And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
Acts 24:24-25
We would do well to follow Paul’s example as he reasoned with Felix. Paul knew the same thing everyone else did concerning this Roman leader. Historians tell us he ruled with cruelty, and the biblical account makes it clear he was accustomed to taking bribes. His adulterous relationship with his wife Drusilla (his third) was common knowledge for he had persuaded her to leave her husband and marry him. Felix was powerful and crooked, a dangerous combination, and yet Paul was faithful to his soul. He didn’t just tell him that he needed faith in Christ, he told him why faith in Him was required. I love Paul’s three-point outline as he reasoned with him concerning:
1) Righteousness
If you ask men in general, they feel like they’re doing alright. Everyone’s basically good in his or her own eyes, but the problem is that man’s standard of goodness falls far short of God’s. God requires righteousness. His standard is holiness! He says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1Pe 1:16) So, if God only accepts righteousness, how do I attain to that level of goodness? That question brings us to our next point.
2) Self-control
If God requires righteousness, then we need to exhibit self-control. The commands of God, His law, can be kept if we simply exercise self-control, resisting the impulses of this flesh. But, we have a problem with our attempts at attaining righteousness by controlling our sinful desires. We continually fall short! Isa 64:6 says “we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” And Rom 6:20 reminds us that we are born as “slaves of sin” and therefore “free in regard to righteousness”. But the news gets worse…
3) Judgment
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…” (Heb 9:27) This righteous God will judge the world one day to see how each one measures up to His righteous requirement. “…because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained” (Act 17:31) Judgment is certain for all, and we will be judged according to what we have done, whether right or wrong, good or bad. (Rom 2:5-11) In that day, any debt unpaid will require eternally payment in hell.
No wonder when Paul was done reasoning with Felix concerning these things, Felix was afraid! But don’t forget, the point to all of this discussion was so that the hearer might understand his need of a Savior. Yes, when we look to ourselves, we’re left with no hope. But, for those safe in Christ, Rom 3:21-22 is the reality. “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” And so, God requires righteousness, but every effort on our own to exercise self-control in order to attain that righteousness falls short and leaves us fearful of eternal judgment. But God be praised, He has provided a Way for us to attain unto the righteousness of God! We can have hope in the day of judgment, “not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith”. (Php 3:9) Now, that’s good news!
Jamie