Why is realizing what Paul says so important?
It is foundational to salvation and Christian experience to realize what the Apostle Paul says, because Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles, and most of Christendom gets its basic doctrine from his writings, including the Pauline doctrine of Christ indwelling the Gentile believer.
Les explains that he makes a lot of Paul and makes no apology, because Paul claims to be the Apostle of the Gentiles. It is within Paul's writings that most of Christendom gets its basic doctrine and everything else, yet many never give him the credit. Some even detest Paul's writings and question why they are in the Bible. Les tells of a lady in his Oklahoma class who heard someone say, "Can you believe anything that Paul writes? He shouldn't even be in our Bible." Les says that may be stronger than most, but it reflects a subconscious feeling with many: "This guy is so far out, don't pay attention to him." Nevertheless, it is foundational to our salvation and Christian experience that we realize what this Apostle is saying. This is Pauline doctrine, especially the whole idea of Christ indwelling the Gentile believer.