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.

Righteousness Is from the Lord

Hosea 10:12 Orthodox Study Bible (based on Septuagint*): “Sow to yourselves in righteousness; Gather in the fruit of life; Light for yourselves the light of knowledge; Seek the Lord till the fruits of righteousness come upon you.” NASB (1995 version): … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Holiness | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Kind and Merciful Judgment of God

Biblical teaching on the judgment is critically important. Many churches insult God by portraying him as merciless, a cruel deity who would torture a human for eternity for one sin because he is “holy” and “just.” (What sort of holiness … Continue reading

Posted in Dealing with Scripture Honestly, Evangelicals, Gospel, Modern Doctrines, Rebuilding the Foundations | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A Good Understand Have All Those Who Do (Psalm 111:10)

This morning I wrote on Facebook: As I think through my list of Christians I admire, both in the present and over the last 2,000 years—both the ones close to me and the ones I only hear about or hear … Continue reading

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The Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple as Figures of the New Covenant

I know I’m probably late to the party and sharing something most of you know, but I got a great picture this morning of how the tabernacle (and Solomon’s temple) reveal salvation in Christ. First, all the furniture is in … Continue reading

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The Elementary (First) Teachings of Christ: Hebrews 6:1-2

In Hebrews 6:1-2 is a list of the foundational teachings of the Christian faith. These are the “first things” of the teachings of Christ, and from these we “go on to maturity.” The six foundational teachings listed by the writer … Continue reading

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“Diligently Preserve” the Unity of the Spirit

Our unity is not doctrinal. Our unity is spiritual (Eph. 4:3). We are not commanded to diligently preserve the unity of the faith, but to “diligently preserve” the unity of the Spirit. Do you have a doctrinal controversy with someone … Continue reading

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How the Church Was One: The Only True Source of Unity

The early churches were united as God’s family. Jesus was Lord and the Father was, well, the Father of the family. The one thing to do in that family was to love and obey the Father through the Lordship of … Continue reading

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The Judgment by Works: The Most Important Doctrine to Learn from the Early Church Fathers

I wrote the following in a comment on Patristics for Protestants about what is the most important thing to learn from the early church fathers. There are several quotes from the earliest fathers in my comment, but I give you … Continue reading

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God’s Plan of Salvation Is Not What You Think It Is

This is the way things are: Romans 2:6-7: “God will render to everyone according to their deeds. To those who, by patiently continuing to do good seek for glory, honor, and immortality, he will repay eternal life.” This is the … Continue reading

Posted in Evangelicals, Gospel, Modern Doctrines, Verses Evangelicals Ignore | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ravi Zacharias, the Judgment, and the Weakness of Man: A WARNING!

A FB friend commented on new allegations against Ravi Zacharias. I can hardly take it. My stomach is roiling. I knew nothing about this. I can’t even get myself to post the link to the report. Folks, we are going … Continue reading

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