The Confession of a Coherent Worship and Faith
P.C. Barker Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers… Paul is, of course, at no loss to account for the enmity of the Jews manifested toward him. And it is his intention that his judge shall overhear, if not hear, the true state of the case. He has vindicated himself and will still vindicate himself against the ostensible accusations laid to his charge. But now he pierces beneath all pretences and appearances, and touches firm ground. And the concisest way of conveying his view of the state of things to his judge lies in a very simple confession of his religion. To which we may consider (as suggested by Paul's language here) two things to be essential. They are - I. WORSHIP. And Paul is able to say these three things all distinctly germane to the confession. 1. That he worships. 2. That he worships God. 3. That he worships the God of his fathers, i.e. the very same God whom his accusers profess to worship. II. A DEFINITE FAITH. An intelligible faith makes an informed instead of a superstitious worship. There are ways and ways, of worship. And these follow very consistently the faith that is held. Notice: 1. That Paul very decidedly pronounces tot himself that his faith embraces "all things written in the Law and the prophets." 2. He implies that the faith of his enemies failed of this. It felt short, perhaps, partly in its very character, but probably much more seriously in its compass. The typical Jew of the days of Jesus prided himself in reading the Law literally and fully, though with many a corrupt addition. His "way" of interpreting the prophets was of a far more eclectic character. He couldn't see, because he wouldn't believe, the humble and the humbling prophecies of the Messiah. Paul's "heresy" was, in fact, that he believed "all. The Jews' ruining sin was that they would not believe all." This quietly spoken sentence of Paul gave the key to all. And it is another comment upon the Jews in harmony with that uttered by Jesus himself, "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me," etc. (John 5:46). - B. Parallel Verses KJV: But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: WEB: But this I confess to you, that after the Way, which they call a sect, so I serve the God of our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets;