The Berean Table

Field	Detail
Pericope	Acts 26:1–32
Theme	Paul’s great defense before King Agrippa: the risen Christ commissions His servant to open blind eyes and turn sinners from darkness to light, so that even a king is “almost persuaded” yet the gospel presses for wholehearted faith

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Opening Prayer

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Closing Prayer

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Timeline Context

Acts 26 stands near the close of Luke’s account, in the section devoted to Paul’s arrest and successive defenses (Acts 21–28). After being seized in the Jerusalem temple (Acts 21:27–36), Paul defended himself before the Jewish crowd (Acts 22), the Sanhedrin (Acts 23), the governor Felix (Acts 24), and the new governor Festus (Acts 25). Having appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen (Acts 25:11), Paul cannot be released, but Festus, uncertain what to write to the emperor, arranges a hearing before the visiting King Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice (Acts 25:13–27). Acts 26 is Paul’s speech at that hearing—the fullest and most polished of his defenses, and the last before he sails for Rome (Acts 27).

Historically, the events fall around A.D. 59–60, in Caesarea Maritima, the Roman administrative capital of Judea. Porcius Festus succeeded Felix as procurator (c. A.D. 59). Agrippa II (Marcus Julius Agrippa), great-grandson of Herod the Great and the last of the Herodian dynasty, ruled a northern tetrarchy and, significantly, had been granted authority over the Jerusalem temple and the appointment of the high priest by Rome. He was therefore, as Paul notes, “familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews” (Acts 26:3). Bernice, his sister, appears with him amid rumors of scandal. The assembly gathers “with great pomp” (Acts 25:23)—tribunes and prominent citizens—making Paul’s audience a fulfillment of Christ’s word that he would bear witness “before kings” (Acts 9:15).

The major surrounding event is the resurrection controversy that runs through all Paul’s defenses: he insists he is on trial “because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers” (Acts 26:6) and for the resurrection of the dead (Acts 26:8, 23). Redemptive-historically, Paul frames his whole ministry as the fulfillment of “what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass” (Acts 26:22): the suffering and rising of the Christ, and the going forth of gospel light “both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). The chapter thus positions Paul’s mission as the outworking of Old Testament promise and the extension of the risen Christ’s saving reign to the nations.

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Historical-Grammatical Study

Genre. Acts 26 is historical narrative containing a formal forensic speech (apologia, “defense,” Acts 26:2). It follows the conventions of ancient defense oratory—captatio benevolentiae (winning goodwill, vv. 2–3), narratio (the account of Paul’s life and conversion), and appeal—yet its aim transcends legal exoneration: it is evangelistic testimony directed finally at Agrippa’s soul (Acts 26:27–29).

Key Greek terms and syntax.

• apologeomai (ἀπολογέομαι), “make a defense” (Acts 26:1, 2, 24): the root of “apologetics.” Paul’s defense is simultaneously a reasoned witness to the truth of the gospel.
• elpis (ἐλπίς), “hope” (Acts 26:6–7): the “hope in the promise made by God to our fathers,” which Paul identifies with the resurrection—the covenant hope of Israel fulfilled in Christ.
• skēros / sklēron — the proverb “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (pros kentra laktizein, Acts 26:14) is a Greek idiom for futile resistance against a superior power; here, against the risen Christ’s sovereign call.
• hypēretēs (ὑπηρέτης), “servant,” and martys (μάρτυς), “witness” (Acts 26:16): Paul’s twofold commission—an under-rower/assistant and an eyewitness of the risen Lord.
• epistrephō (ἐπιστρέφω), “to turn/turn back” (Acts 26:18, 20): the language of conversion—turning “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.”
• anoixai ophthalmous (ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμούς), “to open eyes” (Acts 26:18): the metaphor of spiritual sight given to the blind, echoing Isaiah.
• hēgiasmenois (ἡγιασμένοις), “those who are sanctified” (Acts 26:18), a perfect passive participle—a settled, God-wrought state; the inheritance is “by faith in me” (pistei tē eis eme).
• en oligō (ἐν ὀλίγῳ, Acts 26:28): Agrippa’s ambiguous phrase, rendered “in a short time” or “with little effort/almost”—the famous “almost persuaded.”

First-century background. A Roman citizen who appealed to Caesar entered the imperial legal process; Festus needed to formulate charges (Acts 25:26–27), hence this hearing. “This has not been done in a corner” (Acts 26:26) invokes the public, historical character of Jesus’ death and the church’s witness in Judea. The address “most excellent Festus” (Acts 26:25) follows the formal courtesy owed a Roman official (cf. Acts 24:3; Luke 1:3).

Covenantal themes. Paul repeatedly grounds his message in the covenant: “the promise made by God to our fathers” (Acts 26:6), the hope of the “twelve tribes” (Acts 26:7), and “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said” (Acts 26:22). The chapter presents the gospel not as a novelty but as the fulfillment of God’s ancient covenant with Israel, now flowing out to the Gentiles in the light of the risen Messiah (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6).

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Expanded Outline

Section 1 — Paul’s Opening Before Agrippa (Acts 26:1–3)

Key Insight

Granted leave to speak, “Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense” (Acts 26:1)—the classical orator’s gesture, signaling a formal apologia. His opening is a model of respectful, wise address. He declares himself “fortunate” (makarios, blessed/happy) to speak before Agrippa “especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews” (Acts 26:3). This is no empty flattery; Agrippa II held Roman authority over the Jerusalem temple and the high-priestly appointments and was reputed to understand Jewish religion. Paul rightly discerns that his defense—centered on the resurrection and the fulfillment of the prophets—can be weighed only by someone conversant with Israel’s hope. He therefore appeals for a patient hearing: “I beg you to listen to me patiently” (Acts 26:3). Calvin notes that Paul’s courtesy is not servile compromise but the wisdom of a witness who “framed his speech to the capacity” of his hearer, so that the truth might gain entrance. Matthew Henry observes that Paul “makes the best of the situation,” rejoicing that at last he stands before one able to judge the substance of the matter rather than dismiss it as political sedition. There is a Christ-centered pattern here: the servant of the gospel commends himself and his message with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15), never surrendering content but seeking the hearer’s good. Paul embodies his Lord’s instruction to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). The scene also fulfills prophecy: Jesus had said Paul would carry His name “before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Sproul remarks that Paul, though a prisoner in chains, is in fact the freest man in the room, unashamed and composed, because his cause is the truth of the risen Christ. The opening thus sets the tone: reasoned, courteous, courageous testimony under the sovereign hand of God.

Application

Paul teaches us how to bear witness before those in authority and those who differ from us: with genuine respect, careful attention to what our hearers can understand, and an earnest request to be heard. We are not to be abrasive, nor are we to dilute the message; we are to “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks… yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Consider how often believers forfeit a hearing by needless rudeness or by assuming hostility before it appears. Paul assumes the best of Agrippa’s competence and appeals to it. At the same time, beware the misapplication that turns courtesy into compromise: Paul’s respect never softens his insistence on the resurrection or his call to repentance. Notice, too, that Paul is a prisoner, yet he is composed and even glad—”I consider myself fortunate” (Acts 26:2). When we find ourselves constrained, misunderstood, or on trial for our faith, we may still count it a privilege to testify, trusting that God has ordained the very platform on which we stand. Our circumstances, however humbling, may be the appointed stage for the gospel to be heard by those who would otherwise never listen.

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Section 2 — A Pharisee’s Life and the Hope of the Promise (Acts 26:4–8)

Key Insight

Paul turns to his life “from my youth,” lived “among my own nation and in Jerusalem” and “known by all the Jews” (Acts 26:4). He was no fringe figure but a public, verifiable member of “the strictest party of our religion”—a Pharisee (Acts 26:5). The Pharisees, whatever their errors, held firmly to the resurrection of the dead and the authority of the whole Scripture. Paul seizes this common ground to reframe his trial: “And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers” (Acts 26:6). This “hope” (elpis) is the covenant promise—ultimately the resurrection and the messianic redemption—”to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day” (Acts 26:7). Paul’s stunning claim is that he, the accused, actually holds the historic faith of Israel, while his accusers oppose the very fulfillment of their own hope. Then comes the pivotal question: “Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8). Calvin observes that Paul “does not plead his own cause so much as the cause of God,” making the resurrection the true issue at stake. Matthew Henry notes that Paul’s whole controversy with the Jews reduces to this: whether Jesus is risen, for that is the pledge and pattern of the resurrection all Israel awaited. The question exposes a deep inconsistency—those who confessed a God who raises the dead balked at the claim that He had actually done so in Jesus. Poole comments that the resurrection is not against reason for those who believe in an almighty Creator; the God who made all things can surely raise the dead. Christologically, Paul locates the entire hope of the covenant in the resurrection, which Christ inaugurated as “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18). The promise to the fathers—the seed, the land, the kingdom, the new creation—finds its guarantee in the empty tomb. Paul’s defense is thus a redemptive-historical argument: the gospel is not apostasy from Israel’s faith but its long-awaited consummation.

Application

Paul anchors his identity and hope not in his achievements but in “the promise made by God to our fathers” (Acts 26:6). Believers today likewise stand on God’s promises, supremely the promise of resurrection life secured in Christ. When our faith is challenged as strange or incredible, we do well to press the real question, as Paul did: “Why is it thought incredible… that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8). The stumbling block is not the reasonableness of the resurrection but the unbelief of the human heart before an almighty God. Let this shape our hope: our confidence rests on the character and power of the God who “gives life to the dead” (Romans 4:17), not on circumstances or self. Practically, we should live “night and day” (Acts 26:7) as a people of eager, worshipful expectation, oriented toward the promised inheritance. Beware two misapplications: first, treating the resurrection as a mere doctrine to defend rather than a living hope to embrace; second, resting hope in religious pedigree, as Paul once might have in his Pharisaic strictness (Philippians 3:4–8), rather than in the risen Christ. Let your hope be robust, God-centered, and forward-looking, grounded in the One who has already raised His Son.

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Section 3 — The Persecutor of the Church (Acts 26:9–11)

Key Insight

Paul now recounts his former life with unsparing honesty: “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9). Note the tragic sincerity—he was “convinced,” acting from a zealous but blind conscience (cf. Philippians 3:6; Galatians 1:13–14). His opposition was not passive but violent and systematic. In Jerusalem he “locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests,” and “when they were put to death I cast my vote against them” (Acts 26:10)—implicating himself in the deaths of believers, likely including Stephen (Acts 7:58; 8:1). He “punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme,” seeking to force believers to curse Christ, and “in raging fury against them” pursued them “even to foreign cities” (Acts 26:11). The word for “raging fury” (emmainomenos) suggests a maddened frenzy—the very charge Festus will soon hurl at Paul (Acts 26:24) is what Paul once embodied against Christ. Calvin observes that Paul confesses his sin openly so that “the grace of God might be more apparent” in his transformation. Matthew Henry notes that Paul’s candid confession of being “the chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) magnifies the mercy that saved him. Spurgeon loved this text as proof that no sinner is beyond the reach of grace: “If Saul the persecutor could be saved, who need despair?” There is deep pastoral comfort here. Paul does not minimize his guilt; he names it. Yet the very depth of his sin becomes the backdrop for the greater depth of Christ’s grace. Christologically, this section magnifies the sovereign mercy of the risen Lord, who intervened not for a seeker but for an enemy in full flight against Him (Romans 5:10). The persecutor’s résumé sets the stage for the Damascus road, where grace triumphs over rebellion.

Application

Paul’s testimony reminds us that a sincere conscience is no guarantee of a right one. He was “convinced” he served God while opposing Christ (Acts 26:9; cf. John 16:2). We must therefore submit our consciences to Scripture, not trust our sincerity as if it justified us. This passage also confronts our despair over past sin. If the chief of persecutors found mercy, no sinner who comes to Christ is beyond hope (1 Timothy 1:15–16). Let the memory of what grace has forgiven fuel gratitude and humility rather than crippling shame. At the same time, Paul’s honesty models the confession that precedes and accompanies true faith; he does not hide or excuse his past but names it plainly, that Christ’s mercy might be glorified. Beware two errors: presuming that zeal or sincerity sanctifies wrong action, and wallowing in guilt as though Christ’s blood were insufficient. The proper response is honest confession joined to confident trust in the mercy that saves enemies. Finally, if grace so transformed a persecutor into an apostle, we should expect God still to save unlikely people. Pray boldly for those who now oppose Christ; the fiercest enemy today may be tomorrow’s herald.

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Section 4 — The Damascus Road and the Great Commission (Acts 26:12–18)

Key Insight

Paul recounts the turning point: journeying to Damascus “with the authority and commission of the chief priests” (Acts 26:12), he was stopped “at midday” by “a light from heaven, brighter than the sun” (Acts 26:13). The blazing light exceeding the noonday sun signals a theophany—the glory of the risen, exalted Christ. All fell, and Paul heard a voice “in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads’” (Acts 26:14). The proverb of the goads pictures an ox futilely kicking against the sharp prod—resistance to God’s sovereign call is self-wounding and vain. Christ’s question—”why are you persecuting me?”—reveals the union between Christ and His church: to persecute the saints is to persecute their Lord (cf. Matthew 25:40). To Paul’s “Who are you, Lord?” comes the shattering answer, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 26:15). Then follows the commission, the theological heart of the chapter. Christ appoints Paul “as a servant and witness” (Acts 26:16), delivering him and sending him to the Gentiles “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). Every phrase is weighty. The mission is to “open their eyes”—spiritual sight for the blind, echoing Isaiah’s Servant who is “a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind” (Isaiah 42:6–7; 49:6). The turning is twofold: “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God”—conversion is deliverance from a dominion, not merely a change of opinion. The blessings are “forgiveness of sins” and “a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Calvin marvels that God “makes a minister of grace out of a cruel wolf,” and observes that the opening of eyes is God’s work through the ministry of the word. Beale and others note the Isaianic Servant background: Paul’s mission extends the Servant-Messiah’s own light-bringing work to the nations. Christologically, the risen Jesus is the light that shines, the Lord who commissions, and the object of the faith by which sinners are sanctified. This verse is a compact summary of the whole ordo salutis: the effectual opening of blind eyes, conversion (repentance and faith), forgiveness (justification), and sanctification—all “by faith in me.”

Application

Acts 26:18 is a map of what God does in every genuine conversion, and it should shape both our understanding of salvation and our practice of evangelism. First, it humbles us: no one turns from darkness to light unless God opens their eyes. We were blind and under “the power of Satan” until sovereign grace intervened (2 Corinthians 4:4–6; Colossians 1:13). This crushes pride and fuels worship. Second, it clarifies the goal of gospel ministry: we preach the word, but we depend on God to open eyes; conversion is His work, not our persuasive skill. Third, it presents the fullness of salvation—not merely forgiveness, but “a place among those who are sanctified,” an inheritance among the holy people of God. We must not preach a truncated gospel of pardon without transformation and belonging. Fourth, it defines the means: sanctification and inheritance come “by faith in me”—in Christ, not in works or ritual. Practically, examine whether your own eyes have been opened, whether you have truly turned from Satan’s dominion to God. And if you labor in evangelism or prayer for the lost, take heart: the God who opened your eyes can open theirs. Beware the misapplication of thinking conversion is a human decision manufactured by technique; it is a resurrection wrought by God, though it comes through the faithful proclamation of Christ.

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Section 5 — Not Disobedient to the Heavenly Vision (Acts 26:19–23)

Key Insight

Paul draws the necessary conclusion: “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). His entire ministry is framed as obedience to the risen Christ’s commission. He preached repentance and conversion “first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles,” calling them to “repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). Note the wholeness of true conversion: repentance (a turning of the mind), turning to God (a change of direction), and deeds “in keeping with”—the fruit that verifies genuine repentance (cf. Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8). Repentance and works are not opposed to grace; works are the necessary evidence of a repentance that God has wrought. This gospel is precisely why “the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me” (Acts 26:21). Yet Paul testifies to God’s sustaining providence: “To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great” (Acts 26:22). His message is nothing novel: “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass” (Acts 26:22). Paul summarizes that prophetic hope in two clauses: “that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). Here is the gospel in miniature—the necessity of the Messiah’s suffering (“the Christ must suffer,” cf. Luke 24:26, 46), His resurrection as “the first to rise” (the firstfruits, 1 Corinthians 15:20), and the proclamation of light to Jew and Gentile alike. Calvin observes that Paul grounds his whole gospel in Moses and the prophets, proving continuity with the covenant. Matthew Henry notes that Paul’s perseverance—”to this day I have had the help that comes from God”—testifies that the God who calls also sustains. Christologically, the entire vision converges on the crucified and risen Christ, the light of the world, whose sufferings and resurrection fulfill all Scripture and open salvation to the nations.

Application

Paul’s watchword—”I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19)—challenges us to faithful obedience to what God has revealed and called us to. Having seen the risen Christ and received His commission, Paul spent his life in costly obedience. We too are called to obey the revealed will of God, whatever it costs. This passage also insists that genuine repentance bears fruit: we are to perform “deeds in keeping with… repentance” (Acts 26:20). A repentance that changes nothing in our conduct is not the repentance God grants. Examine whether your professed turning to God has produced real change. Further, Paul’s testimony that “to this day I have had the help that comes from God” (Acts 26:22) encourages us that the God who calls us to hard obedience also sustains us in it; we do not persevere by our own strength but by grace. Finally, our message, like Paul’s, must be nothing but the Scriptures fulfilled in Christ—His suffering, resurrection, and the light He brings to all peoples. Beware the misapplication of separating grace from obedience, as if fruit were optional; and beware presuming to persevere in our own power rather than by the help that comes from God.

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Section 6 — “Almost Persuaded”: Festus and Agrippa (Acts 26:24–29)

Key Insight

As Paul reaches the resurrection, Festus interrupts: “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind” (Acts 26:24). The Roman governor, hearing talk of a rising from the dead, dismisses it as the raving of an over-studied intellect—the natural response of the unregenerate mind to which “the word of the cross is folly” (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23). Paul answers with dignity: “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words” (Acts 26:25). The gospel is not madness but sober truth. Paul then turns pointedly to Agrippa, appealing to public fact: “the king knows about these things… for this has not been done in a corner” (Acts 26:26). The death and reported resurrection of Jesus, and the spread of the church, were matters of public knowledge in Judea. Then Paul presses the king directly: “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe” (Acts 26:27). It is a masterful evangelistic thrust—Paul corners Agrippa with his own professed faith in the Scriptures, whose fulfillment Paul has just proclaimed. Agrippa’s reply is famously ambiguous: “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28). The phrase en oligō may mean “in a short time,” “with little effort,” or “almost.” The old rendering “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (KJV) captures the pathos even if the ESV’s “in a short time” is more literal; either way, Agrippa deflects the piercing question with a half-amused, half-defensive evasion. Paul’s response is a model of holy earnestness: “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains” (Acts 26:29). Spurgeon preached memorably on being “almost persuaded,” warning that “almost saved is altogether lost.” Calvin notes that Agrippa, convicted yet unwilling, “shifts off the force of the exhortation with a jest.” Matthew Henry observes that Paul desired for the king the greatest good—to be as Paul was in faith and joy, though not in chains. Christologically, the scene displays the gospel pressing upon the human heart: the risen Christ, proclaimed truthfully and reasonably, confronts even a king, who must either believe or turn away. Conviction is not conversion; Agrippa feels the pull yet resists the surrender.

Application

This section warns solemnly against the peril of being “almost persuaded.” Agrippa heard the truth, felt its force, and could not deny the facts—yet he deflected the call to faith. Many today stand where Agrippa stood: intellectually convinced, emotionally moved, even fond of the gospel, yet unwilling to surrender. Almost persuaded is not saved. The passage urges us to move from admiration to commitment, from feeling the pull to yielding the heart. Examine yourself: are you lingering at the threshold, hearing the word, moved by it, yet holding back? Do not presume upon “a short time”; today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:15). The passage also models faithful witness under mockery: when Festus called Paul mad, Paul did not retaliate but calmly commended the truth as “rational.” We should expect the gospel to be dismissed as folly by the natural mind and respond with composed conviction, not offense. Finally, Paul’s yearning—”I would to God that… all who hear me… might become such as I am” (Acts 26:29)—models the compassionate desire we should have for the salvation of even our accusers. Beware the misapplication of resting in mere conviction or emotional response as though it were faith; the call is to whole-hearted trust in the risen Christ.

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Section 7 — “This Man Could Have Been Set Free” (Acts 26:30–32)

Key Insight

The hearing ends as the dignitaries rise: “the king, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them” (Acts 26:30). Withdrawing to confer, they reach a unanimous verdict on the merits: “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment” (Acts 26:31). Then Agrippa’s summary judgment: “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar” (Acts 26:32). Luke includes this exchange with clear purpose. First, it establishes Paul’s legal innocence from the mouths of the highest Roman and Herodian authorities—paralleling the repeated declarations of Jesus’ innocence by Pilate (Luke 23:4, 14–15, 22). Just as the Lord was declared guiltless yet condemned, so His servant is declared guiltless yet remains a prisoner, sharing in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10; 1 Peter 2:21). Second, the note that Paul “could have been set free” but for his appeal to Caesar is not a lament over a tactical error but a testimony to God’s sovereign design. Paul’s appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:11) was the divinely appointed means to fulfill the Lord’s promise: “you must testify also in Rome” (Acts 23:11; cf. Acts 27:24). What appears to Agrippa as an unfortunate legal technicality is in fact the providential pathway by which the gospel will reach the imperial capital. Calvin observes that God so governs even the counsels of kings that they unwittingly serve His purposes; Paul’s chains become the road to Rome and to Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22). Matthew Henry notes the irony that those who could clear Paul cannot free him, because a higher hand directs his course. Christologically, the innocent servant, condemned to bonds though guiltless, follows in the footsteps of his innocent, condemned Lord, and by that path carries the gospel onward. The chapter thus closes not in defeat but in the quiet confidence that God’s sovereign purpose stands, and that even the machinery of Roman justice serves the advance of Christ’s kingdom to the ends of the earth.

Application

This closing scene teaches us to read our circumstances through the lens of God’s sovereignty. To human eyes, Paul’s situation looks like a missed opportunity—”he could have been set free” (Acts 26:32). To the eye of faith, his chains are the appointed road to Rome, fulfilling Christ’s promise. We too often lament apparent setbacks—closed doors, prolonged trials, decisions that seem to have cost us freedom—without seeing that God is directing our steps toward His purposes (Proverbs 16:9; Romans 8:28). The passage also reminds us that the world’s verdict of our innocence does not guarantee our release from suffering; like Christ and like Paul, we may be declared blameless yet still bear the cross. This is not injustice outside God’s control but participation in the sufferings of Christ, through which His purposes advance. Beware two misapplications: presuming that faithfulness always yields immediate deliverance, and interpreting every hardship as a mistake to be regretted. Instead, trust that the God who brought Paul to Rome by way of chains is writing a purposeful story in your trials. Let the confidence of this closing scene steady you: no verdict of man, no appeal, no delay can overturn the sovereign plan by which God advances His kingdom and keeps His promises.

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Cross References

Comparative Gospel Study

Not Applicable as Direct Comparison — Acts is New Testament historical narrative, not Gospel narrative. However, Acts 26 develops key Gospel themes:

First, the passion pattern of the innocent sufferer is unmistakable. As Pilate thrice declared Jesus innocent yet delivered Him to death (Luke 23:4, 14–15, 22), so Agrippa and Festus declare Paul guiltless yet leave him in chains (Acts 26:31–32). Luke, the author of both the Third Gospel and Acts, deliberately shapes Paul’s trials to echo Christ’s, showing that the disciple follows his Lord in suffering (Matthew 10:24–25; John 15:20).

Second, the chapter proclaims the heart of the Gospel: “that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). This is precisely the risen Christ’s own summary on the Emmaus road and in the upper room: “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” and “that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:26, 47).

Third, the resurrection, the climax of every Gospel, stands at the center of Paul’s defense (Acts 26:8, 23). The empty tomb that the Gospels narrate is here proclaimed as the ground of Israel’s hope and the fulfillment of prophecy.

Fourth, the theme of spiritual blindness and sight, prominent in the Gospels (John 9; Mark 8:22–26; Matthew 13:13–16), is central to Paul’s commission “to open their eyes” (Acts 26:18). The Gospel miracles of restored sight signified the spiritual illumination that Christ brings.

Fifth, the call to repentance and forgiveness of sins (Acts 26:18, 20) directly continues Jesus’ own preaching (Mark 1:15) and His commission to the disciples (Luke 24:47). Paul is carrying out the very mission the risen Christ entrusted to His church.

Old Testament Connections

Pentateuch: Paul insists his message is “nothing but what… Moses said would come to pass” (Acts 26:22). The promise to the fathers (Acts 26:6) reaches back to God’s covenant with Abraham that in his offspring “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:18)—fulfilled as light goes to the Gentiles (Acts 26:23). The proto-evangelium (Genesis 3:15) anticipates the crushing of Satan’s power, echoed in turning sinners “from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18).

Historical Books: The resurrection hope had roots in Israel’s story of God who “kills and brings to life” (1 Samuel 2:6) and raises the dead through His prophets (1 Kings 17:22; 2 Kings 4:34–35), foreshadowing the greater resurrection Paul proclaims.

Wisdom Literature: The theme of light versus darkness pervades the Wisdom writings: “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn” (Proverbs 4:18), while “the way of the wicked is like deep darkness” (Proverbs 4:19). “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light” (Psalm 36:9) anticipates the illumination of Acts 26:18. Job confesses, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth… yet in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25–26)—the resurrection hope Paul defends.

Major Prophets: The Servant Songs of Isaiah stand directly behind Paul’s commission: the Servant is given “as a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon” (Isaiah 42:6–7), and “a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). The suffering and vindication of the Servant (Isaiah 53) undergird “the Christ must suffer” (Acts 26:23). Daniel 12:2 promises resurrection: “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.”

Minor Prophets: The prophets foretold the ingathering of the nations to the light of the Lord (cf. Malachi 1:11; Amos 9:11–12, cited in Acts 15:16–17). The hope of resurrection and restoration life is pictured in Hosea 6:2 and Ezekiel 37’s valley of dry bones, anticipating the resurrection Paul defends.

New Testament Fulfillment

Gospels/Acts: Acts contains three accounts of Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:1–19; 22:6–21; 26:12–18), each emphasizing the commission to the Gentiles and the opening of eyes. Paul applies the Isaianic light-mission to himself in Acts 13:47. The risen Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20; Luke 24:46–47; Acts 1:8) is the mission Paul fulfills.

Paul’s Epistles: Paul’s own letters expound Acts 26:18. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6; cf. 4:4). “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). Believers are “children of light” who were “once darkness, but now… light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5). The inheritance “among those who are sanctified” (Acts 26:18) is developed in Ephesians 1:11, 18 and Colossians 1:12.

General Epistles/Revelation: “You are… a chosen race, a royal priesthood… that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). 1 John contrasts walking in darkness with walking in the light (1 John 1:5–7; 2:9–11). Revelation consummates the theme: in the New Jerusalem, “night will be no more… for the Lord God will be their light” (Revelation 22:5; 21:23–24), where the nations walk by the Lamb’s light—the final fulfillment of light proclaimed “to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23).

Redemptive-Historical Context

Acts 26 stands at a critical juncture in redemptive history, gathering up the great biblical storyline and driving it toward its consummation. From creation, God is the God of light who spoke, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), and made humanity to walk in fellowship with Him. The fall plunged the human race into spiritual darkness and under “the power of Satan” (Acts 26:18), enslaved, blind, and alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18). The whole subsequent narrative is God’s work to bring His people out of darkness back into light.

In redemption, God promised through Abraham that the nations would be blessed (Genesis 22:18) and through the prophets that His Servant would be “a light for the nations” (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). Paul’s defense proclaims the fulfillment: “the Christ must suffer and… by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). The cross and resurrection are the hinge of history—the Messiah’s suffering atones for sin, and His resurrection, “the first to rise,” inaugurates the new creation and guarantees the resurrection of His people (1 Corinthians 15:20–23). The commission of Acts 26:18 describes the application of this redemption: God opens blind eyes, turns sinners from Satan’s dominion to Himself, grants forgiveness (justification) and a place among the sanctified (an inheritance)—all “by faith in me.”

The chapter vividly displays the already/not yet tension. The light has already dawned; Christ is risen; the gospel is going to the Gentiles; sinners like Paul are being brought from darkness to light. Yet the fullness is not yet: Paul stands in chains, the world dismisses the gospel as madness, and kings remain “almost persuaded.” The kingdom is present in power but awaits its consummation.

Christologically, everything centers on the risen Jesus. He is the light brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13), the Lord who commissions (Acts 26:16), the Servant-Messiah who brings light to the nations (Acts 26:23), and the object of the faith by which sinners are sanctified (Acts 26:18). The New Covenant realities—forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Spirit implied in the opening of eyes, the inheritance among the sanctified—are all secured by His suffering and resurrection (Jeremiah 31:34; Luke 22:20).

The consummation toward which the chapter points is the new creation, where “night will be no more” (Revelation 22:5) and the nations walk in the light of the Lamb. Acts 26 thus places Paul’s mission—and the church’s—within the grand arc from creation’s light, through the fall’s darkness, to redemption’s dawning light in Christ, awaiting the unending light of the age to come.

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Systematic Theology Connection

Effectual Calling and Regeneration

Acts 26:18 is one of Scripture’s clearest windows into effectual calling. Christ sends Paul “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light.” Sinners are portrayed as blind and unable to turn until God opens their eyes; the turning is the fruit of a prior, sovereign, illuminating work. This is regeneration—the imparting of spiritual life and sight that precedes and enables faith. The Westminster Confession teaches that in effectual calling God “enlighten[s] their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by his almighty power determining them to that which is good” (WCF 10.1). The parallel in 2 Corinthians 4:6 is exact: the God who said “Let light shine out of darkness” shines in the heart. Man is passive in regeneration—eyes are opened to him—yet active in the conversion that flows from it, for he then “turns.” Practically, this doctrine humbles us: our salvation is God’s gift, not our achievement (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 1:13). It also fuels evangelism and prayer, for the God who opens eyes can open any eye; we preach and plead, depending on Him for the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6–7). Cross-references: Ezekiel 36:26–27; John 3:3–8; Acts 16:14 (“the Lord opened her heart”).

Total Depravity and the Bondage of the Will

The commission assumes the desperate condition of fallen humanity: sinners dwell in “darkness” and under “the power of Satan” (Acts 26:18). This is not partial impairment but bondage—spiritual blindness and enslavement to a hostile dominion (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1–3; Colossians 1:13). Paul’s own history illustrates it: sincerely convinced, yet “raging fury” against Christ (Acts 26:9, 11), unable to turn to God until God turned him. The Westminster Confession states that fallen man “is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto” (WCF 9.3). The will is not neutral; it is enslaved to sin until liberated by grace. This does not diminish human responsibility—Paul preaches that all “should repent and turn to God” (Acts 26:20)—but it locates the power to obey in God’s prior work. The chapter thus refutes any notion that unbelief is merely a lack of information; even a rising from the dead will not persuade the unregenerate heart (Luke 16:31). Practically, this doctrine slays pride, magnifies grace, and drives us to prayer for the lost, who cannot free themselves. Cross-references: Romans 3:10–12; Romans 8:7–8; John 6:44, 65; Jeremiah 13:23.

Justification and Forgiveness of Sins

Among the blessings of the commission is that sinners “may receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 26:18). Forgiveness is the remission of guilt grounded in the atoning suffering of Christ, whom “the Christ must suffer” declares (Acts 26:23). In Reformed theology this pardon is one aspect of justification—God’s judicial act declaring the believing sinner righteous for Christ’s sake, imputing to him the righteousness of Christ and forgiving all his sins (WCF 11.1; WSC Q.33). Paul, the chief of sinners and a persecutor, is himself the great trophy of this forgiveness (1 Timothy 1:15–16), showing that no guilt is too great for the blood of Christ to cover. Forgiveness comes “by faith in me” (Acts 26:18)—not by works, ritual, or personal merit, but by resting on Christ. This is the consistent apostolic message: “through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed” (Acts 13:38–39). Practically, this doctrine gives the guilty conscience rest, for our acceptance depends not on our record but on Christ’s finished work. It also frees us to forgive others, having been forgiven much (Ephesians 4:32). Cross-references: Romans 3:24–26; Romans 4:5–8; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:13–14.

Sanctification and the Inheritance of the Saints

The commission promises not only pardon but “a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). The perfect participle “sanctified” (hēgiasmenois) points to a settled state—those set apart to God as His holy people. This encompasses definitive sanctification (the decisive setting apart of believers in Christ, 1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:10) and the inheritance believers share among God’s holy ones (Colossians 1:12; Ephesians 1:18). Crucially, this belonging is “by faith in me”—faith is the instrument uniting the sinner to Christ, from whom all holiness flows. The Westminster Confession teaches that the sanctified are those “united to Christ” and “renewed in their whole man after the image of God” (WCF 13.1). Progressive sanctification then follows, evidenced in “deeds in keeping with… repentance” (Acts 26:20), for genuine faith produces holy fruit (WCF 16.2). Yet the ground of our inclusion among the sanctified is not our performance but our faith-union with Christ. Practically, this assures believers of their belonging to God’s holy people and calls them to live out the holiness into which they have been set apart (1 Peter 1:15–16). Cross-references: Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 12:14.

The Resurrection of the Dead

The resurrection saturates Acts 26. Paul is on trial for “hope in the promise” and the resurrection (Acts 26:6–8), proclaims Christ as “the first to rise from the dead” (Acts 26:23), and challenges, “Why is it thought incredible… that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8). Reformed theology confesses the bodily resurrection of Christ as the firstfruits and guarantee of the believer’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20–23; WCF 32). Christ’s resurrection vindicates His atoning work (Romans 4:25), demonstrates His deity (Romans 1:4), and secures the final resurrection of all the dead—the just to life and the unjust to judgment (John 5:28–29; Acts 24:15). This hope is the covenant hope of the fathers, now realized in Christ. Practically, the resurrection anchors Christian hope beyond the grave, undergirds bold witness even unto death (as with Paul), and assures believers that their labor “is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). It also grounds the certainty of judgment, calling all to repentance. Cross-references: Daniel 12:2; John 11:25–26; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Revelation 20:11–15; WSC Q.37–38.

Providence and the Sovereignty of God

The chapter closes displaying God’s meticulous providence: Paul, declared innocent, remains bound because he “appealed to Caesar” (Acts 26:32)—the very means by which God fulfills His promise that Paul would testify in Rome (Acts 23:11; 27:24). Reformed theology confesses that God “doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence” (WCF 5.1), ordering even the free decisions of kings and courts to accomplish His will (Proverbs 21:1; Ephesians 1:11). What appears a legal misstep is the appointed road to the empire’s heart. This same sovereignty ordained Paul’s fulfillment of Christ’s commission before “kings” (Acts 9:15). Practically, providence gives believers deep peace amid apparent setbacks, assuring them that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). It frees us from anxiety over outcomes and grounds confidence that God’s promises cannot fail. Cross-references: Genesis 50:20; Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; Daniel 4:35; Acts 2:23; 4:27–28.

Perseverance of the Saints

Paul testifies, “To this day I have had the help that comes from God” (Acts 26:22), attributing his endurance through years of persecution to divine grace rather than his own strength. This illustrates the perseverance of the saints—the truth that those whom God effectually calls and justifies He also keeps to the end. The Westminster Confession teaches that believers “can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end,” resting “upon the immutability of the decree of election,” the merit and intercession of Christ, and “the abiding of the Spirit” (WCF 17.1–2). Paul’s persistence—”I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19)—is real human faithfulness, yet its source is God’s sustaining help. This doctrine assures weary believers that the One “who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6), and that God “will sustain you to the end” (1 Corinthians 1:8). Practically, it fuels endurance under trial, not presumption, for God keeps His people through the means of faith, obedience, and dependence on grace. Cross-references: John 10:28–29; Romans 8:30, 38–39; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24.

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Reformed Theology

Acts 26 is a treasury of Reformed convictions, above all the sovereignty of God’s grace in salvation. The chapter’s theological center, Christ’s commission in verse 18, reads like a compendium of the ordo salutis interpreted through Reformed eyes. Sinners are blind and under Satan’s dominion; God must “open their eyes” before they can “turn from darkness to light.” Here is the Reformed doctrine of effectual calling and regeneration: the new birth is a sovereign, monergistic act by which God imparts spiritual sight, and only then does the sinner turn. As Calvin comments, God “makes a minister of grace out of a cruel wolf,” and the opening of the eyes is God’s own work. This coheres with the Canons of Dort and the Westminster standards, which confess that fallen man cannot convert himself but is “quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit” (WCF 10.1–2).

Paul’s own conversion is the paradigm case of unconditional election and irresistible grace. He was not a seeker but a persecutor in “raging fury” (Acts 26:11); grace apprehended him against his will and remade him. The proverb “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14) pictures the futility of resisting God’s effectual call. Reformed theologians from Augustine to Sproul have seen in Paul’s Damascus-road arrest a vivid emblem of sovereign, saving grace overcoming human rebellion (cf. Ephesians 2:1–10).

The chapter is also profoundly covenantal. Paul insists his gospel is “the promise made by God to our fathers” (Acts 26:6) and “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass” (Acts 26:22). This is Geerhardus Vos’s redemptive-historical vision: the New Testament gospel is the flowering of the one covenant of grace, not a departure from it. G.K. Beale’s work on the temple and the new creation illumines the light-to-the-nations theme, and the Isaianic Servant background (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6) shows Christ as the true Servant whose light-bringing mission Paul extends—a typological fulfillment dear to Reformed hermeneutics.

On the relationship of Israel and the church, the chapter proclaims that the light goes “both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23), fulfilling the Abrahamic promise that the nations would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). Reformed theology sees here not two peoples with separate destinies but the one people of God, drawn from Jew and Gentile, united by faith in the risen Messiah (Ephesians 2:11–22). The inheritance “among those who are sanctified by faith” (Acts 26:18) is the shared portion of all who believe.

The chapter also displays God’s meticulous providence (WCF 5), as Paul’s appeal to Caesar becomes the divinely appointed road to Rome (Acts 23:11; 26:32). Sinclair Ferguson and R.C. Sproul both emphasize how the Reformed doctrine of providence transforms our reading of apparent setbacks into confidence in God’s sovereign design. Finally, the perseverance of the saints shines in Paul’s testimony to “the help that comes from God” (Acts 26:22), and the harmony of divine sovereignty and human means appears in Paul’s earnest, reasoned pleading (Acts 26:29) joined to his reliance on God to open eyes. Calvin, Spurgeon, Henry, Poole, Carson, Piper, and Ferguson alike find in this chapter the grand Reformed themes: grace sovereign and free, the covenant fulfilled in Christ, the mission to the nations, and the God who keeps His own to the end.

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Dispensational Theology

A Dispensational reading of Acts 26 employs a consistently literal-grammatical hermeneutic and gives particular attention to the distinction between Israel and the church, the progress of God’s program through the book of Acts, and the future of national Israel. Dispensationalists such as Scofield, Ryrie, Walvoord, and Pentecost would note several features of this chapter.

First, Paul’s insistence that he is on trial “because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain” (Acts 26:6–7) is read as evidence that the promises to Israel remain in view. Dispensationalists emphasize the phrase “our twelve tribes,” seeing here Paul’s continued identification with national Israel and its covenant hope. Ryrie stresses that the church has not replaced Israel; the hope of the fathers—including the literal fulfillment of land, kingdom, and resurrection promises—awaits its consummation in God’s future dealings with the nation.

Second, the resurrection hope (Acts 26:8, 23) is understood literally and physically, consistent with the Dispensational commitment to a literal bodily resurrection and, in the broader system, a future resurrection program tied to God’s prophetic timetable. Walvoord’s eschatology grounds the believer’s hope in the literal resurrection Christ inaugurated as “the first to rise from the dead” (Acts 26:23).

Third, the commission to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17–18, 23) is significant in the Dispensational reading of Acts as a transitional book. Acts traces the movement of the gospel from Jerusalem and Israel outward to the Gentiles, and Paul is the distinctive apostle of the present age, the dispensation of the church (or, in classic Dispensationalism, the age of grace). The going forth of light “to the Gentiles” marks the outworking of the mystery of the church, largely hidden in the Old Testament and now revealed (Ephesians 3:1–6), though Dispensationalists carefully distinguish this present Gentile ingathering from the future national restoration of Israel promised by the prophets.

Fourth, Dispensationalists observe that Israel’s rejection of Paul’s message (Acts 26:21)—paralleling the nation’s rejection elsewhere in Acts—advances the movement of the gospel to the Gentiles in the present age, while the promises to national Israel are postponed, not annulled, awaiting the future kingdom (cf. Acts 28:25–28; Romans 11:25–29). Pentecost would stress that the present church age does not exhaust God’s plan; a literal future remains for Israel, including national conversion and the establishment of the messianic kingdom.

Fifth, on the “almost persuaded” exchange with Agrippa (Acts 26:28), Dispensationalists join other evangelicals in stressing the urgency of individual decision and the sufficiency of the gospel offer, employing the literal-grammatical reading of the text to press the necessity of personal faith in the crucified and risen Christ.

While Reformed and Dispensational interpreters differ sharply on the Israel-church relationship and the structure of redemptive history, both affirm the chapter’s central proclamation: the crucified and risen Christ, foretold by Moses and the prophets, is the light of salvation to Jew and Gentile, and He must be received by personal faith.

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Bibliography

• The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Wheaton: Crossway.
• Beale, G. K. The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. Downers Grove: IVP, 2004.
• Bruce, F. F. The Book of the Acts. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
• Calvin, John. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Translated by Christopher Fetherstone. Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society.
• Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
• Ferguson, Sinclair B. The Holy Spirit. Contours of Christian Theology. Downers Grove: IVP.
• Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. Volume 6: Acts to Revelation.
• Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
• Piper, John. Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ. Wheaton: Crossway.
• Poole, Matthew. A Commentary on the Holy Bible. Volume 3: Matthew to Revelation.
• Ryrie, Charles C. Dispensationalism. Chicago: Moody.
• Scofield, C. I., ed. The Scofield Reference Bible. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Sproul, R. C. Acts. St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary. Wheaton: Crossway.
• Spurgeon, Charles H. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (including sermons on “Almost Persuaded” and Paul’s conversion).
• Stott, John R. W. The Message of Acts. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove: IVP.
• Vos, Geerhardus. Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
• Walvoord, John F. The Millennial Kingdom. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
• The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.