And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”
Acts 24:25 (ESV)
Felix was the Roman procurator of Judea when Paul was rescued from the Jewish crowd trying to kill him and then taken prisoner by the Roman authorities. Paul eventually found himself on trial before Felix, followed by two years of confinement. Felix knew Paul was innocent, but was doing a favor to the Jews by keeping him confined (Acts 24:27), while at the same time hoping for a bribe from Paul (Acts 24:26).
Shortly after Paul’s initial appearance before Felix, Felix sent for him to learn more about faith in Christ (Acts 24:24). But it appears that Felix did not get what he expected. Felix was likely interested in a factual presentation of what Christians believed. Instead, Paul seemed to get very personal, dealing with sin and the judgment to come. And that scared Felix.
But why was he afraid? Felix was not a Christian and did not even believe in God, following instead the Roman gods. It would not seem like Paul’s message should have had any impact on him.
Conviction of Sin
And indeed it would not have, had not the Holy Spirit been at work. We might be tempted to think that the Holy Spirit works only in the lives of believers. And while he does play a critical role in our lives, the Holy Spirit also brings conviction of sin to the world (John 16:7-11). And that would seem to be what was happening with Felix here.
Apart from the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin in the life of an unbeliever, they would never respond to the gospel message. Unfortunately, many respond the same way that Felix did, with fear and rejection. It may be that the perceived cost of life with Christ is more than they are willing to pay. Or that the consequences of life without Christ are too great to contemplate. But denial, no matter what form it takes, does not remove either the cost or the consequences.
