No, we do NOT exalt Paul over Christ! Yet some tell us, “All I ever hear from you guys is ‘Paul, Paul, Paul.’ What about the Lord Jesus Christ?” We do, however, understand how some could get that impression—but the fault lies not in what we teach but in how it may sometimes be communicated.

So, again, let us clear up any misunderstanding—we do not put Paul over Christ. Rather, we emphasize that our doctrine for faith and practice today is to be taken from the words of the risen Lord given to the Apostle Paul, instead of His words to kingdom Jews during His earthly ministry as recorded in the Gospels.

If anything, rather than exalting Paul over Christ, we exalt Christ to His highest position in the heavenlies as the resurrected Lord and Savior of the Church today—which is the Body of Christ.

Part of the problem may also be that some think the words of Christ as recorded in the Gospels are somehow “more” the Word of God than the rest of Scripture (after all, aren’t they often the words in red?). But ALL Scripture is the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” And the Apostle Paul said that what he taught was in fact the words and wisdom of God (1 Cor. 2:7; 14:37; 1 Thes. 2:13; 4:2) which he had received by direct revelation from the risen Lord Himself (Gal. 1:11-12).

So, no, we do not exalt Paul over Christ. But we do teach that the words for the Church today come from the risen Lord as given to the Apostle Paul and reveal further truth than what He taught the Jews during His earthly ministry.

See also: Why Paul?