The elders of the church had been at fault in allowing themselves to be influenced by the enemies of the apostle. But when they heard from his own lips an account of the work he had been doing, it assumed a different aspect. They could not condemn his manner of labor; they were convinced that it bore the signet of Heaven. The liberal contributions from the new churches he had raised up, testified to the power of the truth. They saw that they had been held in bondage by the Jewish customs and traditions, and that the work of the gospel had been greatly hindered by their efforts to maintain the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile.{LP 211.2}

Menighedens ældste fejlede ved at lade sig påvirke af apostlens fjender. Men da de hørte en beretning fra hans egne læber om det værk som var blevet gjort, blev det til en anden sag. De kunne fordømme hans arbejdsmetode; de blev overbeviste om at det bar himlens underskrift. De frivillige bidrag fra de nye menigheder som han havde skaffet, bevidnede sandhedens kraft. De så at de var blevet holdt trældom af jødiske skikke og traditioner, og at evangeliets arbejde var blevet stærkt forhindret af deres arbejde for at fastholde skillemuren mellem jøder og hedninge.