Although in the midst of another study this verse came to mind. So I turned to it and read it , “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” What was Paul saying? What did he mean that God winked at “this ignorance?”
As I usually do when beginning to study a Scripture or passage I checked various translations. A few follow what the KJV has, “winked,” but most I found used the word “overlooked.” This was a bit clearer but I still was uncertain just what was meant by this.
As I have mentioned in other studies, commentaries are just various men’s comments, but they can sometimes give some insight. So, I checked a number of commentaries. Most seemed to feel that the times of this ignorance was prior to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. One commentator’s comments really didn’t appear to agree with what I am seeing of the God of the Bible. Just so that I don’t misquote him by trying to paraphrase what he said I’ll quote him verbatim. “...but rather the sense is, he despised this, and them for it, and was displeased and angry with them; and as an evidence of such contempt and indignation, he overlooked them, and took no notice of them, and gave them no revelation to direct them, nor prophets to instruct them and left them to their stupidity and ignorance.” No, I don’t believe that is at all what is being said here.
To help us come to understand let us look at the context and not just at this one verse. We can look a the whole story but let us pick it up in verse 15. We find that Paul is brought to Athens. While he waited for Silas and Timothy to join him (verse 16) he was stirred in his spirit seeing that the whole city was given to idolatry. Verse 17 tells us that he “disputed” with the Jews and other religious people in the synagogue and in the market. In verse 18 we are told that certain philosophers encountered him. They had apparently heard him speak and they referred to him as a “babbler” or some as one that was setting forth strange gods. So, in verse 19 we find that they took him up to Mars Hill and asked him to share more of “this new doctrine.” In a parenthetical clause we are told that these individuals spent their time in doing nothing else but to tell or listen to someone else giving some new thing.
Then beginning in verse 22 we are told of Paul’s message. He begins by addressing them as the men of Athens and tells them that he has perceived that they were in all things too superstitious, or perhaps better rendered, more religious than others. He tells them (verse 23) that he had seen all of their “devotions” or idols and sacred items. He states that he had seen an altar with the inscription “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” We will come back to this but I feel that we find a key to understanding verse 30, when Paul speaks of this altar with it’s inscription and says “Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
Then verse 24 through verse 29 Paul declares the TRUE God to these Athenians. Paul declares Him as the creator, the giver of life and breath, one that can not be contained in any manmade building. It is good to read these verses in their entirety but I won’t go through them all here. But let us read verse 29 and also verse 30 again. “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. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.”
So, what do we find here? Paul concludes his message of revelation of who this unknown God is by stating clearly that He is so much more that gold or silver or stone. And then he states “And the times of this ignorance...” What ignorance is he referring to? Let us go back to verse 23 that I said we would come back to. Notice again what Paul says in reference to this altar with the inscription, “Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship,...” “This ignorance” in verse 30 undoubtedly is their ignorance of the True God. So, Paul states that “the times of this ignorance,” all the preceding time up to that moment of revelation through his message to them, God winked at or overlooked., He wasn’t declaring them guilty of idolatry. However, Paul continues, “now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” Repentance is to change one’s mind, to change the way of thinking and that can not be done until revelation and understanding comes. It is “now” when ignorance is no longer an excuse that one must repent, change the mind and way of thinking.
Jesus gave us the same basic teaching. In Luke 12, verses 47 and 48 we read the conclusion of a teaching He was giving. “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will (wasn’t ignorant of what his lord expected and had given him to do), and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not (was ignorant), and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whosoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” The one in ignorance is not held to the same accountability as the one who knows.
James tells us, James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” While in ignorance, not knowing to do good, sin was not imputed. However, once the knowledge to do good came he was “commanded to repent,” to change his thinking and his ways. If not, then it was sin.
Paul tells us in Romans 5:13 that even prior to the giving of the Old Covenant there was sin in the world, however since His law was not codified and written down that sin was not imputed or charged to the individuals account. But once the covenant was made and He had given His laws, written them on tables of stone, the people were no longer in ignorance. When they sinned, transgressed those laws, He declared them guilty, that sin was imputed and put to their account.
By God’s wonderful grace we have our sins and unrighteousness “winked at” while in our ignorance. But, when revelation comes, then He commands us to repent, change our thinking and actions. John tells us in Revelation 12:9 that the devil, the adversary, has deceived the whole world. That includes you and me. We may not all be in the same deception. You may have received revelation that I have not yet received. I may have been given insight and revelation in areas that you are still in deception, are still in blindness. God is “winking” or overlooking my ignorance and your ignorance. However, once revelation comes He commands us to repent, to change our way of thinking.
It has been my experience that when the Spirit leads us into truth, when we are given revelation, we can become very judgmental of others who may still be in their ignorance. We may begin to compare ourselves among ourselves, which Paul tells us is unwise, and somehow begin to feel that we are somehow superior to or in some way better than others. Paul tells us in Romans the 14th chapter that we should not be judging another if they believe and do things differently. He says, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?” Our view of others should be just as God’s view. We need to “wink at” and overlook any ignorance that may be there and concentrate on truly repenting and changing our own thinking. Of course, we may be praying for others to receive the revelation we have received but must keep in mind that it is in His “due season” and leave it in His hands.
Jan. 1, 2020
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