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Acts 28:30–31
“[Paul] lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
Today we are returning to our study of Acts, and we will study the very last verses of this historical account of the early church written by Luke the physician under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. After speaking to the Jewish leaders in Rome, where he awaited an appeal to Caesar, Paul lived for two more years in the city, preaching without hindrance and with boldness, paying his living costs “at his own expense” (Acts 28:30–31).
Paul’s paying for his own living costs does not necessarily mean that he funded things completely on his own. We know that he received support from various churches for his ministry, and the gifts of the Philippian church in particular likely helped to pay for his expenses during the imprisonment recorded in Acts 28 (Phil. 4:18). During this time in Roman custody, Paul clearly continued to engage in fruitful gospel work, but Luke does not tell us here who visited Paul. Perhaps the Jewish leaders returned to hear more about Jesus. Surely, Paul spoke to other Jews and gentiles during his stay, including the soldier guarding him (see Acts 28:16). Certainly, Paul was in contact with believers who were a part of Caesar’s household, for he sends greetings from them to the church at Philippi (Phil. 4:22).
Given how the book of Acts concludes, we are left to ask, What happened to Paul? Indeed, Luke’s record moves us to ask what happened to Peter, John, and many of the other Apostles, since he does not record their deaths either. The most likely explanation for why Luke does not record the ends of any of these men is that he finished the book of Acts before those Apostles died. Some scholars have argued that Luke ends where he does because he wants to show how the gospel successfully reached the end of the known earth in that day, and that it would achieve final victory over all the kingdoms of men. That possibility cannot be dismissed out of hand, and no doubt the way that Acts ends does convey the success of the gospel in the Roman Empire. The evidence from sources such as 2 Timothy and the early church seems to indicate, however, that Paul was released from this Roman imprisonment recorded in Acts 28 and then went on for several more years in ministry. Many early church sources outside the Bible say that Paul was martyred by Nero, emperor of Rome, in about AD 65.
Without a doubt, Paul ended his race well, keeping the faith till the end (2 Tim. 4:7). May God grant us all the grace to do the same.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Scripture is written not merely to give us moral exemplars but to reveal to us what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man (WSC 3). Nevertheless, Scripture does tell us about people so that we might imitate their virtues and stay away from their sins. Paul is one of the best examples to follow in Scripture, so let us strive to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).
For further study
- Proverbs 13:20
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7–9
- 2 Timothy 4:6–8
- Hebrews 13:7
The bible in a year
- Malachi 1–2
- Revelation 21