Acts 26:20
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
Before King Agrippa Paul summed up his preaching as first to Damascus, then to Jerusalem and throughout Judea, and then to the Gentiles. His call in every place was for people of every class to repent and turn to God with faith in Christ, turning from darkness and Satan's power to receive forgiveness and an inheritance among the sanctified. At Damascus he pressed that call by proving from Moses and the prophets that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ whose first coming fulfilled prophecy. Turning to God must be shown by a life consistent with repentance and shaped by faith in Christ. True repentance does thorough earnest work with a broken heart, openly confessing sin without evasion or excuse, and only then are sins blotted out that would otherwise stand registered in heaven.
Paul's Witness Before Rulers
The verse belongs to Paul's statement of the reasons for his faith before King Agrippa and the principal men of Caesarea while he was waiting to be sent to Rome. It was part of a courteous and persuasive speech that models how a Christian should address rulers, even in difficult circumstances. It shows the gospel brought before rulers and nobles while Paul was in imprisonment for that gospel, yet heard by those in power. That setting was echoed when the Protestant faith was proclaimed before the princes and lords of the empire.
The verse records the geographic order of his preaching: first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout Judea, and then to the Gentiles, first to Jews and then to Gentiles. In Damascus and Jerusalem, then throughout Judea and beyond to the Gentiles, he preached repentance and turning to God to people of every class. In those places his message was his witness to Jesus the crucified and risen.
The verse summarizes his call for people of every class to repent, turn to God, have faith in Christ, and live in ways that demonstrate repentance, a life consistent with repentance and shaped by faith in Christ. Turning to God means turning from darkness and Satan's power to receive forgiveness and an inheritance among the sanctified, and living accordingly. This preaching was the mission given to him by Christ.
At Damascus he supported this call by proving from prophecy that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, showing that the prophecies of Christ's first advent had been fulfilled. His appeal traced prophetic history to Christ and his crucifixion, rested on the sure word of prophecy as the foundation of faith, and was in harmony with Moses and the prophets. Proclaimed before rulers and others, this testimony about Jesus and his conversion strengthened believers, brought many to believe and added new converts. Yet some hearers were convicted, some refused to respond, and those who delayed lost opportunity as their hearts became hardened.
This preaching was the reason the Jews seized him in the temple.
Repentance and Its Works
Turning to God must be shown by works that fit repentance, a life consistent with repentance and shaped by faith in Christ. The call to repent and turn to God was proclaimed first in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout Judea, and later to the Gentiles. In those places the message was repentance toward God, faith in Christ, and witness to Jesus the crucified and risen.
True repentance does not cover sin but openly confesses it and makes thorough, earnest work with a broken heart, without equivocating, evading, covering up, making excuses, or seeking to save dignity. Turning to God brings the converting power of Christ's grace into the soul, and doing deeds that fit repentance brings light, peace, freedom and forgiveness, so that the one the Lord makes free is free indeed and those burdened by his guilt are also made free. Earnest repentance is required because God will not be trifled with, and evasions and excuses grieve His Spirit. Only then are sins blotted out that would otherwise stand registered in the books of heaven.
Proving repentance means taking hold in earnest to cooperate with God in securing eternal life, and God will work with everyone who does so. It requires reading and pondering Scripture, being in earnest, and treating heaven as worth everything, to be secured even at the loss of all else.
In one application, workers connected with the printing establishment in Nashville must repent and prove it by deeds fitting repentance. This requires not lifting the soul to vanity in self-esteem and self-confidence, but doing thorough work for time and for eternity with clearer perceptions of what is sin. When they do this the work that has been running behind will prosper in Nashville and that prosperity will extend to other places. In another application, people who have withheld tithes and offerings from God show repentance by making up what they withheld without delay.