Paul shares his testimony now before Agrippa. I think one of the saddest statements found in scripture is in verse 28 “you almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
Paul’s testimony started with who he was and how he hated Christ and any Christian. Paul’s hate was so bad that he imprisoned them and consented to their death. Paul at this point in his life felt that he was following God. Paul did all of this in the name of God and for the cause of OT Scripture. Now Paul is following God and standing for the cause of Scripture. How can this be? This is why the whole of Scripture must always be considered and not our selected life verses that give us permission to follow God anyway we feel compelled.
There were portions of Scripture Paul misplaced before he got saved. Now he claims in verse 22 the prophets and Moses said would come— that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead. Paul now sees Christ throughout the entire OT. Praise God for the entire Bible!
Look at Paul’s mission in verse 18; to open their eyes so they will turn from darkness to light and from Satan to God. Ask God to help you see the truth of God’s Word. None of us should live in darkness or under the ways of Satan, for we have salvation. We have His Spirit and the completed Scriptures. Wow, we are blessed to be able to live out all of God’s Word. Ask God today if you are living with just a few verses, or are you living with the scope of all of God’s Word. Many churches forget that we do not win an argument by quoting verses at one another, all the verses must be considered and make sense together. This is why it is important to have Bible studies where we keep the integrity of the chapter, book and all of God’s Word. No verse should ever stand alone.
Comments are closed