Pauls testimony before aggripa after He is arrested and makes His appeal to ceasar. paul testifies of His " heavenly vision" and then says what he obediently began preaching to both Jew first and then Gentile. if we read entire chapters, most often the context of things we wonder about are there
1Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
2I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: 3Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
4My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; 5Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: 7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.8Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. 11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. 14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18To open their eyes, and to turn themfrom darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
19Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: 20But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. 21For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
22Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 23That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."
interestingly this is a good summary of His doctrine, it comes after all of His missionary travels, with Luke and mark, barnabus, demas ect, now he and Luke had been arrested along with many others because the persecutions under titus and nero had begun coming forth. paul says in the book of romans, that everything he says, is for this purpose
romans 15:17-18 " I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.18For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, "
paul says he preached repentance turning to God, and doing works meet for repentance, says the purpose of all he said was to bring gentiles into obedience by both word and deed. so how do we now translate His doctrine, as good works are self salvation? how is it that paul only preached the cross, yet he says he said nothing but that wich is meant to bring people into obedience? the truth is that paul preached repentance, obedience, he also taught the truth about eternal judgement ( romans 2: 5-11,) he taught about the resurrection of both the righteous, and the wicked, judged according to thier deeds by Jesus Christ, he taught all of the same things Jesus taught only not as much, if you put peter and John, james together then you have the gospel taught by Jesus.
alot of arguing happens here, all im actually trying to get through is that the Bible, determines what the Bible says. we cant take One scripture from pauls testimony and then say thats everything He taught, clearly he had alot to say and all of it was very relevant both the grace and the repentance and obedience things. he did not teach a grace alone nothing else matters or applies because Jesus died for sin doctrine, he just simply doesnt teach that and to me, its extremely important that the things we learn and believe, are the things actually written in the Bible rather than the latest best selling explaination of what the bible says. if we believe opposite scripture, isnt it wise for us to change and instead of reject that knowledge in scripture, add it to the things we do have a grasp of.
God bless
1Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
2I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: 3Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
4My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; 5Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: 7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.8Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. 11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. 14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18To open their eyes, and to turn themfrom darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
19Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: 20But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. 21For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
22Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 23That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."
interestingly this is a good summary of His doctrine, it comes after all of His missionary travels, with Luke and mark, barnabus, demas ect, now he and Luke had been arrested along with many others because the persecutions under titus and nero had begun coming forth. paul says in the book of romans, that everything he says, is for this purpose
romans 15:17-18 " I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.18For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, "
paul says he preached repentance turning to God, and doing works meet for repentance, says the purpose of all he said was to bring gentiles into obedience by both word and deed. so how do we now translate His doctrine, as good works are self salvation? how is it that paul only preached the cross, yet he says he said nothing but that wich is meant to bring people into obedience? the truth is that paul preached repentance, obedience, he also taught the truth about eternal judgement ( romans 2: 5-11,) he taught about the resurrection of both the righteous, and the wicked, judged according to thier deeds by Jesus Christ, he taught all of the same things Jesus taught only not as much, if you put peter and John, james together then you have the gospel taught by Jesus.
alot of arguing happens here, all im actually trying to get through is that the Bible, determines what the Bible says. we cant take One scripture from pauls testimony and then say thats everything He taught, clearly he had alot to say and all of it was very relevant both the grace and the repentance and obedience things. he did not teach a grace alone nothing else matters or applies because Jesus died for sin doctrine, he just simply doesnt teach that and to me, its extremely important that the things we learn and believe, are the things actually written in the Bible rather than the latest best selling explaination of what the bible says. if we believe opposite scripture, isnt it wise for us to change and instead of reject that knowledge in scripture, add it to the things we do have a grasp of.
God bless
