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.

Are We “Sinners Saved by Grace” or “Formerly Sinners, But Now Saved by Grace”?

Posted on 02/09/2021 by Paul Pavao

“Sinner” or “sinners” is used 67 times in the Bible and, in almost every case, sinners are contrasted with the righteous. An excellent example is Psalm 1:5: “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Evangelicals, Gospel, Holiness, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

When Christians Conquered an Empire (in current English)

Posted on 01/26/2021 by Paul Pavao

Tertullian’s Christians Conquer Empire reworded This is a rewording of yesterday’s blog. “To the Rulers of the Roman Empire: “… If we are commanded to love our enemies, as I have pointed out earlier, whom do we Christians have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, History, Modern Doctrines, Protestants | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

When Christians Conquered a Nation

Posted on 01/25/2021 by Paul Pavao

This was written very close to the year 200, to the Roman emperors, who almost certainly never read it, but the words have been preserved. This is what conquest of an empire by real Christians looks like: This is long, … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Early Christianity, Evangelicals, History, History (Stories), Modern Doctrines, Rebuilding the Foundations, Teachings that must not be lost | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gnosticism and Gnostic Beliefs

Posted on 01/22/2021 by Paul Pavao

If you want to understand John’s Gospel and letters in the New Testament, you need to understand gnosticism. His Gospel and letters were written against gnostics, who were also called “docetists.” “Docetist” refers to the gnostic belief that all matter, … Continue reading →

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Past Tense Salvation by Faith and Future Tense Judgment by Works

Posted on 01/20/2021 by Paul Pavao

In the comments of my video on 2 Peter 1:3-11, I wrote this. I just don’t get you guys. You wrote, “To clarify, faith grants us salvation.” That is not clarification. Did you watch the video? Do you know that … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Dealing with Scripture Honestly, Evangelicals, Gospel, Modern Doctrines, Verses Evangelicals Ignore | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Answering the Verses Evangelicals Throw at Me: Hebrews 9:22

Posted on 01/14/2021 by Paul Pavao

By now all my readers know that I disagree with a good portion of evangelical tradition. I am not bashful about writing against those traditions. When I do so, I expect evangelicals to look at the verses and explanations I … Continue reading →

Posted in Dealing with Scripture Honestly | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Sound of Silence

Posted on 01/09/2021 by Paul Pavao

When my son began singing Tim Hawkins, parody, “The Sound of Starbucks,” faint memories of a childhood melody crept into my brain. “The Sound of Silence” were the only words I remembered. Out of curiosity, I looked up the lyrics … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Steadfast and Trustworthy Love of God

Posted on 01/05/2021 by Paul Pavao

Job 9:32-35 (NIV): [God] is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous, Rebuilding the Foundations | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Gospel Story As Told by the Primitive Churches and As Told Today

Posted on 12/28/2020 by Paul Pavao

Two Stories: One is the Gospel tale as it was told in the second and third centuries (as best I can tell it). The second is the Gospel tale, or one version of it, as it is taught in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Evangelicals, Gospel, History, Modern Doctrines, Protestants | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Leaving Nominalism Behind: How to Become a Disciple

Posted on 12/17/2020 by Paul Pavao

This was shared 7 times on Facebook. That’s a lot for me. I thought I would share it here too. I got an email today from a man who wants to stop living a nominal Christian life, and his initial … Continue reading →

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