EXAMPLE SENTENCES FROM PAUL'S PREACHES

ACCORDING TO

THE STANDARDS OF QUR’AN

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT

EXAMPLE SENTENCES FROM PAUL’S PREACHES

·        “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia …”[1] 

·        “... I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.”[2] 

                                                                                                                                                                                       

·        “...circumcised on the eighth day … as to the law, a Pharise.”[3] “I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees …”[4]

·        “I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison.”[5]

·        “‘While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” I answered, “Who are you, Lord?” Then he said to me, “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.” Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. I asked, “What am I to do, Lord?” The Lord said to me, “Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.” Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus. …. Ananias ... to me; and standing beside me, he said, “Brother Saul, regain your sight!” In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. Then he said, “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice…”[6]

·        “I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows.”[7]

·        “In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!”[8]

·        “but I did not see any other apostle except James[9] the Lord’s brother”[10]

·        “I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you.”[11]

·        “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law…”[12]

·         “Let it be assumed that I did not burden you. Nevertheless (you say) since I was crafty, I took you in by deceit.”[13]

·        “I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.”[14] 

·        “... let no one think that I am a fool …”[15]

·        “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? … Do we not have the right to our food and drink? Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife? … Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk? … For it is written in the law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever ploughs should plough in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop. If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits?[16]” [17]

·        “But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!”[18]

·        “From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body”[19]

Yusuf Ulucan

Translation: H. Neslihan Demiriz

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[1]Acts: 22 / 3

[2]Romans: 11 / 1

[3]Philippians: 3 / 5

[4] Acts:23 / 6

[5] Acts: 22 / 4

[6]Acts: 22 /6 – 15

[7]2 Corinthians: 12 / 2

[8]Galatians : 1 / 20

[9] James the apostle has never liked Paul and challenged with his ideas.

[10] Galatians: 1 / 19

[11]2 Corinthians: 11 / 5 – 6

[12]1 Corinthians: 9 / 20 – 21

[13]2 Corinthians: 12 / 16

[14]2 Corinthians: 11 / 8

[15]2 Corinthians: 11 / 6

[16] The perception of “sowing spiritual good and reaping material benefits” is very common among Christians. In this concept, the words of an African politician are very meaningful: “When they came we had land and mine and they had The Bible, now we have The Bible and they have land and mine.”

[17]1 Corinthians: 9 / 1 – 11

[18] Galatians: 1/8

[19] Galatians: 6/17

P.S. These sentences of Paul remind the following sentences: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”(Matthew: 7/15) and “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them … their greed will exploit you with deceptive words.” (2 Peter: 2/1 – 3)