Acts 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. 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.
Paul spoke these words in his defense and testimony before King Agrippa in the court of Festus, where before rulers and leading people he explained his faith and preached Christ and his own conversion. They were his answer when Agrippa, convicted by the truth of the gospel, admitted he was almost persuaded to become a Christian. By them Paul wished that Agrippa and all who heard him would become believers in Christ like himself, sharing his faith, hope, confidence and peace with God, yet remain free from his chains, imprisonment and hardships. The wish was spoken with gentle courtesy and dignified kindness toward rulers, showing a mild and self-sacrificing spirit that sought the good he had found for his hearers and even his persecutors without revenge and without their suffering as he had suffered. Upheld by the Holy Spirit, his confident witness carried the gospel through imprisonment to rulers and nobles, becoming a pattern for its later proclamation before the princes and lords of the empire at Augsburg.
Setting and Meaning
Paul's words belong to his defense and testimony before King Agrippa in the court of Festus, before the other leading people of Caesarea and before kings and governors. There he had opportunity to explain the reasons for his faith and to preach about Jesus and his own conversion. They are his answer to Agrippa's admission that he was almost persuaded to become a Christian. Agrippa spoke when convicted of the truth of the gospel.
By wishing his hearers were such as he is, Paul wished that Agrippa and all who heard him that day would become believers in Christ and Christians like himself. He wished them to share his faith, hope, confidence, and peace with God. By adding except these bonds, while pointing to his own chain, he wished them to remain free of his chains, imprisonment, and hardships. He wanted them to receive the good he had found without suffering as he had suffered.
To be almost persuaded means to recognize the right way and to feel conviction about grace, pardon, and mercy, yet to refuse the offered mercy and the cross of Christ. Many who are almost persuaded put off deciding and lose the opportunity.
Courtesy and Courage in Witness
Paul's reply to Agrippa is the model of true Christian courtesy, refinement, and persuasive eloquence. It was spoken with gentle courtesy and dignified kindness of heart toward rulers, even while he himself was persecuted and imprisoned. In the court of Festus, when Agrippa was convicted of the truth of the gospel and exclaimed that he was almost persuaded to be a Christian, Paul answered by pointing to his own chain and wishing to God that not only Agrippa but all who heard him that day might become altogether such as he was as a Christian, except for his bonds. His wish that his hearers should share his condition, except for his bonds, exemplifies that courtesy before Agrippa and his hearers.
The wish reveals a mild, self-sacrificing spirit of earnest concern rather than revenge, even toward persecutors. He desired that Agrippa and everyone listening should share his faith, hope, confidence, and peace with God. At the same time he desired that they be spared his imprisonment and hardships and not suffer as he had suffered. He wanted them to receive the good he had found, without the suffering through which he held it.
Faith in Christ is what gave him confidence before Agrippa. Upheld by the power of the Holy Spirit against the tide of persecution, he presented truth in a way that fastened upon Agrippa the conviction that Christ is the Son of God.
Gospel Before Rulers
Paul's imprisonment became the means by which the gospel was brought before rulers and nobles. Though held as a prisoner, he was set before kings and governors to present his faith in the full hearing of Acts 26:1-32. His wish that his royal hearers and all who heard him might share his faith, except for his bonds, belongs to that testimony before royalty. That presentation before rulers and nobles became the pattern for the later proclamation of the gospel before the princes and lords of the empire at Augsburg.