22 January, 2021

Acts 17:27—“… that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him”

 

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us (Acts 17:24-27).

  

COMMON GRACE/WELL-MEANT OFFER ARGUMENT:

Q. “How is Acts 17:27 to be understood?  It ‘seems’ to say that God ordained the nations and their boundaries for the purpose of or with the intention of them seeking God ... yet we know that ‘no one seeks God.’ Here in Acts 17, the groping is in the dark, and there is doubt that there will be success.  How do we understand the phrase ‘to seek God’? Also, the phrase, ‘though he be not far from every one of us’ also seems to give the impression of a gracious attitude God towards all men, if only they seek Him. (This text is appealed to by both common grace and well-meant offer advocates).”

 

 (I)

 

Prof. David J. Engelsma

 

The Acts 17 passage teaches the revelation of God in creation in distinction from the revelation of Him in the Word of the gospel.  The revelation in the Word of the gospel is the subject of verse 30b and verse 31.

 

The doctrine of verses 27 – 30a is that there is such a clear revelation of God in the creation—“natural revelation”—that it is inexcusable that men do not feel after Him and find Him, and that this is the responsibility of those who have only this natural revelation.  So clear is the revelation of God in creation that heathen poets have confessed that humans are the offspring of the God made known in creation (v. 28).  Although salvation is impossible by virtue of the total depravity of humans, it is the solemn calling of unbelievers to seek after God and find Him on the basis of natural revelation.  There is no excuse for idolatry (v. 29).  Because of the relative dimness of the revelation of God in creation, in comparison with the revelation of God in the gospel, God winked at the unbelief of those who have only natural revelation (v. 30).  This does not mean that unbelieving heathen are not punished for their idolatry, but that their punishment is significantly less than that of those who deny God as present in the gospel.

 

Whereas there is no salvation in natural revelation, there is salvation by the gospel of the risen Christ (vv. 30bff.).

 

To attribute the knowledge that the unsaved heathen have of God from creation to common grace is to confess that the common grace of God produces idolatry (v. 29), which is the only result of the knowledge of God from creation alone.  Some grace!  A grace that produces idols!  What a reflection on the god of this grace!  He causes the objects of this grace to make and bow down to gods of “gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device” (v. 29).  I abominate such a grace of God!

 

(DJE, 05/01/2021)

 

 

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(II)

 

More to come! (DV)

 

 


 


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