Home

Did Peter & Paul Teach the Same Gospel?

In my article, The Rebuke, I noted that an old college professor claimed that the New Testament Church was split into two opposing camps: one camp led by Peter and the other camp led by Paul.

Since discovering religion-on-the-web, I've seen a few Protestants argue on message boards that the New Testament Church was split into two camps: Peter's camp and Paul's camp.

Peter's camp includes the original apostles and was oriented to Jewish Christians.

Paul's camp was oriented to the Gentile converts.

The allegation is that Peter and Paul taught two different Gospels: 1) Peter's Gospel, consisting of Faith/Grace & Works and 2) Paul's Gospel consisting of Faith/Grace alone.

The purported conflict between Paul's Epistles and James' Epistle supposedly proves this schism.

So the issue is: Did Paul preach a different Gospel than Peter?

Since I believe that only a small number of Protestants hold such a view, I do not intend an in depth treatise. Accordingly, I will quickly note by observation and various Scriptural citations as they come to mind that such a view is absurd.

No Excommunications First thing to note is that although the Judaizer issue was indeed serious, none of the apostles excommunicated the others. Nowhere in scripture do any of the apostles accuse another apostle of teaching a false or different Gospel. Peter and James do not condemn Paul. Paul does not condemn Peter or James.

No Support from Church Fathers Nor am I aware of any Church Fathers teaching that Paul's Gospel was only for the Gentiles, while Peter's Gospel was only for the Jewish Christians. This is important since most of the Church Fathers were probably Gentiles.

The Scriptural Record We'll now take a quick look at scriptural proof that Peter & Paul taught the same Gospel.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 "The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body." There is only one body, one Church, one Gospel. Those who hold to the two Churches/Gospels theory cannot overcome this fact.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Paul begins by stating, "Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and in which you stand firm." He then relates how Christ died, was buried and rose in accordance with Scripture, "was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve" and other witnesses, and how Paul was the least of the apostles because he persecuted the Church. Paul then concludes: "In any case, whether it be I or they, this is what we preach and this is what you believed." What WE preach! Paul clearly indicates that he and the other apostles preach the same Gospel.

Acts 10 - 11: Peter's Vision & Conversion of Gentiles Peter is the first to see that the Gospel is for Gentiles as well as Jews. In sum, "The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were surprised that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also.... Peter put the question...'What can stop these people who have received the Holy Spirit, even as we have, from being baptized with water?' So he gave orders that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." Acts 10:44-48

Note that Peter only had the Gentile converts baptized - he didn't have them circumcised.

Acts 15: The Jerusalem Council "Some men came down to Antioch from Judea and began to teach the brothers, 'Unless you are circumcised according to Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.' " The Jerusalem Council is the slam-dunk which destroys forever the two Churches/Gospels theory. Paul took the controversy to Jerusalem and the one, true Gospel was vindicated by all: Peter, James and the whole Council and Jerusalem Church. It was NOT decided that there were two Gospels: one for Jews and one for Gentiles. Nor was it decided that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved.

Note also Peter's words, "Brothers, you know well enough that from the early days God selected ME from your number to be the one from whose lips the Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe." Acts 15:7 Nobody at the Council disagreed with Peter's statement, not even Paul who was sitting right there.

Note Peter's further words:

" 'God, who reads the hearts of men, showed his approval by granting the Holy Spirit to them just as he did to us. He made no distinction between them and us, but purified their hearts by means of faith also. Why, then, do you put God to the test by trying to place on the shoulders of these converts a yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear? Our belief is rather that we are saved by the favor of the Lord Jesus and so are they.' At that the whole assembly fell silent." Acts 15:8-12

This is the Gospel as taught by Peter (and approved by the Jerusalem Council) and it is the Gospel as taught by Paul (who was present at the Jerusalem Council and did not dissent from the Council).

********************

Galatians 1 - 2 Paul gives an overview specifically devoted to the proposition that "there is no other [Gospel]" Gal. 1:7 That alone kills the two Gospel theory. Paul relates how earlier on he met with Cephas and James (Gal. 1:18-19), and does not indicate that Peter (Cephas) or James had a different Gospel than Paul.

Paul recounts the Jerusalem Council (Gal. 2:1-6). "I laid out for their scrutiny the gospel as I present it to the Gentiles.... Those who were regarded as important...made me add nothing." Nothing is said indicating that there were two Gospels: one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. Clearly, there is only ONE Gospel.

Galatians 2:7-10 This appears to be where the two Gospels myth, Peter to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles, originates. It is a red herring. Even if Peter's missionary emphasis at that time was to the Jews, while Paul's missionary emphasis was to the Gentiles, there was still ONLY ONE GOSPEL! Those who see two separate Gospels are simply misinterpreting the Scripture. It is one Gospel, taken to two distinct groups of converts. (Note: I wouldn't make too much of the separate missionary programs, for it seems clear that Peter and Paul preached to BOTH Jews and Gentiles.)