In Acts 20:27 Paul uses the phrase “the whole counsel of God”. It was his farewell to the elders of the Ephesian church, Paul says. “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” Acts 20:26–27.
By making known the whole counsel of God, Paul was innocent of anyone choosing to turn away from the faith in Jesus Christ alone Ezekiel 33:6. Apostle Paul had fulfilled his ministry to the Ephesians and all believers. Paul says in v27 he “did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God”. Paul wrote half of the New Testament sharing the whole will of God, the entire purpose of God for believers, Ephesians 3. He shared “the mystery of God” to us Ephesians 3:9.
All Scripture is inspired, and all of it is profitable
We must follow Paul’s example and learn to live out the whole counsel of God, especially those who lead others. “All Scripture is inspired, and all of it is profitable” 2 Timothy 3:16. The bible contains the words of life. Without knowing and using them in your everyday walk, the enemy will deceive you into sinning, and you will fail John 6:63;68.
Preachers must preach it and teachers must teach it, in its entirety. We must allow the Holy Spirit to use His sword as He sees fit, Ephesians 6:17. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. What good is the truth if you only know part of it? Paul did not give us half-truths or only parts of the gospel; he shared all of what God has revealed. We must follow all of what God has laid before us.
Apostle Paul taught the “whole counsel of God” to both Jews and Gentiles. He set the example for all believers to follow. Paul faced opposition in Ephesus, yet he continued to share the good news in its entirety. We will face opposition when we walk and talk about the entire purpose of God. Paul shared “the whole counsel of God” or “the whole will of God” or “the whole purpose of God” he spoke the complete gospel,
Difficult to Hear
Some things in the whole counsel of God are difficult to hear. The fact that “we are dead in sin and deserving of God’s wrath” Ephesians 2:1–3 and the fact that we “cannot save ourselves” through works Ephesians 2:8–9. Are just a few. The gospel is a call to repentance and faith. “In the world believers will face persecution” John 16:33 and we will be considered foolish. But none of these things can dissuade the faithful believer.
Failure of Religion
Modern Christianity has seemingly focused on specific areas of the gospel and ignoring others, by doing so, they lose. They want to appeal to the masses, not God. The enemy is a deceiver, he oesn’t want you to know the truth and when you follow only part of the truth, you are ripe to be used.
You’ve heard of those who have a grace ministry or a love ministry. These are generally ministries that focus on one part of God’s counsel, omitting all the others. They remind us of those who taught and preached, “God will make you rich”. They lacked knowledge or understanding of the entire purpose of God, preferring their own way of half truths. Many people who were deceived by them regretted and left the faith.
I write as I am inspired by “the Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things” John 14:26 . Daily I study, write and publish to gain “God’s approval”, not mans. By striving to “rightly handle the word of God” 2 Timothy 2:15, I hope the Lord says to me when I am judged “well done good and faithful servant” Matthew 25:21. I am a faithful Watchman.
I stand on the shoulders of giants who walked before me, and taught the whole counsel of God, learning and maturing under a few good men of God. Most have gone home to be with our Lord, but their work remains. Thanks to technology, we can still benefit from their many messages. Below are a few.
Men of God
Les Feldick, who passed away a few years ago, was an excellent TV teacher of the whole bible from Genesis to Revelations, verse by verse. His half hour television program, called “Through the Bible” still airs a few times a day in most of the country. He taught us that the entire bible fits together like a glove. Or you can visit his free website at “Lesfeldick.org” and download the free audio of each program.
Earlier this year, Charles Stanley passed away. He was a Pastor who also preached and taught the whole counsel of God. I found Pastor Stanley to be a most excellent teacher/pastor, man of God. Over the years, I purchased some of his books and found them to be very profitable. His works remain and you can find them on a TV program called “Intouch” across the country and his website: Intouch.org.
David Jeremiah, who remains, has proven himself a dedicated servant of Christ. David Jeremiah began 40 years ago teaching the whole purpose of God. I chose to model my website after his DavidJeremiah.blog. You can also find him weekly on a television program entitled “Turning Point”.
Then there are the great bible commentaries verse by verse by J. Vernon McGee, John Gill, Albert Barnes, from centuries before.
We must consider the whole bible and not just the parts we understand or like.” That’s if you want to please God and receive your full reward for your obedience. “We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good” Romans 8:28.