Over and over again in chapters 21-26 Paul is forced to give a defense of his faith and share the hope he has found in Christ.
In his defense before Felix, Roman governor of the region, Paul lifts up three aspects of the Way: justice, self-control, and the coming judgement.
Justice refers to God’s desire for each of us to live upright and moral lives. As governor, Felix was responsible for ensuring justice was done in his territory. However, as we see in verse 26, he was also prone to seeking bribes and thus perverting justice for his own benefit.
In Galatians 5, Paul lists self-control as a dimension of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-25). Self-control, in this sense, is true freedom. It is the ability to live free of emotional reactivity and gluttonous behaviors.
The coming judgement is simply making plain this truth: each of us will one day give an accounting of our lives before God.
Justice, self-control, and the coming judgment are just as much a part of the Good News of Jesus as is God’s love for the world.
In fact, it is God’s love for the world that necessitates that one day everything that is base, cruel, unjust, and unrighteous be condemned.
The question is will we allow the Spirit to purify our hearts during
this
life so that we can live justly and with self-control without fear of the judgement to come?
