God overlooked "times of ignorance"

[Abiding in His Word]

Any thoughts on what the "times of ignorance" might be and why God "winked/overlooked" them?

KJB
Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

NASB
Act 17:29 "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.
Act 17:30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

[Cantaress4Him]

Great post, Abiding! I've never really thought deeply about that passage of scripture before. I'm interested also to know what others think this means.

[tsth]

Dear Abiding,

I came back across that passage this morning in quiet time. I immediately remembered your thread. I wanted to come and look again at what had been posted in regard to it.

The very first thing that I noticed about the passages in Acts 17 was the fact that the focus is on idolotry, and that the time had come for people to STOP being ignorant of it. Apparently these were a people who "thought" they were on the right track, because of their supposed "religious" appearance, but in reality it was "idolotry". (here's the passages, emphasis mine)

Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."


It seems to me that Paul is instructing them to turn from "manmade" worship, (i.e., calf-idolotry in the wilderness), that the time has come for them to hear the TRUTH, so he tells them. Their ignorance was seemingly in the fact that what they thought was right worship, was not based upon any FOUNDATION, but only upon what they had made in their own minds, and then created from their own hands. Paul is wooing them to turn to the ONE TRUE GOD, JESUS CHRIST. In turn, REAL WORSHIP, not manmade doctrines and creations. It was now the time for choosing, they were now given the TRUTH, by the Word of God, through the preaching of Paul, so that they would have no more excuse of "ignorance", it was the defining hour for them, as they were given the Truth, about their true state of worship............that it had been false.

In His Love,
Suzanne

[Abiding in His Word]

Suzanne,

Wonderful! Thanks for pursuing this. I've got to digest it a bit, because it leads me to look into other things in scripture that God "overlooked" because of ignorance; i.e. polygamy.

Here's another that says the same thing:

Act 14:15 and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM.

Act 14:16 "In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;

Act 14:17 and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."

Act 14:18 Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

and one more:

Heb 9:3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

Heb 9:4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Heb 9:5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Heb 9:6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

Heb 9:7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

I'd like to keep going with this to understand how God dealt/deals with those who sin out of ignorance.

I'm so happy you brought this post back to life and found that answer in Acts regarding idolatry.

[Blessedayers]

Act 14:16 "In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;

Act 14:17 and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."

Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'

Rom 1:20
For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes-his eternal power and divine nature-have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people are without excuse.
Rom 1:21
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, and their ignorant hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:22
Though claiming to be wise, they became fools
Rom 1:23
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that looked like mortal human beings, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.

Act 14:16 "In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;

Rom 1:24 For this reason, God gave them over to impurity to follow the lusts of their hearts and to dishonor their bodies with one another.
Rom 1:25
They exchanged God's truth for a lie and worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

[Abiding in His Word]

Paul is writing to the saints in Rome:

Rom 1:7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


In the following verses, he is speaking about the unrighteous and ungodly.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

Rom 1:19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Rom 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

Rom 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

Rom 1:27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

Rom 1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

Rom 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

Rom 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

Rom 1:31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;

Rom 1:32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Then Paul continues in Chapter 2 to tell the saints that if they condemn these things, they had better not be guilty of them.

Rom 2:22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?


So, this part of Romans seems to deal with sins that the unrighteous and ungodly commit knowingly and those incur the wrath of God.

I'm referring to scriptures above that say that in times past because of ignorance, God overlooked some things.

Rom 5:13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.