What is the argument AGAINST the position that only Paul's writings are applicable to the church today?

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Accepted answer

This was actually the Marcionite position - namely that the Gospel of "grace" as revealed by Paul, superceded everything else.

Marcion's Canon consisted of 10 books - 9 of which were Pauline Epistles and the remaining of which was the Euangelion, a "Gospel" of sorts that rejected the bodily incarnation of Christ and understood the Hebrew Bible to be the result of the demiurge - an evil counterpart to the God who was strictly one of grace. Indeed, Marcion is often considered one of the first heretics - precisely for believing that only Paul's words were inspired. (On the bright side, it was his canon that eventually led the church to form a consensus on what the full canon was.)

That early Gnostic tendencies are being rediscovered by moderns who have innovative views of Scripture is not overly remarkable.

The answer, of course, is that Paul himself rejected the later Marcionite position. His warnings against false teachers who taught things other than what Jesus and the Dsiciples did. He writes in 2 Thessalonians:

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

Paul's message shows God's grace, but reminds us as well that God's justice is also a part of his nature. Indeed, the role of the law is not to be discounted. He writes in Galatians 3:24

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

That isn't a rejection of the law at all. Grace may be greater than Law, but law is still there!

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All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Not just a portion, but ALL Scripture is profitable so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work.

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

2 Peter 3:15-16

People even in the early church had started to take Paul's writings and twist it for their own use. Today the same is being done, and because some of Paul's writings are hard to understand, we must be careful and use the Bible as a whole so that we may know the message that Paul is trying to convey.

EDIT: In order to make this answer complete I've been researching on this subject and reading the word. I read through 2 Peter and it is an amazing aid in this subject. Nevertheless, if someone only believes in the writings of Paul, I must find the answer in the writings of Paul. I will continue the research and post my findings as soon as I have an answer.

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