The apostle spoke with earnestness and evident sincerity, and his words carried with them a conviction of their truthfulness. Moreover, his statements were in harmony with the letter of Claudius Lysias. Felix himself had so long resided at Caesarea—where the Christian religion had been known for many years—that he had a better knowledge of that religion than the Jews supposed, and he was not deceived by their representations. The words of Paul made a deep impression upon his mind, and enabled him to understand still more clearly the motives of the Jews. He would not gratify them by unjustly condemning a Roman citizen, neither would he give him up to them to be put to death without a fair trial. Yet Felix knew no higher motive than self-interest, and his love of praise and desire for promotion controlled him. Fear of offending the Jews held him back from doing justice in the case, and releasing a man whom he knew to be innocent. He deferred all further action in the case until Lysias should be present, saying, “When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.” {LP 238.3}

Apostlen taler med alvor og tydelig oprigtighed, og hans ord fører en overbevisende sandfærdighed med sig. Derudover var hans udtalelser i overensstemmelse med brevet fra Kaludius Lysias. Feliks selv havde boet længe i Kaseræa – hvor den kristne religion var kendt i mange år – så han kendte bedre til den religion end jøderne troede, og han ikke blev bedraget af deres udlægninger. Paulus ord gjorde dybt indtryk på hans tanker, og fik ham til at forstå endnu mere klart jødernes motiver. Han ville ikke tilfredsstille dem ved at dømme en romersk statsborger uretsmæssigt, han ville heller ikke overgive ham til dem til henrettelse uden en retsmæssig undersøgelse. Alligevel kendte Feliks ikke til noget højere motiv end sine egne interesse, og hans kærlighed til ros og ønske om ophøjelse kontrollerede ham. Af frygt for at fornærme jøderne undlod han at handle retfærdigt i sagen, og løslade en mand han vidste var uskyldig. Han ville ikke gøre noget i sagen før Lysias var til stede, og sagde: »Når kommandanten Lysias kommer herned, vil jeg påkende jeres sag.«