◄ Acts 22:25 ►
But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?"
Study Bible
But as they stretched him out to strap him down,

Roman scourging was a brutal punishment, often administered with a leather whip designed to inflict severe pain and bodily injury. The soldiers were preparing Paul for interrogation by torture, treating him as a dangerous prisoner before any formal hearing had established guilt. Bound and exposed before the whip, Paul faced the same kind of unjust violence that Roman power could readily inflict upon the powerless.

Jhn 19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.
Mat 27:26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus…
Mrk 15:15 And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas…

Paul said to the centurion standing there,

Paul remained composed and alert amid immediate danger. The centurion held military authority over the soldiers carrying out the order and could be held accountable for an unlawful punishment. Paul did not resist violently or deny the authority of the government; he appealed soberly to the law that the government itself was obligated to uphold.

Mrk 15:39 When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus…
Mat 27:54 When the centurion and those with him saw the earthquake…
Luk 23:47 When the centurion saw what had happened,…

“Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”

Roman citizenship protected a person from being bound and scourged without due process. Those who violated that protection could face serious consequences, especially when the accused citizen had not been condemned by a court. Paul’s appeal halted the illegal action and preserved his life and mission for further testimony about Christ. His use of lawful rights accords with his earlier appeal at Philippi and anticipates his appeal to Caesar. Though Paul was innocent of the charges brought against him, he wisely used every legitimate means available to continue serving the Lord.

Act 16:37-39 But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly…
Act 25:16 I told them that it is not the Roman custom…
Jhn 7:51 Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul
The apostle and central figure in this passage, who is being prepared for flogging. He is a Roman citizen, which plays a crucial role in the unfolding events.

2. Centurion
A Roman officer in charge of a hundred soldiers, who is responsible for overseeing the punishment of Paul. His role is pivotal as he responds to Paul's question about the legality of flogging a Roman citizen.

3. Roman Citizenship
A significant status in the Roman Empire that provided certain legal protections and privileges, including the right to a fair trial before punishment.

4. Jerusalem
The city where this event takes place, a central location for early Christian activity and significant in the context of Paul's missionary journeys.

5. Flogging
A form of punishment involving whipping, which was commonly used by Roman authorities but was illegal to administer to Roman citizens without a trial.
Teaching Points
Understanding Legal Rights
Paul’s invocation of his Roman citizenship teaches the importance of understanding and utilizing legal rights to protect oneself and further the Gospel.

Wisdom in Adversity
Paul demonstrates wisdom and discernment in a difficult situation, reminding believers to seek God’s guidance when facing trials.

Courage to Speak Up
Paul’s boldness in questioning the legality of his punishment encourages Christians to stand firm in truth and justice.

God’s Sovereignty in Circumstances
This event shows how God can use earthly systems and laws to protect His servants and advance His purposes.

Identity in Christ
While Paul uses his Roman citizenship, his ultimate identity is in Christ, reminding believers of their primary allegiance to God’s kingdom.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Paul’s Roman citizenship affect the outcome of this situation, and what does this teach us about the importance of understanding our rights?

2. In what ways can we apply Paul’s example of wisdom and discernment when facing unjust treatment today?

3. How does Paul’s boldness in speaking up for his rights challenge us to address issues of justice in our own lives and communities?

4. What does this passage reveal about God’s sovereignty and how He can use earthly systems to accomplish His purposes?

5. How can we balance our earthly citizenship with our heavenly citizenship, as Paul exemplifies in his life and writings?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 16:37
Paul previously invoked his Roman citizenship in Philippi to avoid unlawful punishment, highlighting the recurring theme of legal rights and protections.

Philippians 3:20
Paul speaks of a higher citizenship in heaven, which provides a spiritual parallel to his earthly Roman citizenship.

John 18:28-40
The trial of Jesus before Pilate, where legal proceedings and questions of justice are central themes, similar to Paul's situation.
Sermons
Times to Suffer, and Times to Get Relief from SufferingR. Tuck Acts 22:25
Damager and DeliveranceE. Johnson Acts 22:22-29
Rescue of the Prisoner and Reference of His Cause to the Jewish SanhedrimR.A. Redford Acts 22:22-30
The Earthly and the Heavenly CitizenshipW. Clarkson Acts 22:23-30
Asserting RightsH. O. Mackey.Acts 22:24-29
Birthright Goodness and Goodness Which We Pay ForJ. Freeman Clarke.Acts 22:24-29
The Christian's BirthrightChristian AgeActs 22:24-29
The Jews, the Boman, and the ChristianJ. W. Burn.Acts 22:24-29
The Moral Cowardice of WarriorsD. Thomas, D. D.Acts 22:24-29
The Prevailing PleaChristian AgeActs 22:24-29
The Privileges of BirthJ. H. Tasson.Acts 22:24-29
People
Ananias, Gamaliel, Paul, Saul, Stephen
Places
Cilicia, Damascus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tarsus
Topics
Bands, Blows, Bound, Captain, Centurion, Citizen, Flog, Forward, Guilty, Hasn't, Judged, Law, Lawful, Leather, Legal, Paul, Permit, Present, Roman, Round, Scourge, Standing, Stood, Straps, Stretched, Stretching, Thongs, Tied, Uncondemned
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Acts 22:25

     5305   empires
     5495   revenge, and retaliation
     8787   opposition, to God

Acts 22:22-25

     8498   witnessing, and Holy Spirit

Acts 22:22-29

     5219   authority, human institutions

Acts 22:24-25

     5313   flogging

Acts 22:25-26

     5250   centurion

Acts 22:25-29

     5255   citizenship

Library
Rome Protects Paul
'And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the Temple, I was in a trance; 18. And saw Him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning Me. 19. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on Thee: 20. And when the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Paul on his Own Conversion
'And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why perseoutest thou Me? 8. And I answered, Who art Thou, Lord? And He said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of Him that spake to me. 10. And I said, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Being Easily Entreated
Not long since I saw in the report of a meeting a statement something like this: "The brethren were easily entreated, and so all personal difficulties were easily settled." One of the greatest problems that ministers meet and one that requires the most patience and wisdom is the problem of settling personal difficulties. These difficulties are often found existing between those professing to be Christians. And sometimes they are very hard to get settled. There is just one reason for this: those involved …
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart Talks

Some Scriptures for Daily Practise.
If we seek God earnestly in the prayer of faith to help us in our daily practise of the following Scriptural texts and then put forth our best efforts, we shall find life daily growing more holy and beautiful. The beauty and enjoyment of a holy life is that it can always be improved upon. We can live in all the light that shines upon us from these texts today, but tomorrow we find them shining a little brighter and fuller light, so that we shall have to live a little more holy than we are living …
C. E. Orr—How to Live a Holy Life

What is God's Will?
"The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will."--ACTS xxii. 14. WE resume to-day a subject, the thread of which has been broken by the interval of a few Sabbaths--the subject of the Will of God. Already we have tried to learn two lessons:-- (1) That the end of our life is to do the will of God. (2) That this was the end of Christ's life. It will help to recall what has gone before if we compare this with another definition of the end of life with which we are all familiar. …
Henry Drummond—The Ideal Life

Beyond the Brightness of the Sun
T. P. Acts xxii. 11 I was journeying in the noontide, When His light shone o'er my road; And I saw Him in that glory-- Saw Him--Jesus, Son of God. All around, in noonday splendour, Earthly scenes lay fair and bright; But my eyes no more behold them For the glory of that light. Others in the summer sunshine Wearily may journey on, I have seen a light from heaven, Past the brightness of the sun-- Light that knows no cloud, no waning, Light wherein I see His Face, All His love's uncounted treasures, …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Early Life the Place of Paul +The Man
STUDY I EARLY LIFE THE PLACE OF PAUL +The Man, Paul,+ judged by the influence he has exerted in the world, is one of the greatest characters in all history. He is pre-eminent not only as a missionary, but as a marvelous thinker and writer. "He was a personality of vast power, force, and individuality." There are some men who seem to be born and prepared to do a large work for the world; Paul makes the impression upon those who carefully read the record of his life that he stands first in this class …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

Jerusalem to Rome
Acts 21:17-28:31 THIS JOURNEY Scripture, Acts 21:17-28:31 1. The speech before the Jewish mob in the temple (Acts 22:1-29) in which Paul tells the Jews how he was changed from a persecutor to a believer in Christ. He relates also the story of his conversion. 2. The speech before the Jewish council (Acts 22:30; 23:1-10) in which he creates confusion by raising the question of the resurrection. But the provocation was great for the high-priest had commanded that Paul be smitten …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

Jesus the Guest of Martha and Mary.
(Bethany, Near Jerusalem.) ^C Luke X. 38-42. ^c 38 Now as they went on their way [he was journeying through Judæa, attended by the twelve], he entered into a certain village [It was the village of Bethany (John xi. 1), which was on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than two miles from Jerusalem]: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet, and heard his word. [Sitting at the feet was the ancient …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

From Antioch to the Destruction of Jerusalem.
Acts 13-28 and all the rest of the New Testament except the epistles of John and Revelation. The Changed Situation. We have now come to a turning point in the whole situation. The center of work has shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch, the capital of the Greek province of Syria, the residence of the Roman governor of the province. We change from the study of the struggles of Christianity in the Jewish world to those it made among heathen people. We no longer study many and various persons and their …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

Divine Calls.
"And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel; Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth."--1 Samuel iii. 10. In the narrative of which these words form part, we have a remarkable instance of a Divine call, and the manner in which it is our duty to meet it. Samuel was from a child brought to the house of the Lord; and in due time he was called to a sacred office, and made a prophet. He was called, and he forthwith answered the call. God said, "Samuel, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Baptism, a Divinely Appointed Means of Grace.
When we inquire into the benefits and blessings which the Word of God connects with baptism, we must be careful to obtain the true sense and necessary meaning of its declarations. It is not enough to pick out an isolated passage or two, give them a sense of our own, and forthwith build on them a theory or doctrine. In this way the Holy Scriptures have been made to teach and support the gravest errors and most dangerous heresies. In this way, many persons "wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction." …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion.
(Friday. Toward Sunrise.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 15-30; ^B Mark XV. 6-19; ^C Luke XXIII. 13-25; ^D John XVIII. 39-XIX 16. ^a 15 Now at the feast [the passover and unleavened bread] the governor was wont { ^b used to} release unto them ^a the multitude one prisoner, whom they would. { ^b whom they asked of him.} [No one knows when or by whom this custom was introduced, but similar customs were not unknown elsewhere, both the Greeks and Romans being wont to bestow special honor upon certain occasions by releasing …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Prodigal Son.
"And he said, A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he …
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

Of the Prerogatives which the Elect Shall Enjoy in Heaven.
By reason of this communion with God, the elect in heaven shall have four superexcellent prerogatives:-- 1. They shall have the kingdom of heaven for their inheritance (Matt. xxv.; 1 Pet. i. 4), and they shall be free denizens of the heavenly Jerusalem (Eph. ii. 19; Heb. xii. 22.) St. Paul, by being a free citizen of Rome (Acts xxi. 26), escaped whipping; but they who are once free citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, shall ever be freed from the whips of eternal torments. For this freedom was bought …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

How to Make Use of Christ for Cleansing of us from Our Daily Spots.
Having spoken of the way of making use of Christ for removing the guilt of our daily transgressions, we come to speak of the way of making use of Christ, for taking away the guilt that cleaveth to the soul, through daily transgressions; "for every sin defileth the man," Matt. xv. 20; and the best are said to have their spots, and to need washing, which presupposeth filthiness and defilement, Eph. v. 27. John xiii. 8-10. Hence we are so oft called to this duty of washing and making us clean. Isa. …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Nature of Justification
Justification in the active sense (iustificatio, {GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA}) is defined by the Tridentine Council as "a translation from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and of the adoption of the sons of God through the second Adam, …
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

The Birth of Jesus Proclaimed by Angels to the Shepherds.
(Near Bethlehem, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 8-20. ^c 8 And there were shepherds in the same country [they were in the same fields from which David had been called to tend God's Israel, or flock] abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. [When the flock is too far from the village to lead it to the fold at night, these shepherds still so abide with it in the field, even in the dead of winter.] 9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them [He stood upon the earth at their side, and did …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Lord of Glory.
1 Cor. ii:8. OUR ever blessed Lord, who died for us, to whom we belong, with whom we shall be forever, is the Lord of Glory. Thus He is called in 1 Cor. ii:8, "for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." Eternally He is this because He is "the express image of God, the brightness of His Glory" (Heb. i:3). He possessed Glory with the Father before the world was (John xvii:5). This Glory was beheld by the prophets, for we read that Isaiah "saw His Glory and spake of Him" …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

Of Baptism.
1. Baptism defined. Its primary object. This consists of three things. 1. To attest the forgiveness of sins. 2. Passages of Scripture proving the forgiveness of sins. 3. Forgiveness not only of past but also of future sins. This no encouragement to license in sin. 4 Refutation of those who share forgiveness between Baptism and Repentance. 5 Second thing in Baptism--viz. to teach that we are ingrafted into Christ for mortification and newness of life. 6. Third thing in Baptism--viz. to teach us that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Jews Make all Ready for the War; and Simon, the Son of Gioras, Falls to Plundering.
1. And thus were the disturbances of Galilee quieted, when, upon their ceasing to prosecute their civil dissensions, they betook themselves to make preparations for the war with the Romans. Now in Jerusalem the high priest Artanus, and do as many of the men of power as were not in the interest of the Romans, both repaired the walls, and made a great many warlike instruments, insomuch that in all parts of the city darts and all sorts of armor were upon the anvil. Although the multitude of the young …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

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