Innocent Of The Blood Of All Men

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Acts 20:26-27

What did Paul mean when he said he was “innocent of the blood of all men”? Given the verse about declaring “the whole counsel of God” which followed Paul’s statement, it’s clear that the innocence to which he was referring was along the lines of that which the Lord spoke to Ezekiel in Eze 3:17-21. In this chapter, the Lord warned His prophet concerning an act against men in which God would hold Ezekiel accountable for their blood. God’s word to His prophet was:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. 20 Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

The lesson is simple. If Ezekiel did not give the warning concerning the consequences of sin to those over which God had given him charge , God would hold the prophet personally responsible for their souls. What a powerful and fearful thought! How many preachers today realize that truth?!! I believe seminary enrollment would go WAY down if the attendees understood that being a pastor is not just another career choice. It’s far too serious to simply list it among other options! To preach the word should be accompanied by a call of God to such service. Notice in the passage in Ezekiel, he didn’t decide to be a watchman over Israel. “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.” God appointed him to that role!

Paul had the same appointment by God. He distinguished himself from the false apostles seeking to lead the Galatian church astray because God had called him as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…” (Gal 1:15-16) The apostle didn’t sign up for this service. He was drafted! When God stopped him in his tracks on the Damascus road, the Lord instructed him to, “Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do”. (Act 22:10)

Knowing God called him to this task, Paul therefore understood the weight of his responsibility. He, along with every pastor, was called to, “watch out for your souls, as those who must give account“. (Heb 13:17) He knew he would have to answer to God for the souls entrusted to his care! And so, Paul performed faithfully what everyone called to preach the word of God should do: “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God“. He held nothing back, but gave out all God gave him to say. This statement must be the goal of every pastor. Our desire should be the good of the souls to whom we’re appointed to minister. Financial success isn’t the issue. Church growth isn’t what matters. The point is to faithfully declare the word of God whether men are added to the congregation or not. Noah was faithful as “a preacher of righteousness,” yet only eight souls boarded the ark. (2Pe 2:5) He would have been branded a failure by many today, but he was diligent in declaring what God had given him to say and do. God was so pleased with his effort that He listed him among the shining examples of faith in Heb 11! (v. 7)

Lest we lay such responsibility only on the preacher, we need to understand that there are souls which the Lord has entrusted to each believer’s care. As parents, certainly our children fall in that category for we are responsible to “Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Pro 22:6) and to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord”. (Eph 6:4) We husbands are called to love our wives “as Christ also loved the church,” which includes cleansing them “with the washing of water by the word”. (Eph 5:25-26) This responsibility may extend to a co-worker God has put on our hearts or the cashier for whom He has given us a burden because when He saved us and put His Spirit within us, the result was that we would be “witnesses to [Him]…to the end of the earth”. (Act 1:8) May we be as careful as the apostle was to give these souls everything that God gives us to say on His behalf so that we might likewise be “innocent of the blood of all men”!

Jamie

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