Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
The “philosophers” (Acts 17:18) on Mars’ Hill were apparently well educated and intelligent men, but they were entirely confused concerning God and worship. They were so confused that they even had “an altar … TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23). The summation of their religion was that they humanized God which reduced God to an idealistic figurehead. But, in practice they revered and worshipped themselves using God as a tool to glorify themselves. It seems that “philosophers” are again confused in our day and are ignorant of God. We should take notice of the prophetic warnings, “Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;” (Jeremiah 18:15) and “For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.” (Hosea 8:14). The Lord spoke plainly concerning this confusion, He told the confused “Ye worship ye know not what” (John 4:22)! It is true that there are people who do not have the Spirit of God, they do not have Faith, they have no interest in the things of God, they are not “born again” (John 1:1-8), and they even fight against the people of God. However, there are those who are simply confused and ignorant; for, even on Mars’ Hill there were “certain men” who “clave unto” Paul “and believed” (Acts 17:34) when they heard the truth of God declared. But, “the times of this ignorance God winked at”; not that He approved of it or was pleased with it; but, He was (is) graciously longsuffering and patient; “but now commandeth all men every where to repent”! Repentance is not a suggestion, it is a Divine Commandment; while God is longsuffering, there will come a day in which He will no longer “wink” at man’s humanistic self-worship and their rejection of God. As in days of Old, He will providentially bring about events that will compel men to “repent”. To “repent” is not to simply say “I’m sorry”, but to change our behaviors so that we are “not conformed to this world: but” we are “transformed by the renewing of” our “mind, that” we “may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). The Lord put it this way, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)!