Acts 17:30

[freeatlast]

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

I would like to know what others think of this passage? Is it saying that those under the law did not have to repent? or is it saying that in times past God allowed miss-understandings about Him and now He does not or is it something else?

 

[Skandelon]

I believe it is similar to this passage in Romans:

3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 

[freeatlast]

I believe it is similar to this passage in Romans:

3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

What does that mean?

 

[Tom Butler]

I'm really interested in answers to this question. Don't be shy.

 

[freeatlast]

I'm really interested in answers to this question. Don't be shy.

yes I agree. it is an interesting passage and i do not have an answer.

 

[Twizzler]

Here's my uneducated take on it:

Paul was preaching to the citizens of Athens here, specifically pointing out the error of their ways when it came to idols. He was amazed at the number of images and the verse you're pointing out was the summary of his thoughts that he gave to the Athenians. Paul is basically saying that God overlooked such things if somone didn't know better in the past, but now that time is over, the unknown is known and you'd better repent and change your ways. (Change your ways by getting rid of all these idols and asking for forgiveness and worshipping the true Lord.) [I take it that the unknown is known now because of Paul's preaching to them, informing them of the matter and the fact that the Christ had recently died and rose from the dead so it was even more public knowledge to all.]

Here's an interesting version of the text:

God overlooks it as long as you don't know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he's calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead."

 

[Tom Butler]

Tom, if you're take is right, the implications are enormous. It means that God sort of overlooked some sins because they didn't know about him--or at least didn't know about the coming Messiah. If you're right, those philosophers to whom Paul preached were given a pass, even though they worshipped idols. That were given a pass, that is, until Paul told them about Jesus.
.
However, we may have a problem here, because Paul also wrote to the Romans that nature itself declared the existence of the Creator, and they were without excuse. But nature didn't make them aware of the Savior.

I'm waiting for some of our scholars to weigh in on this.

 

[freeatlast]

Here's my uneducated take on it:

Paul was preaching to the citizens of Athens here, specifically pointing out the error of their ways when it came to idols. He was amazed at the number of images and the verse you're pointing out was the summary of his thoughts that he gave to the Athenians. Paul is basically saying that God overlooked such things if somone didn't know better in the past, but now that time is over, the unknown is known and you'd better repent and change your ways. (Change your ways by getting rid of all these idols and asking for forgiveness and worshipping the true Lord.) [I take it that the unknown is known now because of Paul's preaching to them, informing them of the matter and the fact that the Christ had recently died and rose from the dead so it was even more public knowledge to all.]

Here's an interesting version of the text:

I agree what you have said is one interpretation. I have considered that view also, but here is a question. Does the OT really support that? Was ignorance a way to escape judgment?

 

[Twizzler]

Great points; I'm not sure if the text is saying that God overlooked these things and granted grace to those that were ignorant of Him or not. I'm definitely not an OT scholar; I'm a very simple layman, offering my take and am quite interested in knowing if my quick take is off the mark.

I interpreted the text to be a literal thing, pointing out a sin rather than being a blanket statement about how pre-crucifixion peoples were judged. Does that make sense?

 

[freeatlast]

edited by poster

 

[webdog]

I think it might have something to do with their upbringing and where and when He had placed them in history based on v. 26 and 27

 

[ituttut]

I believe it is similar to this passage in Romans:

3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Hello Skandelon. Didn't have to read too far as to the meaning of ACTs 17:30 that something NEW has happened. Times were then changing from Old to New.

 

[ituttut]

What does that mean?

It shows how God dispenses His Grace. It is as He wills.

 

[ituttut]

yes I agree. it is an interesting passage and i do not have an answer.

Agree. Some interesting goodies pointed out to us in Acts 17.

 

[Twizzler]

They say it much better than I did.

Before Jesus Christ came, God did not view people as being as guilty as He does now that Christ has come. They were guilty of failing to respond to former revelation, but now they are more guilty in view of the greater revelation that Jesus Christ brought at His incarnation (cf. Heb. 1:1-2). God overlooked the times of ignorance (i.e., when people had only limited revelation; cf. 3:17; 14:16; Rom. 3:25; 2 Pet. 3:9) in a relative sense only. Before the Incarnation people died as unbelievers and were lost, but now there is more light. Consequently people’s guilt is greater this side of the Incarnation. Obviously many people have not heard the gospel and are as ignorant of the greater revelation of God that Jesus Christ brought as were people who lived before the Incarnation. Nevertheless they live in a time when God has revealed more of Himself than previously.
This makes it all the more important that Christians take the gospel to everyone. Greater revelation by God means greater responsibility for people, both for the unsaved and for the saved. God previously took the relative lack of understanding about Himself into consideration as He dealt with people. Now that Christ has come, He will hold people more responsible for their sins.
“Paul appeals to the relation of Creator and creature, and to God as universal judge, in order to provide a foundation for a gospel that can address the whole of humanity. The internal impulse for this speech (internal to the implied author’s perspective) comes from the need to speak of all humanity sharing an essentially similar relation to God as a basis for an inclusive gospel, a gospel commensurate with the inclusive saving purpose of God announced in Luke 2:30-32.”[759]759

 

[freeatlast]

They say it much better than I did.

That sounds a whole lot like the old saying it makes no difference if a person is hung with a new rope or an old rope. In the end the person is still hung.
Hell is hell on both sides of the cross.

 

[ituttut]

They say it much better than I did.

However, what they say doesn't ring quite true. People are held accountable on both sides of the lCross. One is not more ashamed nor are they more blamable than the other. So when God blinked He had already decided on His course of action as to the salvation of man. So Yes God allowed them to continue in their sin, and not look on them, so he gave Them UP, to deal with them later. Here we can see the MERCY OF GOD. The Word of God (a part of God) became flesh in order to SAVE those on BOTH sides of the Cross. Jesus Christ was preached to all those in Hell, and Jesus Christ is preached to all today, those that God has chosen.

But one may say, that's not fair, for all before was preached to in hell, but all alive are not. God will see to it that all that he has chosen will hear the Gospel of Christ Jesus that has been revealed to us from heaven. There is a difference, a big difference in those before, and those chosen. Only those that have been chosen are the ones that are in The Body of Christ. Sure many more alive have, and will hear the gospel of the GIFT, that comes by the Grace of God, Through Faith, which contains no works of our own, BUT not all that hear will accept.