divisions, cultural conflicts, and personal preferences, the church is called to stand as a beacon of unity. Yet, this call often feels difficult to realize … Continue reading

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The Day God Put on Armor: Isaiah’s Hidden Explanation of the Atonement

Isaiah 59:15 and the chapters following are surely the best picture of the Atonement that no one pays attention to, much like Proverbs 8:22-31 in regard to the Trinity and creation. The Breach That Requires Atonement/Reconciliation Let’s jump right into … Continue reading

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Is This the Great Apostasy? Here’s what caused it.

There is a reason that Christian history is divided into a pre-Nicene era (before the Council of Nicea in AD 325) and post-Nicene eras. Before the Council of Nicea, the churches were quick to announce the righteousness and virtue that … Continue reading

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Created for Companionship: The God Who Walks With His People

When the Philistines seized David in Gath, he wrote: You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your container. Aren’t they in your book? Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call. I know this: … Continue reading

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The Salvation Evangelicals Forgot: Paul’s Missing Category.

One of the biggest problems with evangelical (Reformation-based) theology is that no one considers whether “saved” or “salvation” can mean more than one thing. This despite the fact that the apostle Paul wrote: Much more then, being now justified by … Continue reading

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Only the Unruly Need Be Warned & the Faith Once For All Delivered to the Saints

Only the Unruly Need Be Warned I write a lot of things on good works and the warnings that we must continue in the faith if we expect to receive the reward on the last day. We learned during the … Continue reading

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How I Finally Reconciled “Faith Alone” and “Works” in the Bible.

I was taught, like most Protestants, “salvation by faith alone.” The problem with this is that I was taught that “salvation” meant “going to heaven.” The two, however, are not equivalent. This is the story of how I found out … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Dealing with Scripture Honestly, Early Christianity, Evangelicals, Gospel, Modern Doctrines, Protestants, Verses Evangelicals Ignore | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Psalm 38: What Is Righteousness and How Merciful Is God?

Caught again, your faithless friend. Don’t you ever tire of hearing what a fool I’ve been? (“Stubborn Love” by Kathy Troccoli) King David wrote Psalm 38. It seems like it has to be about the Bathsheba incident because he is … Continue reading

Posted in atonement, Bible, Dealing with Scripture Honestly, Evangelicals, Gospel, Modern Doctrines, Rebuilding the Foundations, Teachings that must not be lost, Verses Evangelicals Ignore | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment