The Truth About Paul: Misconceptions and Historical Evidence

Yesterday I came across a YouTube video cherry picking verses to denounce the authority and authenticity of Paul’s Apostleship. This intrigued me and I did a deep dive into this subject. What is important is that the New Testament itself directly addresses the question of Paul’s legitimacy, and it does so in multiple independent ways. When you lay the evidence out cleanly, the claim that Paul was a “false apostle” doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.

Let’s walk through the issue with clarity and without defensiveness.

1. The accusation against Paul usually comes from outside the New Testament

Groups that reject Paul typically argue things like:

• Paul contradicted Jesus
• Paul invented Christianity
• Paul was never chosen by Jesus
• Paul’s teachings differ from the Torah
• Paul’s authority is self‑claimed

These claims sound bold, but they collapse when you examine the actual historical and textual evidence.

2. The New Testament contains multiple independent confirmations of Paul’s apostleship

This is the key point: Paul’s authority is not based solely on Paul’s own words.

Jesus Himself speaks about Paul

Recorded by Luke, not Paul:

• “He is a chosen instrument of mine” (Acts 9:15)
• “I am sending you to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:17)

These are Jesus’ words, not Paul’s self‑promotion.

The early church leaders confirmed Paul’s calling

Acts 9, Acts 13, Acts 15, and Galatians 2 all show:

• Peter
• James (brother of Jesus)
• John
• The elders in Jerusalem

…recognizing Paul’s calling and extending fellowship to him.

This is devastating to the “Paul was a false apostle” claim, because the people who knew Jesus personally accepted Paul.

Luke (a historian) records Paul’s calling three times

Acts 9, 22, and 26 all describe Paul’s encounter with Jesus. Luke was not Paul’s puppet—he was a careful historian who interviewed eyewitnesses.

3. Paul’s teachings align with Jesus far more than critics admit

People often claim Paul contradicts Jesus, but when you compare their teachings honestly:

• Both teach salvation by God’s grace
• Both teach repentance and transformation
• Both teach love of God and neighbor as the core of the law
• Both teach the coming Kingdom
• Both warn against hypocrisy
• Both emphasize inner purity over external ritual

Paul expands on Jesus’ teachings for Gentile audiences, but he doesn’t contradict Him.

4. The “false apostle” accusation is actually predicted in Scripture

Paul warns that:

• Some would reject his authority (1 Corinthians 9:1–3)
• Some would preach “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4)
• Some would claim he was not a true apostle (2 Corinthians 11:5, 13)

Ironically, the modern anti‑Paul movement fits the very pattern Paul described.

5. Why do some people reject Paul today?

Usually one of these reasons:

They dislike Paul’s teachings

Especially on:

• sexual ethics
• gender roles
• the law
• judgment
• sin

Rejecting Paul becomes a way to avoid parts of the New Testament that feel uncomfortable.

They misunderstand Paul

Paul’s writings are dense, and Peter himself said Paul is “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). Misinterpretation can lead to suspicion.

They assume Jesus and Paul contradict each other

But this is usually based on selective reading.

They follow fringe teachers or internet theories

Many modern anti‑Paul arguments come from:

• hyper‑Torah movements
• Gnostic reinterpretations
• conspiracy‑style YouTube channels
• 19th‑century critics who denied miracles

These sources rarely engage with the actual text.

6. The early church overwhelmingly accepted Paul

This matters historically.

• Paul wrote roughly half the New Testament
• His letters were circulated widely within decades
• Early Christian writers (Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus) quote Paul as authoritative
• No early Christian movement rejected Paul
• The only groups who rejected Paul were later heretical sects (e.g., Marcionites, Ebionites)

If Paul were a fraud, the earliest Christians—those closest to Jesus—would have known.

Final clarity

The idea that Paul was a “false apostle” is a modern invention that contradicts:

• Jesus’ own words
• the testimony of the early church
• the historical record
• the internal consistency of the New Testament

Paul didn’t appoint himself. Jesus appointed him, and the early church confirmed it.

Discovering the Path of Salvation