Almost Persuaded, but Altogether Lost

And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. 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 when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar. - Acts 26:24-32

    Agrippa was a mighty man of wealth, power and respectability. He was king over Judea. Unlike his predecessors or his peers, Agrippa was a thoughtful, religious man. He had embraced the tenets of the Jews' religion, avowed his faith in the Old Testament Scriptures and enjoyed a rare privilege and opportunity. Agrippa heard the man of God deliver a message from God in the power of God! He not only heard Paul preach, he was fully convinced of the truthfulness of Paul's message. The way of life and salvation was set before him. Before his very eyes, Jesus Christ crucified was evidently set forth. The door of mercy was opened to him. He had opportunity to enter it. But this man wilfully disobeyed the command of the gospel. In the hour of opportunity, he trifled. When God spoke, he stopped his ears. He was, according to his own words, 'almost persuaded' to be a Christian, but was altogether lost. In these verses, the Holy Spirit holds Agrippa before the eyes of souls facing the prospect of eternity as a beacon to warn them that God will not trifle with those who trifle with the gospel!

    Are you, like the Jews of Elijah's day, halting between two opinions, convinced that the gospel of God's free, saving grace in Christ is true, yet continuing in the path of unbelief and rebellion? You may compliment yourself that you are 'almost persuaded'. You may think it is a commendable thing to be like the rich young ruler who was near the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34). Other people may compliment you for your apparent interest in the things of God. Be warned: to be near the kingdom is to be altogether outside the kingdom! To be almost persuaded is to be altogether lost! If you continue halting between two opinions, you will soon be confirmed in reprobate unbelief. If you continue to trifle with God, you will soon be destroyed by God (Prov. 1:23-33; 29:1). You must enter the door of mercy while it is open. God's ambassador warns you, 'Receive not the grace of God in vain. . .Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation' (2 Cor. 6:1-2).

    1. What is a Christian?

    A Christian is one who is anointed by God, a follower of Christ, one who is like Christ. That is what the word 'Christian' means. Nothing in this world can properly be called 'Christian' except the church and people of our God. Paul tells us what a Christian is in verse 18. A Christian is a person who is taught by God, one whose eyes God has opened to see and know the truth (John 6:44-45). Being taught by God, all true believers 'have the mind of Christ' (1 Cor. 2:16) to understand spiritual things. A Christian is a person who has been taught by God to acknowledge and confess his sin (1John 1:9), to trust the God-man, Jesus Christ, as his only sin-atoning substitute and Saviour (1 Cor. 1:30), and to gratefully confess, 'By the grace of God I am what I am' (1 Cor. 15:10).

    Christians are sinners who have been transformed by the grace and power of God, turned 'from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God' (26:18; 2 Cor. 5:17).

    Christians have received the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7). All sins, past, present and future, are forgiven us through our Saviour's blood. Blessed are they to whom God will not impute sin! (Ps. 32:1-2; Rom. 4:8).

    A Christian is a person whose treasure is in heaven. We have an inheritance among the saints to which we were predestinated in eternity (Eph. 1:11), which was earned, purchased and claimed for us by Christ our forerunner (Heb. 6:20), and which we shall fully possess at last (John 14:1-3).

    All true Christians are sanctified by the grace of God. That is to say, God has made them holy by his grace in Christ, so that all who are Christians are saints, being made holy by the imputed righteous ness of Christ in justification (Rom. 3:24-26; 5:19)and the imparted righteousness of Christ in regeneration (1 John 3:9).

    In short, a Christian is a person who trusts the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved by 'faith that is in' him. We have been effectually taught by God to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Briefly stated, that is what a Christian is. Those who have not experienced and do not possess these graces are not Christians.

    2. How did Paul persuade Agrippa to trust Christ and be a Christian?

    He was not indifferent to this man's soul. Knowing the terror of the Lord, he persuaded him to come to Christ (2 Cor. 5:11) with four strong arguments.

    First, he appealed to the Word of God (26:22). His only argument was: 'Thus saith the Lord...' This is the only weapon of our warfare. We do not appeal to science, history, or logic as a buttress for faith. Rather, we demand that all men bow to the Word of God. Believing God's Word as a revelation from him is the only way anyone can be saved (1 John 4:10-14).

    Secondly, Paul testified to Agrippa of what he had personally experienced of the grace of God (26:6-19). He told the king what the Lord had done for him. That is good witnessing! Everyone can tell what he or she has experienced, and there is no better way to persuade sinners than telling them what God has done for you as a sinner.

    Thirdly, the apostle gave Agrippa a clear statement of the historic facts of the gospel (26:23). God became incarnate (John 1:14). The incarnate Christ bore the sins of his people upon the cross as the sinner's substitute, satisfying divine justice for all his people by his vicarious death (2Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:26; 1Peter 3:18). He rose from the dead on the third day (Rom. 4:25), ascended into heaven and makes intercession there as an advocate and High Priest for his people (1 John 2:1-2). This risen, exalted Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who trust him (Heb. 7:25; John 17:2).

    Then Paul laid the axe to the root of the tree, demanding that Agrippa openly acknowledge the claims of Christ in the gospel (26:27-29). Though he was wearing Roman chains, Paul was still the servant of Christ, and he boldly behaved as the servant of Christ, even to the point of laying his life on the line! Agrippa must have been shocked! Yet he could not deny the truthfulness of Paul's message. So the question must be raised:

    3. If he was convinced of the message Paul preached, why was this man only 'almost persuaded'?

    Why will men and women who know that the gospel is true persist in willful rebellion against its claims? For the same reasons Agrippa did. There was one sitting by his side he was unwilling to give up. Bernice was his sister, a beautiful, but shameless woman. She and Agrippa were living together in an incestuous relationship. If he laid hold on Christ, he must let Bernice go, but he would not do so. This was his point of rebellion. That is where God always meets a sinner.

    There was another sitting beside Agrippa whose disapproval he did not want. Festus was lower in rank than Agrippa, but if he wanted to, he could cause the king much trouble with Caesar. It was, at least in part, the fear of man that kept Agrippa from Christ.

    Paul was probably an obstacle to his faith as well. He saw the bonds, imprisonment, shame, sorrow and reproach that Paul had to endure for Christ, and was unwilling to pay that price. He counted the cost (Matt. 13:44-46; Luke 14:28) and said, 'Christ is not worth that to me!'

    But, primarily, the problem was in his own heart. Agrippa loved the world, the pomp, the pleasures, the fame, the riches, the sin, the power and the comfort of the world. He was almost persuaded, but he could not, and would not, forsake the world and follow Christ. Will you?

    A plane once took off from Chicago bound for Mexico with a bad ringing in the engine. One of the passengers was almost persuaded by his wife not to board the plane, but he did. The plane crashed and he died. A man saw a penny-stock rising on the market. He was almost persuaded not to invest his money. But he decided to risk everything, and he lost it all. A man had a sharp pain in his chest and a numbness in his arms. He was a little fearful. His wife almost persuaded him to go to the hospital. But the pain subsided and he died of a heart attack. The warning the Holy Spirit gives us by this man Agrippa is written in clear letters: to be almost persuaded is to be altogether lost! If you meet God almost persuaded, you will be altogether lost for ever!