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).”
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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