“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.”
- Acts 17:30
Have you ever had a moment where you felt completely stupid? And not because someone keeps calling you stupid but that you genuinely noticed in yourself stupidity?
Just the other day one of my church's small group leaders needed something from me. They were going to swing by the church and pick up the resource, but I interpreted their text as me needing to swing by their home and drop it off. Well, I had a meeting at another church for an hour when that group leader swung by, and low and behold, the resource they need was not where they asked it to be! After my meeting I looked back at the text messages and realized that in no way shape or form did they need it dropped off, they clearly said they would swing by and pick it up if I left it available! A moment of stupidity and ignorance.
Now the stupidity and ignorance referred to here in Acts is completely different than my slip of the mind… This ignorance is intentional but not aware that it's ignorance, but that’s because evil has so masked it.
What’s happening?
Paul and Silas have continued with their missionary journey through Macedonia, but have run into more hurdles by local Jews. It appears that whenever they see success with Jews and Gentiles, there is equally strong resistance, and the resistance just happens to have the local political power.
In the hope of protecting Paul, the local believers make a plan and get Paul off to Athens, leaving behind Silas and Timothy to encourage the church. In Athens though, Paul sends to have Silas and Timothy rejoin him, which will take some time, allowing Paul to get immersed in Athens.
As Paul is walking throughout Athens, he has numerous Gospel conversations with local Jews in the synagogues and other philosophers in the streets. His message is drawing more and more attention because never have they heard about a resurrection before.
Along the way, Paul notices all these idols and alters throughout Athens, but one, in particular, catches his eyes. It was an altar to the “unknown god.” As if the long list of gods available to worship was not enough, some built this, as if they knew there was one God greater than all the rest but had never really heard of Him before. Well, all the attention had many of the leading philosophers and debaters curious about Paul’s message. So the crowds invited him to the Areopagus, a building where all they did was talk about philosophy and new ideas, thus Paul was given the plate form to share the Gospel publicly. This leads to our passage above.
Grace and Ignorance:
The truth is, we are all ignorant at some point in time. The gospel is unclear to us, Jesus is merely a popular religious figure to us, and we go on doing what is right in our own eyes. Ignorance is bliss some say. For in the former days, when we lived in ignorance, we did not know our need for grace. We did not know our need for Jesus.
In our former days, we went about life to the beat of our drum. We were concerned for me, myself, and I. And we were allowed to for the most part!
In B.C. history, every people group, with the exception of the Israelites were allowed to live in ignorance. Sure, some prophecies and interactions with Israelites brought some of them to God but their cultures always worshipped other gods, lived as they saw fit, and were ignorant to a better way of being.
All that, God overlooked.
But no longer, for Jesus, the Son of God, the righteous judge has come and provided grace for every ounce of sin and ignorance we have ever had. When Jesus is revealed to us, we can no longer claim ignorance! We are left with the choice of Repentance or Rejection.
Read through any of the gospels and there will be a common thread of Repentance and Rejection. Upon hearing the good news of Jesus Christ you are placed at a fork in the road and left with a choice.
Rejection of Christ is a choice to return to Ignorance, but knowing that it will never be overlooked again. For this time the ignorance is deliberate and will be examined on judgment day. Before, it was overlooked because grace had not been achieved by the death and resurrection of Christ yet. Now it will be judged and weighed because Christ is on the throne and rejection of Christ is to spit upon the throne of grace and say it was never needed.
Repentance has the opposite effect. Repentance brings one closer to Christ, it accepts and embraces the truth. It sees the reality of its own sinfulness and ignorance, and then gazed upon the throne of Christ and chooses Him. Repentance lays down me, myself, and I, and fervently seeks to follow the Father, Son, and Spirit. Grace has been made available for our ignorance; it proceeds our repentance.
Final Blessing:
We don’t talk about repentance enough unless we are playing judge too. But in reality, we must all face the fact that we need to personally repent and confess our ignorance. Allow Christ to be the judge, and try to live out of love and adoration as a pleasing sacrifice to God. Why would someone repent if it meant becoming judgmental? Repentance leads to living out of love.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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