18:6 To what is Paul alluding here in saying that the Jews' blood was upon their own heads?

(CP V4-6). Paul is alluding here to God's warning in the Old Testament to the watchman - Ezekiel - to warn sinners of their eternal damnation if they do not forsake their sins and turn to God. If the watchman does not warn them and they die in their sins, God will require their blood of the watchman.

But if he does warn them and they die in their sins, their blood is on their own head (CP Eze 3:16-21; 33:1-9).

Paul also alluded to these scriptures in Ac 20 as a figure of his spiritual responsibility to declare the full counsel of God to the Ephesians (CP 20:17-27).

Paul had discharged his duty to proclaim the gospel of salvation to the Jews who blasphemed and rejected it in Ac 18, and to declare the full counsel of God to the Ephesians in Ac 20. So he could not be held responsible for the blood of any man.

God's warning to Ezekiel in Ezek 3 and 33 is a warning for New Testament Christians too. We have all been assigned the responsibility to proclaim the gospel of salvation to the lost, and it is incumbent upon every one of us to do so (CP Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15-16; Ac 10:42-43; 2Cor 5:18-20).

Paul knew that he had to do what God expected of him, and the same applies to us too. It is folly to think that we will spend eternity with Jesus if we do not do what He has commanded us to do in this life (CP Mt 12:30; 25:14-30; Lu 19:11-27).

See also comments on Mt 12:30, 28:19-20(A); Lu 19:11-27; 2Cor 5:18-19, and author's studies The Christian Calling - Winning Souls to Christ in his book Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith and Redeeming the Time - Winning Souls to Christ in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).

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