In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to keep every one of God's old laws "until heaven and earth pass away." Paul, who never met Jesus while Jesus was alive, wrote that those laws were over: you don't need circumcision or the food rules anymore. Paul's letters were written before any of the Gospels. Christians have ways of fitting the two together, but the tension is right there in the text.
In Matthew, Jesus says not "one jot or tittle" of the Law will pass "till heaven and earth pass" (Matthew 5:18). Paul says "Christ is the end of the law" (Romans 10:4) and that circumcision is worthless for salvation (Galatians 5:2). Paul, by his own account, received his gospel through a vision, not from anyone who knew Jesus (Galatians 1:11–12). Christians reconcile them in several ways; critics see two different early movements.
"Paul simply taught what Jesus taught. The whole Bible has one consistent message."
Side by side
| Topic | Jesus (in the Gospels) | Paul (in his letters) |
|---|---|---|
| Does the Law still apply? | "Think not that I am come to destroy the law… Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law" (Matthew 5:17–19) | "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness" (Romans 10:4); "ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14) |
| How to gain life / be made right | "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17) | "A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28; also Galatians 2:16) |
| Religious teachers | "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do" (Matthew 23:2–3) | Calls his own former Law-keeping "dung" compared with knowing Christ (Philippians 3:5–8) |
| Circumcision | God calls it "an everlasting covenant" (Genesis 17:13) | "If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing" (Galatians 5:2) |
| Food laws | Leviticus 11 lists unclean foods (Leviticus 11:7–8). Whether Mark 7:19 cancels them depends on one Greek letter. | "There is nothing unclean of itself" (Romans 14:14) |
It isn't only Jesus vs. Paul. The letter of James says "by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24), the opposite wording of Romans 3:28. And Paul describes publicly confronting Peter at Antioch over eating with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11–14).
Paul never met Jesus
- Paul says his gospel came "not of man… but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11–12).
- After his conversion he "conferred not with flesh and blood," and only met Peter and James three years later, for fifteen days (Galatians 1:15–19).
- He lists himself as the last to see the risen Jesus, "as of one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:8): a vision, not a meeting during Jesus's life.
- His letters rarely quote Jesus's teachings or mention his miracles. Two exceptions are the Last Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23–25) and divorce (1 Corinthians 7:10).
When everything was written
Paul's conversion, told three times
The book of Acts tells the Damascus-road story three times. Compare them:
| Detail | Acts 9:3–7 | Acts 22:6–9 | Acts 26:13–14 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companions | "stood speechless" | (not stated) | "we were all fallen to the earth" |
| Did they hear the voice? | "hearing a voice" | "they heard not the voice" (KJV) | (not stated) |
The Greek has a famous wrinkle: Acts 9:7 uses the verb with the genitive case, Acts 22:9 with the accusative. Some argue that means "heard the sound" vs. "didn't understand the words," which is why the BSB translates 22:9 as "could not understand." Others say the grammar doesn't support the distinction consistently. Tap the verses to see both Greek texts and both translations.
The best ways believers reconcile them
"Fulfill," not abolish. Many Christians read Matthew 5:17 as Jesus completing the Law through his life and death, so Paul is describing what happens after that fulfillment ("until all is accomplished," 5:18).
The apostles agreed. In Acts 15:1–29 the Jerusalem leaders decide Gentile converts don't need circumcision, and Paul says James, Peter and John gave him "the right hands of fellowship" (Galatians 2:9). Paul even had Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3), which suggests he opposed circumcision as a requirement for salvation, not in itself.
Different questions. Harmonizers say James means "real faith shows itself in works," while Paul means "works of the Law can't earn salvation." Some scholars (the "New Perspective on Paul") argue "works of the law" meant Jewish identity markers like circumcision and food laws, not good deeds in general.
The critic's response: Acts was written decades later by an author with an interest in presenting the apostles as united, while Paul's own letter (Galatians) describes real conflict. And Matthew's Jesus doesn't only say "fulfill"; he says whoever relaxes the least commandment will be "least in the kingdom" (Matthew 5:19), and that the Law lasts "till heaven and earth pass."
Paul's letters predate the gospels; Paul says he learned his gospel by revelation; the texts use opposing language on law and works.
Paul and Jesus taught one consistent, inspired message.
Sources
- Bart Ehrman, When Was the New Testament Written?: Paul's undisputed letters c. 49–57 (Philippians/Philemon possibly later); Mark c. 70; Matthew and Luke c. 80–90; John c. 95.
- Bart Ehrman, "Jesus, Matthew, and the Law": in Matthew the Law stays in force until heaven and earth pass away, and followers must keep it better than the scribes and Pharisees.
- Jay Carper, "Is Christ Useless to the Circumcised?": a believer's harmonization using Acts 15 and Acts 16:3.
- Marked for a second source: the "New Perspective on Paul" summary and the debate over the genitive/accusative reading of Acts 9:7 and 22:9.