Bible Study
Testing the Spirits | Comparing the Fruit
Call to Returning to the Gospel

Was John Exposing Paul?

A Line-by-Line Wakeup Call

Full disclosure, I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of Paul. He has grown on me over the last few years, but in no way do I think he is someone to be praised, as many in the modern church do.

There’s a reason 1 John doesn’t read like a feel-good devotional. It’s not soft. It’s not vague. It isn’t filled with flowery language about grace and trying your best.

I know—because I got kicked out of a Bible study for reading it aloud. I shared 1 John with a group of Paul-lovers, hoping to point them back to Yahushua. Let’s just say… they weren’t ready. And apparently, neither was church leadership, but then, many aren’t.

1 John is sharp. It draws hard lines between truth and lies, between righteousness and rebellion, between those who know Yahushua—and those who only claim to. It reveals the divide between those who like their sin and make excuses for it, and those who weep over their sin while begging Yahweh to tear it out root by root. Two kinds of people—and only one bears the fruit of repentance and everlasting life.

And once your eyes are open, it becomes painfully clear: John was exposing someone, (as was Peter, but that’s a different post!)

John wasn’t writing into a vacuum. He wasn’t just teaching general truths for the future church to reflect on. He was standing guard. He was pushing back against a growing deception within the assembly of believers — a deception that had already begun corrupting the Gospel from within his fruit.

And no one fits the description, to me, better than Paul.

John, who walked with Yahushua, who rested his head on His chest, who saw His glory with his own eyes—John is not confused about what it means to abide in Messiah. He knows sin. He knows holiness. He knows love. And he writes with clarity that slices through every fog of modern theology. He abides.

“No one who stays in Him sins. No one who sins has seen Him or known Him.”
—1 John 3:6

That one verse alone is a direct contradiction to Paul’s Romans 7 confession. Paul admits, repeatedly, that he continues to do what he hates. That he is wretched. That he’s still enslaved to sin. That he can’t seem to do the good he wants. And this is not a pre-conversion account—this is how he describes his walk as a supposed apostle of Messiah. That’s not truth, that sad.

You are not wretched if you have Messiah in you!

And so, John says plainly: if you sin, you haven’t seen Him. You don’t know Him. Period. This isn’t an isolated warning.

“If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not do the truth.”
—1 John 1:6

Paul teaches grace while continuing in sin. John says that’s a lie.

“The one who says, ‘I know Him’ and does not guard His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
—1 John 2:4

Paul declares the law a “ministry of death” (2 Cor. 3:7). He diminishes Torah again and again. But John says if you don’t keep the commandments, you’re a liar.

“Little children, let no one lead you astray. The one doing righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.”
— 1 John 3:7

This isn’t a soft suggestion. It’s a line drawn in the sand. John knew false teachers were rising. He knew smooth talkers would creep in, excusing sin, twisting Scripture, claiming grace while denying obedience. So he says: let no one deceive you.

Not even the popular one.
Not even the one who claims visions.
Not even the one who says, “Follow me.”

John doesn’t name Paul. But he didn’t need to. The Spirit doesn’t always call names—it just brings light. And once the light shines, the fruit speaks for itself.

Paul was the only apostle teaching that sin still had power. That we would always struggle. That grace somehow coexisted with slavery. He confused what Yahushua made clear.

Yahushua said, “Go and sin no more.”
Paul said, “I do the evil I don’t want to do.”

“No one who stays in Him sins. No one who sins has seen Him or known Him.”

— 1 John 3:6

Yahushua said, “Be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”
Paul said, “His strength is made perfect in my weakness.”
Yahushua said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Paul said, “You are not under the law.”
John said, “Let no one deceive you.” And he meant it.

What modern Christianity calls balance, John calls falsehood. What seminaries call tension, John calls lies. What churches call struggle, John calls proof that you haven’t known Him.

John is not writing against atheists. He’s writing against those who claimed to know Messiah, but didn’t live and love like Him.

So let’s ask the hard question: if John were writing today, would his letter still be read as comfort—or as confrontation? Slander, or leadership?

Would the modern church accept his words, or label him legalistic?
Would those defending Paul be able to stomach what John actually said?

Sadly, I know the answer…

Because the truth is: if Paul is right, then John is wrong.
And if John is telling the truth—then Paul’s gospel is exposed.

Now let’s move on to Yahushua ha’Mashiach’s words.

Historical Confirmation:

Early Church Fathers & Revelation Warnings

John didn’t just write warnings in his letters—he repeated them in Revelation. In Revelation 2:2, speaking to the assembly at Ephesus, Yahushua commends them, saying:

“I know your works, and your labor, and your endurance, and that you are not able to bear evil ones. And you have tried those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them false.”
(Revelation 2:2, TS2009)

This is huge. The assembly at Ephesus—where Paul had great influence—is being praised by Yahushua for rejecting false apostles. Not simply heretics, not unbelievers, but “False apostles”.

And who was it that called himself an apostle without ever being chosen by Yahushua during His earthly ministry? Paul.

He even defends his apostleship multiple times, as if constantly needing to prove it:

“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Yahushua Messiah…”
(Galatians 1:1)

Paul had more influence in Ephesus than almost anywhere else. He spent three years there teaching (Acts 20:31). He left behind letters, leaders, controversy, and confusion. He warned them that “savage wolves” would come from among them, (Acts 20:29)—but maybe that warning was closer to a confession. He wrote to Timothy, who was in Ephesus, about heresies and lawlessness—but the pattern seems to show Paul’s own doctrine was causing division and confusion, not clarity and order.

Paul is the only man we are told called himself an apostle without ever being called by Yahushua during His earthly life. The original Twelve defined apostleship clearly in Acts 1:21–22:

“Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Master Yahushua went in and out among us… one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

Paul didn’t qualify—by Yahushua ha’Mashiach’s standards!

He never walked with Yahushua. He never sat at His feet. And yet, he claimed his apostleship came through “a revelation,” given only to him.

And Yahushua said you’ll know them by their fruit.

Meanwhile, the assembly at Ephesus tested someone who claimed to be an apostle—and found him false.

Coincidence? Or clarity?

Christ Leaving The Court
*French: Le Christ quittant le prétoire*

| Gustave Doré, ca. 1867–1872

The early followers of Yahushua were not all in agreement about Paul. In fact, several early Church writers were deeply uncomfortable with him:

Tertullian (c. 160–225 AD) warned that Paul was used by heretics to twist Scripture.
Epiphanius (c. 310–403 AD), bishop of Salamis, records that an early sect of believers called the Ebionites rejected Paul outright, claiming he was a false convert and not a true apostle.
The Clementine Homilies, written in the name of Clement, under Peter’s authority,an early Christian writing from the 2nd century, feature Peter warning against “a certain man” who claims visions of Yahushua but teaches against the Torah—widely understood to be Paul.
In Acts 21, James and the elders confront Paul because word has spread that he teaches Jews to abandon the Torah. The concern is real. The friction is undeniable.

These weren’t fringe voices.

These were serious concerns from those still walking in the afterglow of Yahushua’s earthly ministry.

If Paul was universally accepted, John wouldn’t have needed to write what he did. Revelation wouldn’t have praised a congregation for rejecting false apostles. And the early church wouldn’t have been divided over his words.

Further, in a world where Yahushua commands we point to Him, Paul repeatedly points to himself and defense of his imagined authority:

“Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Yahushua?” (1 Cor. 9:1)
“I am not inferior to the most eminent apostles.” (2 Cor. 11:5)
“I think that I too have the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 7:40)

When we read Revelation 2:2 with this in mind, it stops being a mystery.

The assembly at Ephesus tested someone, who I believe to be Paul, and whoever it was, Yahushua was pleased they did so. According to Yahushua—they were right to do it—because whoever it was, failed the test.

The Last Supper
Valentin de boulogne, ca. 1625–26

And Here We Find Grace…

GRACE perfectly encapsulates the transition from striving, to resting, in God's presence—which is at the heart of the message. Grace is the unmerited favor of God, and it's through His grace that we are able to move from struggle to peace. I invite you to pause and reflect on God's presence, how you can connect to God’s grace in a meaningful way.

Our GRACE Method™ is meant to encourage you so you can experience YHWH, Immanuel, and the Holy Spirit, in a deeper way, on a regular basis, through thought provoking Bible Study, Prayer, education, and Worship.

GRACE Method

G — Grounded in Scripture

“Let no one lead you astray. The one doing righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.”
(1 John 3:7)

R — Reflect on Context

Who was John writing to?
What was the rising danger in the early assemblies?
What kind of deception would require such firm warnings, such direct rebukes?

A — Apply to Your Life

Have you tolerated confusion or mixture in the name of grace?
Have you excused your sin because a teacher told you it was part of the walk
Compare Paul’s words to Yahushua’s, and decide who you’ll follow.

C — Commune with God

Ask Yahweh to give you discernment.
Ask Him to open your eyes to every false voice, no matter how widely accepted or praised.
Let Him lead you back to the simplicity of Yahushua’s truth.

E — Exalt Him

Thank Yahushua that He made the way clear. That His commands are not burdensome. That His Spirit empowers obedience. Praise Him for truth, and for the courage to stand in it.

Declaration

I refuse to be led astray.
I will not follow a gospel that excuses sin.
I will not defend confusion.
I will not bow to mixture.
I have seen the Light, and I will walk in it.
Yahushua is enough. His words are truth. His commands are life.
And anyone who teaches otherwise—I reject, in Yahushua’s Name.
I walk in truth. I walk in freedom. I walk in Yahushua alone.

Abba, keep me strong and faithful, confronting every false light and witness! In Yahushua’s Name I pray,

Amen➕Amen!!

Share Your Faith

Have you come out of confusion? Has the Spirit revealed truth that others refused to see? Your voice matters. The remnant is rising. Share your story—speak it boldly. You’re not alone. The true disciples are returning to Yahushua, and every testimony tears down the lies.

Fuel the Mission – Just like a warm cup of coffee fuels the body, your support fuels our mission to share God’s Word with the world. Every contribution helps cover the costs of running this ministry—keeping Bible study resources, articles, and printables free for everyone, regardless of income or resources. Your generosity allows us to continue creating faith-filled content, ensuring that no one is hindered from deepening their walk with Christ. If you’ve been blessed by what you’ve found here, consider helping us fuel the mission so we can keep spreading His truth far and wide.

Was John Exposing Paul? A Scriptural Wakeup Call for the Modern Church