What does Acts 17:30 mean?

Explanation

Acts 17:30 speaks to a shift in divine expectation.

The phrase "the times of this ignorance God winked at" refers to a period when God overlooked human ignorance about divine truth and moral responsibility.

The Greek word translated as "winked at" can also mean "overlooked" or "disregarded." This ignorance was due, in part, to the lack of direct revelation or understanding made accessible to all people.

The latter part of the verse, "but now commandeth all men every where to repent," indicates a change in this state of affairs.

With the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a clearer revelation of God was made available, and with it came the expectation that all people, regardless of their geographic or cultural location, would turn from their ignorance, recognize their sins, and embrace this revelation through repentance.

Historical Context

Acts 17:30 is part of the Apostle Paul's speech at the Areopagus in Athens.

This speech was delivered during Paul's second missionary journey, roughly around 49-51 AD.

Athens was a center of learning and philosophy, filled with idols and altars to various gods.

In this context, Paul was addressing a sophisticated audience, familiar with religious plurality and philosophical debate, and he tailored his message to present the Christian God as the creator of all and one who calls all people to repent.

Theological Insights

Different Christian denominations and theologians might draw varied insights from Acts 17:30:

1. Grace and Patience: Some emphasize God's grace and patience in the past, where He allowed time for humanity to come to an understanding of Him.

2. Universal Call to Repentance: Others focus on the universal and urgent command for repentance, which implies that through Jesus Christ, God's plan for salvation has been fully revealed and is available to everyone.

3. Judgment: The context of this verse also speaks to the fact that a day of judgment is coming (Acts 17:31), and repentance is necessary to prepare for it.

4. Continuity and Discontinuity: The verse highlights both continuity, in the sense that God has always been sovereign over the nations, and discontinuity, in the sense that there is a new covenant and new revelation through Christ.

Practical Applications

Acts 17:30 can be applied in various ways:

1. Evangelism: It encourages believers to share their faith with others, highlighting the importance of repentance as a response to the Gospel.

2. Cultural Engagement: This verse urges Christians to respectfully engage with different cultures while presenting the universal message of the Gospel.

3. Self-Reflection: It can lead individuals to self-reflection and a personal call to turn away from past ignorance or sin to embrace a life following Christ.

4. Education and Discipleship: Acts 17:30 suggests the importance of teaching and discipleship in illuminating the truths of the Christian faith to replace ignorance with knowledge and wisdom.

Cross-References

• Acts 17:31: "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
• Romans 3:25: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"
• 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Language Study

In the original Greek, two key words stand out:

1. "ὑπεριδὼν" (huperidon) - Often translated as "winked at" or "overlooked," this word implies a temporary suspension of judgment or disregarding something for a time.
2. "μετανοεῖν" (metanoein) - This is the word for "repent," meaning to change one's mind or purpose, indicating a turn from sin to God.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

In other ancient religions and myths, the notion of repentance might be less central.

Greek and Roman mythologies, for instance, did not focus on repentance in the same way as the Christian message.

Instead, they often revolved around appeasing deities through ritual and sacrifice without necessarily requiring a moral transformation.

Scientific Perspectives

Acts 17:30 itself does not directly intersect with scientific perspectives. Science concerns itself with empirical evidence and observable phenomena, while this verse deals with a metaphysical claim about divine command and human moral responsibility.

The verse indicates a transition from one era to another (the times of ignorance to the era of repentance), which could be metaphorically related to paradigm shifts in scientific understanding, but this is a philosophical, not scientific, correlation.

Commentaries

• Matthew Henry’s Commentary: Henry suggests that God's overlooking of the times of ignorance pertained to the Gentiles who did not have the light of the law that was given to the Jews.

The command to repent is a result of the clear doctrine of Christ and his resurrection being made known.

• Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: This commentary points out that God's former tolerance of pagan ignorance utterly ceased with the Gospel's worldwide publication, obliging every man to repent.
• John Gill's Exposition of the Bible: Gill states that now the Gospel being published among all nations, the time of such ignorance God winked at is over, and all are called to repentance by the ministers of the Gospel.