Why We MUST Interpret JESUS in Light of PAUL

Concerning salvation being by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Brian McLaren in his new book A New Kind of Christianity writes,

"A lunchtime meeting in a Chinese restaurant unconvinced and untaught me. My lunch mate was a well-known Evangelical theologian who quite rudely upset years of theological certainty with one provocative statement: "Most Evangelicals haven't got the foggiest notion of what the gospel really is." He then asked me how I would define the gospel, and I answered as any good Romans Protestant would, quoting Romans. He followed up with this simple but annoying rhetorical question: "You're quoting Paul. Shouldn't you let Jesus define the gospel?" When I gave him a quizzical look, he asked, "What was the gospel according to Jesus?" A little humiliated, I mumbled something akin to "You tell me," and he replied, "For Jesus, the gospel was very clear: The kingdom of God is at hand. That's the gospel according to Jesus, Right?" I again mumbled something, maybe "I guess so." Seeing my lack of conviction, he added, "Shouldn't you read Paul in light of Jesus, instead of reading Jesus in light of Paul (139)?""

McLaren is not alone. Currently in Protestantism, it seems very popular to change what Paul and the other New Testament Scripture writers meant by saying, "Shouldn't we interpret what Paul and the other Apostles meant by understanding what Jesus meant in the first place?" This desire appears wonderful, encouraging, and wholesome; however, the problem lies in the arrogance and perceived autonomy of the interpreter to make such a statement. I contest that our desire should be, "Let us understand how Paul and the other New Testament writers understood what Jesus meant, since they were eyewitnesses in the same historical and literary context, and were carried along by God the Holy Spirit," instead of us trying to act like we are better interpreters of Christ's words and intentions than they were? They lived with Him, talked with Him, understood Him, and were divinely inspired by God the Holy Spirit to inerrantly write Scripture. These realities are not true for us! How arrogant is it to think that we understand what Jesus meant better than these early eyewitnesses and Scripture writers!? So, let us please quit being arrogant, and let us understand what Jesus meant through the further illumination given by God the Holy Spirit as He carried along the New Testament Scripture writers to unpack what Jesus meant!