Paul's words that he is "innocent of the blood of all" because throughout his ministry he proclaimed God's will to everyone recall words spoken by God to one of the great...
Paul's words that he is "innocent of the blood of all" because throughout his ministry he proclaimed God's will to everyone recall words spoken by God to one of Israel's great prophets, Ezekiel, whose meaning came down to this: the prophet's task is to bear witness to what God has revealed to him.
The reaction of those to whom he testifies to what they have heard is not his concern. If a person does not listen to the witness's words, that will be his sin and his responsibility, and the witness, having done his work, will not bear responsibility for the one who did not listen to his words.
But if the witness keeps silent, hides his testimony, and the one whom he should have rebuked sins while the prophet is silent, then the prophet will be responsible for the sinner's sin to the same extent as the one who sinned. The principle, as we can see, is simple: a silent witness who refuses to testify becomes an accomplice in another's sin.
Paul evidently holds the same position: he always remained a faithful witness of Christ and the Kingdom, never hid his testimony from anyone, and now the one who did not consider it necessary to listen to his words will answer himself for the consequences of his choice. But in Paul's case, of course, the matter is further complicated by a new measure of responsibility both for the testimony and for its rejection.
Of course, the ancient prophets too testified about things spiritually vital. If, for example, they rebuked individual people or whole nations for violating the commandments, the matter often really concerned life and death, the path of righteousness leading to life and the path of sin leading to death.
But here the matter was still a choice within the present, untransformed order of things. Paul, however, testifies about Christ and the Kingdom, placing the hearer in a situation of absolute choice, a choice between final salvation and final destruction.
Without question, the responsibility of the witness in such a situation is immeasurably higher. But the hearer's responsibility for the choice he has made is also much more serious. And, understanding this, the apostle sums up his ministry: he pushed no one away, hid nothing from anyone, and did everything he could. The rest depends only on the listeners themselves.
