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.

Consensus: Why We Read the Early Church Fathers

Today I answered the charge that the early church fathers are unreliable because Irenaeus, one of the most trustworthy early fathers, said Jesus lived to be over 40 and ministered for at least a decade. I was writing to someone … Continue reading

Posted in Early Christianity | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Can We Be Good Enough to Go to Heaven?

My last post was an answer to an inquirer who asked what I meant when I said it requires works to enter God’s eternal kingdom. He wasn’t satisfied. He asked, “How do you know if you are good enough to … Continue reading

Posted in Modern Doctrines, Protestants | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is Christianity Different than Islam Because It Does Not Require Works?

Another email I answered. This one asked how my teaching is any different from Muslim teaching if I teach that we must do good works to enter the kingdom of heaven after the judgment. I kindly avoided saying that one … Continue reading

Posted in Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How I Became a Heretic (to the Evangelicals)

I was raised Catholic, gave up on Catholicism, explored eastern mysticism as a teenager, and wound up agnostic at age 20. The prayers and daily witness of my first Air Force supervisor and some reading of the Gospels led to … Continue reading

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

Doing Good Works Is not Legalism: Salvation by Faith the Bible Way

In this post, I want to rescue you from the negative attitude towards good works that is so common in modern churches. The Conflict: Works and Faith The source of that negative attitude is verses like Romans 3:28, which says, … Continue reading

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Saved by Works and Not by Faith Only

I thought of a way to get across a concept that people struggle to understand: there is a difference between being saved by faith and going to heaven. Picture a congregation. The congregation is asked, “How many of you are … Continue reading

Posted in Gospel, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Due Diligence

“Due Diligence” is a legal IRS term. You are allowed to take a questionable deduction on a tax return as long as you have done your “due diligence.” This means that you have researched your deduction enough to confirm a … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Dealing with Scripture Honestly, Evangelicals, Modern Doctrines, Unity, Verses Evangelicals Ignore, Verses Versus Verses | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Three of My Favorite Early Church Father Quotes

There are three passages in the early church fathers that stand out in my memory. I wanted to share them with you. “Among us you will find uneducated persons, craftsmen, and old women, who, if they are unable in words … Continue reading

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Revivalism and Conversion

This is, I think, the fourth time that I have turned one of Jon’s comments into a post. He asks good questions and offers challenges that I either have not thought of or did not feel I had the time … Continue reading

Posted in Evangelicals, Gospel, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Discipleship and True Conversion

On Monday, two days ago, a pastor wondered out loud with me whether we were discipling unsaved people. He talked about his experience of discipleship, which involved him pursuing those who could teach him, searching the Scriptures, seeking God in … Continue reading

Posted in Evangelicals, Gospel | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments