The Whole Counsel of God
Pastor Leslie Chua
“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.”
These are the apostle Paul's parting words to the Ephesian elders.
Paul was well acquainted with the Ephesian elders, as he had discipled them. He had previously spent 3 years preaching and teaching in Ephesus, where he had a successful ministry. By the time he left, he had established a church and built up a strong leadership team.
Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was so effective that the craftsmen in the city, whose livelihood depended on making idols, were losing business. They instigated a major riot against him. As a result, Paul had to leave Ephesus.
Several months later, en route to Jerusalem, Paul stopped at Miletus and summoned the Ephesian elders to meet him. Paul knew this would be their last meeting, as he expected to be arrested and imprisoned soon (Acts 20:23, 25).
So, these are Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders – “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.”
Last words are important. The church in Ephesus was Paul’s baby, and he clearly wanted it to be spiritually strong and continually rooted in God’s Word after his departure.
The Whole Counsel of God: His Will
What does Paul mean by the “whole counsel of God”?
It refers to God’s will, His complete redemptive plan from beginning to end, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. In other words, the “whole counsel of God” encompasses the entire Bible.
Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders concern how he had taught the Word of God. He asserted that he had covered it comprehensively, not cherry-picking certain topics while neglecting others.
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It refers to God’s will, His complete redemptive plan from beginning to end, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. In other words, the “whole counsel of God” encompasses the entire Bible.
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Paul didn’t just teach the basic Christian beliefs about God’s love, grace, and salvation; he taught the full spectrum: creation, the fall, incarnation, the cross, obedience, the demands of discipleship, heaven and hell, prophecy, and eschatology. He fed them milk as well as solid food.
He did not just focus on his or the Ephesian believers' favourite topics but covered all the important truths. He did not only emphasise comforting and attractive truths but also hard and inconvenient ones.
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Teaching the whole counsel ensures a balanced diet of God’s Word, which is essential for healthy spiritual growth and maturity. Faith in Christ cannot be separated from obedience to Him. The comforting truth of God’s love and grace must be balanced by His demands for obedience, discipleship, and righteous living.
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Paul taught the whole counsel of God: God’s promises and His demands; grace and works; love and judgement; blessings and curses; encouragement and warning; individual piety and collective responsibility.
Teaching the whole counsel ensures a balanced diet of God’s Word, which is essential for healthy spiritual growth and maturity. Faith in Christ cannot be separated from obedience to Him. The comforting truth of God’s love and grace must be balanced by His demands for obedience, discipleship, and righteous living.
Courage: Refusal to Shrink Back
Paul said, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”
The word “shrink” in the original Greek is “hyperstello.” It means to hold back, shun, avoid, or withdraw.
Why would anyone “hyperstello” from preaching the whole counsel of God?
For various reasons, including differences of opinion, fear of offending people, avoidance of conflict and controversy, and fear of losing popularity and support.
Many modern preachers and teachers shrink from teaching the full spectrum of God’s Word, focusing instead on softer, more palatable topics for one or more of these reasons.
This is a major reason why Christians nowadays are shallow in their understanding of biblical truths. No wonder critics often remark that Christianity is a mile wide but only an inch deep.
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Essentially, Paul refused to pander to what people wanted to hear, what was culturally acceptable, and what would make him popular. He prioritised integrity over popularity and fear, and he chose to remain faithful to the Word of God.
Doing so requires courage.
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As for Paul, he did not shrink back from preaching the whole counsel of God. He did not hold back from teaching unpleasant truths, such as repentance, obedience, and judgment. He did not shy away from confronting sin and warning against false teaching.
Essentially, Paul refused to pander to what people wanted to hear, what was culturally acceptable, and what would make him popular. He prioritised integrity over popularity and fear, and he chose to remain faithful to the Word of God.
Doing so requires courage.
Only a few pastors and Christian leaders nowadays have the courage to preach the whole counsel of God and to stand up for unpopular biblical truths. They do their calculations. There will be pushback, and there is too much to lose in terms of acceptance, popularity, and the size of the congregation.
But we must be courageous like the apostle Paul. God does not give us the liberty and latitude to edit out, omit, and skip the unpopular and inconvenient truths.
Accountability: The Watchman’s Duty
Observe that Paul links preaching the whole counsel of God to spiritual accountability: “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.”
At first glance, Paul’s statement, “I am innocent of the blood of all”, seems exaggerated and somewhat dramatic. But it is not. He is taking the matter seriously. The consequences of not teaching the full spectrum of God’s Word are dire; it is a matter of life and death.
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The spiritual watchman’s role is to warn. However, people do not like to hear warnings and corrections from the pulpit. They prefer sermons that encourage and reassure them of God’s love, grace, mercy, and blessings. Yet bear in mind that both encouragement and warning are necessary to keep Christians in step with God.
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Paul is referring to God’s words to the prophet Ezekiel about his role as a spiritual watchman. Twice, God warned Ezekiel that He would hold him accountable for the Israelites’ lives if he failed to warn them of impending disasters (Ezekiel 3:16-21, 33:1-9).
Ezekiel 33:6 (ESV) - But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.
The spiritual watchman’s role is to warn. However, people do not like to hear warnings and corrections from the pulpit. They prefer sermons that encourage and reassure them of God’s love, grace, mercy, and blessings. Yet bear in mind that both encouragement and warning are necessary to keep Christians in step with God.
Antidote: Protection from False Teachings and Deception
Preaching the whole counsel of God protects Christians from false teachings and deception.
Paul anticipated that false teachers and false teachings would infiltrate the Ephesian church.
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Preaching the whole counsel of God protects Christians from false teachings and deception.
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Listen to his warning to the Ephesian elders, immediately after telling them that he had declared to them the whole counsel of God: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears” (Acts 20:29-31).
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Christians who know the whole counsel of God are unlikely to be misled and deceived by false teachings.
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Paul is very particular about sound doctrine and right belief. He is livid with false teachers and false doctrine. Read Paul’s epistles, and you will see that he comes down hard on false teachers and believers who embrace false teachings. The reason is simple. It is a matter of salvation.
Christians who know the whole counsel of God are unlikely to be misled and deceived by false teachings.
Know that false teachings are seldom entirely false. They invariably contain both truths and lies. The most dangerous are those that are mostly true with only small doses of falsehood. The subtlety of such deception is often difficult to detect.
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A church grounded in the whole counsel of God is doctrinally stable, spiritually mature, and resistant to deception.
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Perhaps the subtlest form of deception is elevating some biblical truths above others. Many preachers are guilty of this. They preach their favourite topics while neglecting others. The worst are those who intentionally preach the easy, attractive stuff while avoiding the hard, inconvenient truths.
Therefore, it is critical for pastors to preach the whole counsel of God. Selective emphasis on certain truths is unwise and detrimental to the church's spiritual health, leaving it vulnerable.
A church grounded in the whole counsel of God is doctrinally stable, spiritually mature, and resistant to deception.
Our Practice in Rock of Ages Church: The Whole Counsel of God
At Rock of Ages Church, we believe in preaching the whole counsel of God. Our pulpit covers the full spectrum of the Bible.
We practise expository preaching. We work through the books of the Bible, covering each book chapter by chapter and passage by passage. In doing so, we cannot cherry-pick topics; we are compelled to address every topic in each book.
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At Rock of Ages Church, we believe in preaching the whole counsel of God. Our pulpit covers the full spectrum of the Bible.
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We also adopt an expository style when preaching on topics. It is important to interpret the text in its context, that is, in the context of the passage, chapter, and book.
I also like to explore the text in its historical and cultural contexts. Doing so helps us better understand what the text is really saying. Often, preachers look at a text through a twenty-first-century lens, which can be misleading.
Preaching the whole counsel of God also means covering a range of genres.
Over the past few years, I have preached through Genesis, Revelation, Daniel, Ruth, and the parables of Jesus, and in 2026 we are exploring the Gospel of John. I have also covered topics such as living wisely, money matters, prayer and fasting, honour, loyalty, the End Times, and others.
As you can see, I have preached through a variety of genres, including Christian living, parables, history, the gospel, prophetic history, prophecy, and eschatology.
Many pastors nowadays avoid teaching eschatology, claiming it is complicated and controversial. Yet preaching the whole counsel of God requires it to be taught.
I consider teaching eschatology especially vital because we are living at the threshold of the end of this present age. God has revealed many wonderful truths about the End Times in the Bible, and one important purpose is to prepare believers for Jesus’ soon return. Therefore, avoiding it is an abdication of responsibility. The blood is on the shepherds’ hands if they don’t preach it.