Yes—we should be cautious, because Jesus' earthly words were spoken to Israel under the Law before the cross, not directly to the church.
Les Feldick emphasizes that in His earthly ministry Jesus was living under the Law and spoke to a people under the Law, and everything He said was before His death, burial, and resurrection. The same Jesus later gave Paul direct revelation from His ascended, glorified position, and those post-resurrection words are what believers are to center their doctrine on. The Gospels can still give us moral applications, but they are not addressed to us the way Paul's epistles are.
Galatians 1:12 — Paul directly says his gospel came by revelation of Jesus Christ, not from man's teaching.
1 Corinthians 1:18 — The cross-centered message Paul preached is God's power to those who are saved.
The apostle Paul writes, "For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:12). Scripture also declares, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). Paul's own explanation is that his message did not originate in the pre-cross teaching of Jesus' earthly ministry but came from the risen Lord after the work of the cross.
Les Feldick teaches that during His earthly ministry Jesus was living under the Law and ministering to Israel under the Law, so everything He said in the Gospels was in that pre-cross setting. Jesus had not yet died, shed His blood, or risen from the dead, and therefore the gospel message as Paul preached it is not found in the Gospels. Les has no objection to studying the Gospels for moral application and appreciating Christ's compassion, but he insists those words were not spoken directly to us. The same Jesus, after His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, revealed the doctrines of grace to Paul from the ascended glory. Paul did not receive his gospel from the Twelve or from Christ's earthly ministry; he was taught directly by the ascended Lord. Thus Paul's epistles are still the words of Jesus, but spoken from the position that is most appropriate for this age of grace, and that is where the meat of our doctrine lies.
Les Feldick stresses that during His earthly ministry Jesus was living under the Law and ministering to a people under the Law, so everything He taught at that time was in that flavor. Furthermore, every word Jesus spoke during that ministry was before the cross—He had not yet died, shed His blood, or risen from the dead.
Les explains that Paul did not go to Jerusalem to check in with the Twelve; instead, he received his gospel by direct revelation from the ascended Lord. Paul's letters are still the words of Jesus, but spoken after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension—the time most appropriate for this age of grace. Paul had his own private seminary training with the ascended Lord from heaven.
Les has no argument with studying the Gospels for moral application or appreciating Christ's compassion. But he warns that Jesus' words in His earthly ministry were spoken to the nation of Israel under the Law and were not spoken directly to us. The apostle Paul's writings are Holy Spirit inspired and directed specifically to us as Gentiles in this age of grace.
For Les, the central message is Paul's preaching of the cross. Christ's death, burial, and resurrection—including His shed blood—are the heart of what Paul was given to proclaim. It is the power of the resurrection that makes salvation possible; otherwise Scripture says we are still dead in our sins. The power of God is seen in what He accomplishes for believers, not in the pre-cross teachings of Christ's earthly ministry.
Salvation depends on resurrection power
Les shows that the power of Christ's resurrection is what makes salvation possible, pointing to the New Testament for the application of God's salvation to us.
Earthly ministry was under the law
Les explains that during His earthly ministry Jesus was under the Law and ministered to a people under the Law, so the gospel as we preach it is not found in the Gospels.
Everything Jesus said was before the cross
Les says every word Jesus spoke in His earthly ministry was before the cross; Paul's writings are the post-resurrection words of the same Jesus and are where our doctrine lies.
Paul was taught by the ascended Lord
Les uses Galatians 1:12 to show Paul received his gospel by direct revelation from the resurrected, ascended Jesus, not from the Twelve.
Jesus spoke to Paul from ascended glory
Les points out that Jesus' communication with Paul came after the work of the cross, from glory, and not from an earthly pre-cross training.
Paul's private seminary with the Ascended Lord
Paul did not derive his gospel from Jesus' earthly ministry; he was taught personally by the ascended Lord from heaven, which is why his writings carry the doctrines of grace.
Jesus' words were to Israel, Paul's are to us
Les distinguishes Jesus' earthly words spoken to national Israel under the Law from Paul's Spirit-inspired words directed to Gentiles in the age of grace.
Revelation came after the ascension
Les emphasizes that Paul's message came after the ascension, not during the earthly ministry, when God was revealing hidden wisdom to him.
Galatians 1:12: For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Paul explains that the gospel he preached came from Jesus in glory, not from Christ's earthly ministry.
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
This is the message Paul preached—the cross of Christ—which becomes the power of God for those who believe.
Before. Les emphasizes that everything Jesus said during His earthly ministry was before the cross; He had not yet died, shed His blood, or risen from the dead.
Because during His earthly ministry Christ had not died, shed His blood, or risen. Les explains that you won't find the Gospel back there; the Gospel was later revealed through Paul from the ascended Lord.
No. Les says everything Paul writes is what Jesus said, only from His post-resurrection, post-ascension position, which is most appropriate for this age.
Yes. Les says we can study the Gospels and get moral applications, but those words were spoken to Israel under the Law and were not spoken directly to us.
Watch the Teaching: The 3 Requirements for Redemption: Person, Blood, and Power