Acts 26:20 - Printer Friendly

What does Acts 26:20 mean?

ESV: but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

NIV: First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.

NASB: but continually proclaimed to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they are to repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.

CSB: Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.

NLT: I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God — and prove they have changed by the good things they do.

KJV: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

NKJV: but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

Verse Commentary:

In a speech before Agrippa II, Paul is describing how Jesus commissioned him to spread an offer of divine forgiveness. Paul had once violently persecuted the church but met Jesus on his way to Damascus to arrest Jewish Jesus-followers. Instead of attacking the Christians, Paul became one. Furthermore, Jesus claimed him as a messenger to Jews, Gentiles, and kings (Acts 9:15). It is both ironic and a partial fulfillment of prophecy that Agrippa is a king with both Jewish and Gentile blood.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He charged the disciples to be His witnesses, "in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Paul's ministry has followed a similar trajectory, although he started by leaving Damascus and spending three years in Arabia, the desert to the east (Galatians 1:17–18). Only after the Jewish leaders in Damascus threatened to kill him did he return to Jerusalem (Acts 9:23–26). He stayed fifteen days until Jews from outside Judea, again, threatened to kill him, and both Jesus and the apostles sent him home to Tarsus (Acts 9:29–30; 22:17–21).

After several years in Tarsus, Barnabas came to him and asked for help building the church in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:19–26). Paul spent the next several years in Syria, modern-day Turkey, Macedonia, and Greece teaching Jews and Gentiles about Jesus' offer of salvation. We aren't told when Paul told people about Jesus in Judea.

To "repent" is simply to accept that our way is wrong, and Jesus' is right, and to allow Jesus to fix that error in us. Many people, however, are confused about the relationship between faith in Jesus and good works. Ephesians 2:8–10 echos the message of this verse:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone. There is no way our works can earn salvation or ensure we keep salvation. Throughout the centuries, Christians—including Martin Luther—argued over whether Paul's description of salvation contradicts James' assertion that "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17). James, however, is not saying salvation requires faith and works. He's saying that if someone does not exhibit the works which naturally come from a heart indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that person is not saved. A person totally lacking in good works has not truly repented and they do not have true faith. We do good works because we have faith and have repented—because we are saved. There are no works we can do to earn salvation.

Acts 26:12–23 is Paul's testimony to King Agrippa II, Governor Festus, and the leaders of Caesarea Maritima, of how he started following Jesus. The audience wants to determine if Paul broke a law. Paul wants to offer reconciliation with God. Paul describes how he met Jesus on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus and accepted Jesus' commission to spread His offer of forgiveness to Jews and Gentiles. It is for this reason that the Sanhedrin wants him dead, not because he committed a crime. Paul's conversion is recorded in Acts 9:1–19.

Chapter Summary:

Acts 26 records Paul's testimony before the noblemen of Caesarea Maritima, as well as their reactions. He explains that Jewish leaders want him dead because he once persecuted the church, but now believes Jesus rose from the dead and has been spreading that message. Governor Festus thinks Paul has gone mad. King Agrippa II, however, finds his story compelling. They realize that had Paul not appealed to a higher Roman court, they could have let him go.

Chapter Context:

After being held in custody for two years and, again, hassled by the Sanhedrin who want to kill him, Paul appeals his case to Caesar (Acts 25:7–12). Before he travels to Rome, however, Governor Festus has Paul give his testimony before King Agrippa II and the noblemen of Caesarea Maritima (Act 25:23–27). When Paul is finished, they realize they should have set him free before he appealed to Caesar (Acts 26:30–32). But he must go to Rome, surviving a violent storm and a shipwreck along the way (Acts 27—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.

Accessed 5/3/2024 1:05:09 AM