Acts 26

Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.

“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,

especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

“Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;

having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa!

Why is it judged incredible with you if God does raise the dead?

“I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

I also did this in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.

Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

“Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,

at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me.

When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

“I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will reveal to you;

delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,

how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.”

As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.

For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner.

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?”

Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.”

The king rose up with the governor and Bernice, and those who sat with them.

When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”

Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter records Paul’s defense before King Agrippa, Festus, and other dignitaries, situating his personal testimony within the broader hope of Israel and the fulfillment of divine promises through Christ’s resurrection. It stands at the climax of Paul’s legal trials in Acts, not as a moment of acquittal but as a powerful declaration of the gospel before rulers, fulfilling Jesus’ words that His witnesses would testify before kings.

Flow.

Paul begins by appealing to Agrippa’s knowledge of Jewish customs, grounding his credibility in his Pharisaic past and lifelong adherence to Israel’s hope.
He recounts his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, emphasizing Jesus’ appearance, the call to apostleship, and the commission to open the eyes of Gentiles and bring them from darkness to light.
Paul declares his obedience to this heavenly vision, affirming that his message—repentance, turning to God, and deeds in keeping with repentance—aligns with what the prophets and Moses foretold.
The hearing concludes with Festus dismissing Paul as insane, Agrippa’s ironic retort, and the rulers’ acknowledgment that Paul has done nothing deserving death, though he remains bound due to his appeal to Caesar.

Connections.
Following chapter 25, where Paul asserts his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar, chapter 26 shows the immediate occasion for that appeal: the unjust political stalemate and lack of justice in Jerusalem. Paul’s defense before Agrippa provides a final, formal opportunity to proclaim the gospel to Jewish leadership and Gentile authority together, preparing the way for chapter 27, where Paul’s journey to Rome begins—not as a criminal, but as a witness whose message has been vindicated even by pagan rulers. The transition from trial to voyage underscores that the gospel cannot be imprisoned, even when its messenger is.

What it teaches.
Paul’s testimony affirms that the Christian hope is not a novel invention but the fulfillment of Israel’s ancestral promise—the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the Messiah (WCF 32.1). Christ’s appearance to Paul and commission to the Gentiles aligns with the prophetic pattern of God revealing His will through chosen servants (HC LD 12; BC, Art. 24). The call to repentance and turning from darkness to light reflects the transformative work of God’s grace, by which sins are forgiven and an inheritance is granted through faith (WCF 11.1; Canons of Dort II.5). Paul’s defense shows that the gospel is not contrary to Scripture but is its rightful climax.

Apply.
Paul’s bonds become the pulpit from which the gospel reaches kings and governors, so that even chains serve the advance of Christ’s kingdom.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.