Quotes About Faith

But Festus replied, “Paul is being held in Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.

When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they could not prove.

Then Paul made his defense: “I have committed no offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”

Paul replied, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.

If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Since they were staying several days, Festus laid out Paulís case before the king: “There is a certain man whom Felix left in prison.

While I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews presented their case and requested a judgment against him.

They only had some contentions with him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

But when Paul appealed to be held over for the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar.”

Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” “Tomorrow you will hear him,” Festus declared.

But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:

“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,

especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patiently.

Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and in Jerusalem.

They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.

And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers,

the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to realize as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews.

Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.