Join us Sunday for Worship at 10:30am

X Close Menu

Paul Addresses the Ephesian Elders Pt. 6 The Whole Purpose of God: Acts 20:27-30

January 22, 2023 Speaker: Bob DeWaay Series: Acts of the Apostles

As we continue to study Paul’s address to the Ephesian elders, we come to one of the more important statements in this section.  Paul did not withdraw from declaring the whole purpose of God. This refers to God’s revealed plan of bringing Messianic salvation to Jews and Gentiles through the gospel. The implication is that the gospel comes with a solemn warning to those who hear it. Failing to bring this warning would imply the bloodguilt Paul spoke of in verse 26. Since he did warn them, and spent three years preaching and teaching in Ephesus, he discharged his duties as he taught what God had revealed to the church. The elders from Ephesus knew these things and were very well versed in them. The purpose of God includes His promises, the fact of future judgment, and other revealed biblical truths. We refer to Luke 24 where Jesus spoke to disciples on the road to Emmaeus about what is said about Him in the OT Scriptures. He also gave them the commission to preach repentance for forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47).

We have an extended discussion about the fact that the author determines the meaning of written material, not the reader. The attacks against the authority of Scripture often come from those who either claim that such things cannot be known but by a blind leap of faith or have as mean “meanings” as there are readers. This would make the concept “the whole purpose of God” meaningless. Jesus said that “all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). These includes specific details of Bible prophesy which happened before eyewitnesses. We also cite 2 Tim 4:2, 3 where Paul tells Timothy (who was in Ephesus when Paul wrote to him) to “preach the word.” We do not have the liberty to ignore this serious responsibility in order to appeal to religious consumers.