Acts 17:30 - “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent”
Does Acts17:30 overthrow the doctrine of election?
Frequently when verses are shown that teach the doctrines of election and predestination, I have had “free will choice”/Arminians respond by posting verses such as Acts 17:30 thinking that somehow they overthrow or nullify the doctrines of God’s sovereign, electing grace.
Here is my response to such people.
Sir, the way you presently understand Acts 17:30 is typical of the Arminian point of view - which is unbiblical and wrong for the following reasons.
With your present understanding you end up making the Bible contradict itself and you blow right on by all those verses I just posted about the Decretive Will of God.
(See - The Two Wills of God. God’s Decretive Will versus God’s Prescriptive Will.)
https://brandplucked.com/the-two-wills-of-god
Acts 17:30 that tells us that God NOW commandeth ALL MEN to repent, in no way refutes the doctrine of election.
In Acts 17 Paul is preaching to pagan GENTILES. In O.T. times it was primarily only the nation of Israel (the Jews) who were chosen and called to be the people of God.
"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 7:6
“He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.” Psalms 147:19-20
The phrase "all men" in this context, and in fact most of the time it is found in the Bible, does not mean “all men without exception" , but "all men without distinction of nationality" - in other words, the gospel has NOW gone out to all the nations of the earth, not just the Jews.
In the Old Testament God chose only the nation of Israel to be his people. "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." Deuteronomy 14:2.
But now the Messiah has come and he is to be the Saviour of his people which are taken out out every nation, tribe, kindred and tongue. "God did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name." Acts 15:14.
When the apostle Paul relates his conversion experience we can see how this same thought is expressed. In Acts 9:15 the Lord tells Ananias concerning Paul: "But the Lord said, Go thy way; for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel."
Yet in Acts 22:14, 15 Paul himself tells us that Ananias came to him: "And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto ALL MEN of what thou hast seen and heard."
Do you see it? All men = the Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. All men without distinction of nationality or social standing. Obviously Paul did not speak to Noah's sons, the Cherokee Indians, Genghis Khan or Bill Gates.
Luke 2:29-32 - At the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the devout Simeon came by the Spirit into the temple, took up the babe in his arms and said: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of ALL PEOPLE; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."
Obviously not every individual Gentile or Jew would be lightened by this salvation, but the Messiah will save all people without distinction of nationality, not all people without exception.
(For more on this, See -Does "all men" mean "everybody" or "all men without exception" or "all men without distinction?)
https://brandplucked.com/allmen.htm
And you are also overlooking the Biblical truth that it is God who gives both repentance and faith.
You can command a corpse all day long to repent and believe the gospel, and nothing will happen. The natural man is dead in sins and there is NONE that seeketh after God. Romans 3:11.
Man SHOULD repent and believe his Creator. But the fact that most men do not, only increases their guilt and reveals their rebellious and sinful hearts.
IF man could repent and believe all on his own by his own will and ability, then God would not need to give (not "offer", but GIVE) the gifts of repentance and faith.
Check this out and then see if you can answer the question and back up your answer with Scripture.
I am quite serious about this. Do not dodge the question or run away from it. Try to actually answer the question. OK? Thanks.
Why some people repent and have faith (believe in Christ) and others do not?
https://brandplucked.com/why-some-people-have-faith
Does the Bible answer this question? Yes, it does. Very clearly. It's just that many people don't believe what it says.
May God grant us all a deeper understanding of his precious words of truth and grace.
Will Kinney
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