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.

Women Pastors & “Course of Performance”

One of the best arguments for knowing the common, widespread teachings of the second-century Christians is a legal term: “Course of Performance.” LegalDictionary.com defines it this way: Evidence of the conduct of parties concerning the execution of obligations under a … Continue reading

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Fulfilling the Law (Matthew 5:17)

One of the more controversial verses in the apostles’ writings is Matthew 5:17: Do not thing that I came to abolish [kataluo: to dissolve, disunite, destroy, demolish, overthrow, render vain, bring to naught, subvert] the Law or the prophets. I … Continue reading

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Fall of the Church?

I got an email from someone that objects to my describing “the fall of the church.” At least, I think that’s what his email was about. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. What I do know is that he offered several … Continue reading

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That the Body of Sin Might Be Done Away With

The following is a daily devotional written by my father-in-law, Robert Maynard (no, not the former mayor of Oakland, CA). He calls it “Verse of the Day” and he sends it some co-workers and family, though he tells me he’s … Continue reading

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Groanings Too Deep To Be Uttered

In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we do not know what to pray for like we should. However, the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. ~Romans 8:26 Yesterday I … Continue reading

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Groanings Too Deep To Be Uttered

In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we do not know what to pray for like we should. However, the Spirit himself makes interession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. ~Romans 8:26 Let’s talk … Continue reading

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Questions About Salvation

This is an email I wrote this morning. I think it’s anonymous enough to post publicly. 1. What does “saved” mean to me? “Saved” is a big word that means different things in different context. In Romans 5:9-10 for example, … Continue reading

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The Council at Jerusalem

I’m not going to talk about the council at Jerusalem. I’m going to pass on an article about it. I’m quoted in it, though only as admitting I really didn’t know why the council chose those four laws to put … Continue reading

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Leukemia in the Body of Christ

I apparently stopped being notified by email of comments on this blog. I had a couple that sat for a few days before being approved. Sorry. This is an email I wrote to someone. This is now in the “thinking … Continue reading

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Jesus’ Demands

I exchanged several emails with an Eastern Orthodox believer, I don’t know which branch, and in the midst of it I talked about how many “ancient church” members never think about or consider Jesus’ demand of his disciples: “Deny yourself, … Continue reading

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