What objection have some pastors and Sunday school teachers made about Paul's letters?
Some pastors and Sunday school teachers have objected that Paul's letters do not even belong in the Bible, insisting that Paul himself should not be included. This objection reflects the difficulty people still have reconciling Paul's unique apostleship to the Gentiles, especially since he had to defend that calling repeatedly.
Les explains that over the years many people have told him they had a Sunday school teacher or a pastor who thought Paul's letters didn't even belong in the Bible, that he shouldn't even be in there. He acknowledges that this is evident, but notes that Paul always defended his apostleship because of his unique calling and unique background. Les points out that no one but Saul of Tarsus could have fulfilled the role of the apostle of the Gentiles, since he was a Jew's Jew, an Israelite, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, of the tribe of Benjamin, yet also a Roman by citizenship, fluent in Greek and in the culture of the then-known world. That made him fit to go to the Jew as a Jew and to the Gentiles as a Roman. Moving into verse 14, Les relates Paul's desire to provoke his fellow Jews to emulation, creating jealousy or envy over what the Gentiles were enjoying.