WHY PAUL DID NOT EXPLAIN THE MYSTERY TO KING AGRIPPA?
Act 26:27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
Act 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Act 26:29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
It is my understanding that there is nothing peculiar, or strange, or wrong, about Paul saying that he preached to both Jews and Gentiles “that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” For simply put, when Paul says that men “should repent and turn to God” this is a perfectly fitting and general description of what the effectual working of “the gospel of Christ” exhorts men to do in order to be saved from the debt and penalty of their sins. And when Paul says that he also preached that men should “do works meet for repentance” this is also a perfectly fitting and general description of what “the gospel of Christ” exhorts those who believe it to do after they have believed, seeing that God not only justifies men and saves them when they believe the gospel, but He also sanctifies them so that they can do good works and live unto Him therein.
Act 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Act 26:20 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.
Act 26:21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
Act 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
Act 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Now as I just said, Paul’s preaching that men, (whether Jews or Gentiles), “should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” really is nothing less than a perfectly fitting and concise general description of what he as a faithful ambassador for Christ said to men as he exhorted them to respond positively and properly to what “the gospel of Christ” says. And this is true. For as the details of “the gospel of Christ” in Romans 1:18–3:26 set forth, all men, (whether they be Jews or Gentiles), need to “repent,” (i.e. change their minds and think differently), when it comes to their thinking about how they stand in God’s sight, and about how to be saved from the coming judgment of God. For as the first part of the gospel describes, men by nature “hold the truth in unrighteousness” and do not respond positively and/or properly to it. In addition to this the natural tendency of men is to think that the way for them to escape being worthy of God’s wrath and judgment is to justify themselves by their works. Accordingly, therefore, men need to “repent” of their erroneous thinking. They need to “repent” of their thinking regarding how they stand in God’s sight, and of their naturally mistaken thinking of how they can escape the judgment of God.
Rom 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
So ‘in a nutshell’ this is what Paul is referring to when in Acts 26:20 he says that he preached that men “should repent.” For just as he had previously said in verses 16–18, the Lord sent him out “to open (men’s) eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God,…” The Lord said this because the eyes of men’s understanding are naturally blind to the truth, being darkened by their own erroneous ideas, and especially by Satan’s false teachings. Therefore men need to be given the ‘light of truth’ so that they can ‘see’ the truth, and can then “repent” of their mistaken and erroneous thinking. Then in accordance with men ‘repenting’ of their erroneous and/or mistaken thinking, the “gospel of Christ” exhorts them to “turn to God,” just as Paul says.
Act 26:15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
Act 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Act 26:17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Act 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
For as the ‘good news’ portion of “the gospel of Christ” proclaims. God Himself has provided for men’s justification and salvation. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, God Himself has provided for men to receive forgiveness of sins and justification in His sight. Therefore in accordance with repenting of their faulty thinking, the final part of the ‘good news’ portion of the gospel exhorts men to abandon any idea of justifying themselves by their works, and in so doing to ‘turn to God’ trusting completely in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus for their justification and salvation.
Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Act 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
So ‘in a nutshell’ this is what Paul is referring to when he says that he preached that men should “turn to God.” And this too is in perfect accordance with what Paul says in Acts 26:16–18 about what the Lord had said to him when He commissioned him. For when men abandon any idea of justifying themselves before God and “turn to God” by completely trusting in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, they ‘turn from the power of Satan unto God’ as they reject Satan’s false teachings that are designed to keep them from trusting in Christ. So then as verses 16–18 of Acts 26, (along with the details of “the gospel of Christ” itself in Romans 1:18–3:26), make clear, when Paul says that he preached to both Jews and Gentiles “that they should repent and turn to God” he is concisely describing, (and also fittingly describing), exactly what the effectual working of “the gospel of Christ” exhorts men to do. And in so doing he did exactly what he said that the Lord had told him to do in verses 16–18, obeying the Lord completely, which is also exactly what he is emphasizing to King Agrippa in verses 19 and 20.
Rom 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
Rom 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Now this is also the case when Paul says that he preached that men should “do works meet for repentance.” For as I said earlier, this too is simply a perfectly fitting and general description of what “the gospel of Christ” exhorts men to do after they have ‘repented and turned to God’ and thereby have become justified unto eternal life and saved from the debt and penalty of their sins. And indeed once a person is saved he should “do works meet for repentance.” Because God not only saves us when we believe “the gospel of Christ,” but He also sanctifies us “in Christ” so that we can ‘live unto Him’ in good works. In fact in view of our sanctification, doing such good works is the only thing that is “meet for,” or fitting for, or consistent with, our “repentance.” Or in other words, it is absolutely inconsistent with, or unfitting for, or not meet for our repentance, if we continue to live like we did before we believed “the gospel of Christ”; i.e. if we continue to still live like ones who because of having an impenitent heart remain unjustified and unsaved sinners who are dead in their sins.
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Rom 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
So this is what Paul is referring to when he says that he preached to those who do repent and turn to God that they should “do works meet for repentance.” And this too is in perfect accordance with what Paul says the Lord had told him when He commissioned him. For when those who do believe “the gospel of Christ” respond positively to their sanctification, they will “receive inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me,” just as the Lord said. Once again, in view of what Paul relates in Acts 26:16–18; and in view of the details of “the gospel of Christ” itself; when Paul says that he preached to both Jews and Gentiles “that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” he is concisely and fittingly describing exactly what the effectual working of “the gospel of Christ” exhorts men to do.
Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Eph 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Strictly speaking, there was no reason for Paul to specifically say anything about “the mystery of Christ” in his address to King Agrippa, given both the legal purpose of his address and what God wanted him to accomplish by it. For simply put, given the legal purpose of Paul’s address he was given permission by King Agrippa to answer for himself “touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews.” And as Festus had previously laid out before Agrippa, those things especially concerned the Jews “own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.” Wherefore as Paul’s “answer” to the charges laid against him show, he stuck to strictly addressing and answering the specific charges that were laid against him. And he also stuck to strictly defending his actions as being perfectly consistent not only with the truth that Jesus is the Christ and that He is alive, but also consistent with what the prophets had said about Christ suffering and rising from the dead.
Act 26:2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
Act 26:3 Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
Therefore given the legal purpose of Paul’s address, and what he needed to say in order to answer the charges leveled against him, there was no reason for him to specifically say anything about “the mystery of Christ.” Likewise there was no reason for him to particularly say anything about “the mystery of Christ” in view of what it was that God specifically wanted him to accomplish by his address. For simply put, in accordance with what the Lord had previously said to Paul about ‘testifying of Him in Jerusalem and then doing so also in Rome,’ God’s first purpose in Paul’s address was to take advantage of the legal situation in connection with the finalizing of His testimony to His nation concerning the reality of Jesus being the Christ, and that He has suffered and has been raised from the dead according to the law and the prophets. Wherefore Paul would naturally stick with these issues, just as he did.
Act 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Act 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
But as Paul also knew, it was also God’s desire for Him to lay the groundwork to be able to function as the ambassador for Christ that He is, especially with King Agrippa, who as Paul acknowledged not only was “expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews,” but who most importantly of all also ‘believed the prophets.’ Hence in accordance with what God had previously said to Paul about how he would ‘bear the Lord’s name before kings,’ Paul not only knew what he was supposed to do before King Agrippa, but he also knew what he had to do first and foremost as he bore testimony before this king. Paul had to deal with him about who Jesus is, and about the reality of Him suffering and being raised from the dead according to the Scriptures.
Act 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Act 28:29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
Act 26:27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
Act 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Act 26:29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries