And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Paul — a Jewish man who had become one of the earliest and most passionate followers of Jesus — was standing trial before a Roman governor named Felix. His accusers were Jewish religious leaders who wanted him silenced and punished. In this verse, Paul points out something remarkable: even his opponents shared a core belief in the resurrection of the dead, a hope deeply woven into Jewish faith for centuries. Paul extends that hope further than his accusers might like — not just resurrection for the righteous, but for the wicked too. Everyone will rise. Everyone will face God. That's either the most comforting or the most sobering thing you'll read today, depending on where you're standing.
God, I confess I don't always live like eternity is real. I hold onto bitterness because it feels like the only justice I'll get. Help me trust that you are the God who raises the dead — and that no wrong is finally forgotten or unaddressed in your hands. Amen.
There's something almost disarming about Paul's courtroom move here. He doesn't swing at his accusers — he finds common ground. "We believe the same thing," he essentially says. The resurrection isn't his personal theological hobby horse; it's a shared hope embedded in the story of God's people for generations. But then he goes further than his opponents are comfortable with: even the wicked rise. This isn't a warm universalism — it's accountability stretched across death itself. The courtroom of human history is not the final one. We live in a world where injustice goes unanswered with stunning regularity. People who cause real, lasting harm sometimes die peacefully in comfortable beds. Victims don't always get their day in court. This verse doesn't offer false comfort, but it offers something real: no story ends without a final reckoning, and nothing is truly buried forever. That can feel like a warning or like a rescue, depending on where you're standing. Either way, it's an invitation to take eternity seriously — including what you do today, before that day comes.
What does Paul mean by "a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked" — and what does that imply about God's justice reaching beyond the boundary of death?
Where in your life — or in the world around you — do you most urgently need to believe that wrongs will ultimately be made right?
Does the idea of a universal resurrection — that even the wicked will rise and face God — make you feel relieved, deeply unsettled, or both? Be honest about why.
How might believing in a final, universal accountability change how you respond when someone wrongs you or someone you love — particularly when there is no earthly justice in sight?
What is one concrete way you could live differently this week in light of the reality that eternity is real and unavoidable for every person you will encounter today?
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:25
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Thessalonians 4:16
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:12
And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luke 14:14
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Daniel 12:2
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1 Thessalonians 4:14
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:13
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John 5:28
having [the same] hope in God which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of [the dead], both of the righteous and of the wicked.
AMP
having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.
ESV
having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
NASB
and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
NIV
I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
NKJV
I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.
NLT
And I admit to living in hopeful anticipation that God will raise the dead, both the good and the bad. If that's my crime, my accusers are just as guilty as I am.
MSG