Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby.

Sorry…we're not trying to romance you. (Um, unless it was working?) We're just trying to make a statement. You know it's true: people love things that are real. Real men. Real geniuses. Real monsters. Real American heroes. And of course, those cookies made from real Girl Scouts are the best.

Here we have Paul's letters to the Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon. Aside from the fact that they're all in the Bible and are pretty heavy on the Jesus references, these books also have one other thing in common: they were all really, truly, and actually written by Paul the Apostle.

Weirdly enough, there are quite a few books in the Bible that are written by Paul pretenders (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Hebrews, we're looking at you). Others (like Ephesians and Colossians) are questionable at best. But, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon? They're made up of 100% authentic Pauline wisdom.

So what kinds of answers will you get straight from the pen of the guy who's arguably one of the most important writers in the history of Christianity? Here's a taste:

• Wanna get on the stairway to Heaven? Try believing in Jesus. 
• Wonder if you should get circumcised anytime soon? Oh, no. Put those scissors down.
• Interested in whether or not Christians can own slaves? Well…that one's kind of complicated.

Knowing that these ideas were written by one of the main guys in the early church means that they come from a source that a whole lot of people trust. Of course, it's a source who never actually met Jesus…but a source nonetheless.

Ready to get real? Then dig in.

Old vs. new.

It's the age-old battle. Should we stick to doing things the way we've always done them? (Change is scary!) Or should we try a new approach? (Ah! Change is still scary!)

Sure, we love dinosaur bones and the Declaration of Independence. And finding a vintage Nirvana concert tee while poppin' tags is pretty exciting. But the old ways aren't always the best ways.

In Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon, Paul's struggling a lot with the way things have always been done. According to lots of people, since Jesus is the Jewish messiah, that means that Christians need to be following Jewish laws, too. God gave his commandments to Moses thousands of years ago and nothing's changed since then. Tradition!

But Paul thinks that Jesus is like the latest iPhone. He's shiny and new and makes all the stuff that's come before him seem obsolete. (There's an app for that.) Paul believes that Jesus's life and death did away with the need for the law. After all, why do we need to go down some thou-shalt-not holy checklist every day when Jesus says all you need is love?

Naturally, this didn't go over well. People do tend to freak out when anyone tries to change longstanding traditions. Just look at some of the historical fights we've had in the good old U.S. of A. Should we free our slaves? Why? Things are cool the way they are. Should women vote? That would be a disaster! You get the picture.

Paul was willing to toss out the old and embrace the new. As a result, he was able to lead Christianity into the future where it became a powerhouse of faith (over 2.1 billion served). He was like the Steve Jobs of the first century.