Repentance, Works, and Paul’s Early Ministry in Acts 26
Question
Does Acts 26:20 teach repentance from sins? What’s the context?
Acts 26:20: “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”
Originally published in Vol. 1, Number 9, September 2026, Ask The Theologian Journal.
Answer
Acts 26:20, taken in its own terms, clearly does present a call to repentance that includes both an inner turning and outward works consistent with that repentance: “that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” This is not the by-grace-through-faith-without-works gospel later articulated in Paul’s mystery teaching. The crucial issue is the historical and theological context of the ministry Paul is summarizing.
The setting: Paul before Agrippa
In Acts 26 Paul is defending himself before King Agrippa. He recounts his encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road and the commission he received. In verses 16–18, he quotes what the Lord said to him:
“But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:16–18)
This language is saturated with covenant and prophetic terminology: forgiveness of sins, inheritance, sanctification, and turning from darkness to light. “Inheritance” is legal covenant language; it belongs to a particular sanctified people. “Sanctified by faith that is in me” fits well with the requirement that the covenant people exercise faith in their Messiah. It does not, by itself, define the later mystery gospel.
When Paul then says in verse 20 that he preached “that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance,” he is describing his activity under this commission as it stood at that time, which is in continuity with the kingdom proclamation associated with Peter and the Twelve.
Relation to the kingdom message
The content of Acts 26:20 parallels what we see in Peter’s preaching. For example, Peter calls Israel to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins in Acts 2:38 and speaks of sins being blotted out in connection with repentance in Acts 3:19. The inclusion of “works meet for repentance” in Acts 26:20 is entirely consistent with a kingdom-oriented message in which repentance, visible faithfulness, and readiness for the promised kingdom are stressed.
The danger arises when this language is read as if it were a direct exposition of the later mystery gospel of grace. If one takes Acts 26:20 as a timeless, normative summary of Paul’s message in all phases of his ministry, and then tries to harmonize it with his clear statements about justification apart from works in letters like Romans and Galatians, significant theological confusion results.
Rightly dividing Paul’s ministry
A better approach is to recognize development and distinction within Paul’s ministry. In Acts 26 he is describing his early work from Damascus onward, under a commission that aligns with the broader kingdom program: he is sent “to the people and to the Gentiles” to bring them into the sphere where they may receive forgiveness and inheritance among the sanctified people. This involves repentance, turning to God, and works suitable to repentance.
Later, with the revelation of the mystery and the explicit teaching that Jews and Gentiles are united in one body and justified by grace through faith apart from works of law, Paul articulates the distinct gospel of the uncircumcision. That later teaching does not rest on a requirement of demonstrable works as a condition of receiving justification.
Therefore, Acts 26:20 does indeed teach repentance that includes works fitting repentance, but it does so within the framework of Paul’s kingdom-related ministry as he recounts it to Agrippa. It must not be lifted out of that context and made to define the content of the mystery gospel. Rightly dividing the word requires us to distinguish Paul’s early, kingdom-connected proclamation from his later, fully developed statement of the grace gospel revealed to him.