Acts 17:30–31

"And the times of this ignorance" — that was no great compliment to their polish, learning, philosophy, wisdom, or education. Whether sage or savage, they are all put in one lump there. "The times of this ignorance God winked at" — that is, He did not take account of it. "But now commands all men everywhere" — mark those words — "to repent."

During the times of ignorance, God had put up with the wanderings of man. He had passed them over without judgment. Now He was calling to all men everywhere to repent, because a day was appointed in which He should judge the world.

The Gentiles, during God's dealings with Israel, were in the dark. Those were the times of ignorance, and God overlooked their ways. But now, says the apostle, He commands all men everywhere to repent. There is no excuse for ignorance any longer. The Light shines, the true Light. Christ was that Light.

Clearly there is a thrust at conscience. This is why he insists here on God's call to repent. It is no use to talk of science, literature, politics, religion. Old or new speculations in philosophy are equally empty. God is now requiring all everywhere to repent. So he puts the sage down with the savage, because God is brought in as the judge of all. Divine truth must be aggressive. It cannot help dealing with every conscience that hears it, anywhere in the world. The law might thunder its claims at one particular people. But the truth deals with everybody as he is before God.

If God commands all men, everywhere to repent, does He mean what He says, or merely all the elect? What right have we to add to, or alter, to pare down, or to accommodate the Word of God? None whatever.

The apostle keeps to one fact here: God did not judge those times of terrible and inexcusable ignorance. In His goodness He overlooked the past, and now He calls people to repent. ... How true it is that the message of God's love in salvation to everyone who believes is His own command! ... The Gentiles ignored the true God. They set up idols to His dishonour and their own shame. God no longer ignores them. "The true light already shines." Coming into the world, it gives light to every man. It is true that the world was so blind it did not know Him. But the God of all grace does not leave them to their folly. He sends them this charge: they should "all everywhere repent." What compassion for "all everywhere," and what concern!

No sinner, no child of fallen man, ever turned to God in faith — as all did from Abel onward — without repentance. ... Its character is self-judgment before Him. Not only one's ways, but one's self, is laid bare as seen by His holy eyes, with whom we have to do.

The definition that it is merely a change of mind is not enough; that would reduce it entirely to faith. It is the soul judging itself before God — the eye turned inward, not outward, by the Spirit of God.

On Mars Hill the coming judgment was announced. A fixed day was made known, and the Judge was pointed out. How was this divine communication received? Some mocked, some put it off, a few believed. That was the effect on the hearers. What has been the effect in the reader's case?

"And the times of this ignorance" (what a way to treat the boasting men of Athens!) "God overlooked; but now commands all men everywhere to repent." Clearly there is a thrust at conscience. This is why he insists here on God's call to repent. It is no use to talk of science, literature, politics, religion. Old or new speculations in philosophy are alike empty. God is now commanding all everywhere to repent. So he puts the scholar down with the savage, because he brings God in as the judge of all.

Here the common thought of Christendom is a serious mistake. The Jews used to look for a judgment of living men, and perhaps in some measure they still do. Most Christians, despite the Creeds, look almost only for a judgment of the dead before eternity. Here and elsewhere the apostle pressed the judgment of this inhabited world at our Lord's appearing, when He comes to bring in His kingdom in open power and glory.

From that day to this God has been showing His patient mercy. But the day of that judgment is appointed, and the Man is also appointed who is to carry out the judgment. The world that judged Him is to be judged by Him.

But the central sin of the world, the one that stamped its true character, is the rejection and death of Christ. But the One whom the world rejected, God has raised from the dead, and to Him all judgment is committed. Every knee shall bow to Him; and the more boldly they have rejected and opposed Him, the more terrible will be their judgment.

"He shall judge the world in righteousness" — Acts 17:31 quotes this line; it matches the Greek Old Testament word for word.

The point here is not the forgiveness of sins and justification for us, as it is in Romans 3. The point is righteousness set up in public in every area that sin has touched and spoiled. Christ's death was the supreme act of the world's unrighteousness. His glorification was the supreme act of God's righteousness, and the guarantee that righteousness will at last prevail everywhere, in keeping with Paul's words in Acts 17:31.

"because He had appointed a day in which He is about to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a Man whom He had marked out, having given assurance [or, ground of belief] to all in that He raised Him out of the dead."

The resurrection of the Lord is the pledge that He will one day be the Judge of those who do not believe. To the believer the resurrection is God's sign and witness that his sins are all blotted out... They were not believers, so he does not speak of anyone being justified. He tells them that the resurrection of the Lord is God's proof and pledge: He is going to judge all the inhabited world by that Man whom He has raised from the dead.

There is not a single cloud of judgment in the present grace, and there will not be one single ray of grace in the future judgment. He will judge it by the Man whom the world spat on and trampled under its feet, by that Man whom He has ordained — and He has given the most undeniable proof of it in raising Him from the dead.