Who did Jesus speak to during His earthly ministry?
During His earthly ministry, Jesus directed His words to the Jew under the law. That distinction matters, because Paul later reveals the same Jesus speaking from His glorified, ascended position as the resurrected Lord and Savior, not repeating the earthly ministry emphasis.
Les explains that what Jesus said in His earthly ministry, He said to the Jew under the law, and that this must always be taken into consideration. He contrasts this with the epistles of Paul, where Paul reveals the very words of the same Jesus, but now from His glorified, ascended position as the resurrected Lord and Savior. Les emphasizes that Paul's message centers on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the shed blood, not on the preaching of Christ and His miracles or His earthly ministry. This distinction explains why Paul never refers back to those earthly details, such as Bethlehem or the birth of Christ.