Thank you for the question on faith and feeling, “How can I have faith in Paul’s letters in the Bible? I have a feeling they might go against God.”
Here are some thoughts for one’s consideration:
A. One’s faith is not based on one’s feelings.
Feelings are subjective. It is easily swayed by one’s circumstances or mood. Feelings swings and is not a sound bases of making decision. If one doesn’t feel like going to work that doesn’t mean that one is going to stay home. If one is so angry, one should act on one’s impulses. It’s dangerous.
B. If one has a “feeling” that Paul’s letters are against the Bible, then one need to state what are the disagreements with Paul’s letter.
By stating what is the disagreement, then one can be more objective in doing a Bible study on the topic or subject. If one just doesn’t like Paul’s viewpoint on sex or sexual discrimination, then one needs to state what is the objection. Discounting all of Paul’s writing based on one’s feeling is not a spiritual approach. What if everyone took that approach of not only what Paul wrote but John’s letter or the whole Bible?
C. If one is able to state the objection to Paul’s writing or any Biblical writer, then one can do an indepth study on that topic.
There are tools on online as concordances or topics that men and women have written it. One can read about the pros and cons to have a broader understanding of the issues.
D. Lastly, I would say that the Bible is the final authority over faith and practice.
For those who follow the Christian Faith, the Bible is the final authority over that person, not that the person is the final authority over the Bible. There is the fundamental belief that the Scriptures are God-breathed. They are authoritative because it comes from God.
If one doesn’t believe that the writings of Paul are not Scripture, one ought to be very careful in making such assertion or declaration. Modern scholars have discounted the Bible as being from God or that any of it is historical. If that is one viewpoint, one ought to be clear in what one believes or not believes.
From a personal perspective, Christians do not seek to accommodate the values of this world. They are called not to love the world nor anything of this world. The values of today will change in 20 to 30 years. What is popular today will be outdated tomorrow. The feelings of today may be vastly different tomorrow.
Summary: Don’t based one’s life on feelings. It is like the shifting sands.
-Kingston