< Acts 26 >

The Pharisees were professed believers in the resurrection but nevertheless this particular belief was the basis of the accusations laid against Paul.

This is a most important statement by the apostle. It is the hope of all disciples of Christ based on the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which can only be fulfilled by the resurrection of these faithful men. Resurrection from the dead is, therefore, an essential element of the Christian faith, as the apostle himself wrote to the Corinthian disciples 1 Corinthians 15:13-14Waiting for response for 1 Corinthians 15:13-14

If someone dies suddenly, the only possible hope is that he might be resuscitated, and the medical profession has technology to restart hearts and lungs to restore life. We should have no difficulty therefore in believing in resurrection, as Paul said to Agrippa. Modern man can do extraordinary things, but God has the knowledge and power to do much more, including restoring a person to life irrespective of how long he has been dead.

Like all the apostles and early disciples of Christ, Paul preached the gospel and the truth concerning Jesus from the Old Testament scriptures, and this should be the same today, although we also have the benefit of the New Testament. It is common for the study of the Old Testament to be disparaged, as it was by Festus, but the apostle could only direct Agrippa’s attention to these same scriptures.

This might appear to have been a mistake, yet the upshot was as Jesus intended - Paul would bear witness to him in Rome.