THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION

`Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should

turn from these vanities unto the living God (note similar words of 1 Thess. 1:9,10), which made heaven, and

earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein' (Acts 14:15).

Then comes the statement concerning the period covering the setting aside of the nations until the reconciliation:

`Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless He left not Himself without

witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and

gladness' (Acts 14:16,17).

This line of teaching is carried further in the apostle's words on Mars' Hill. Again he commences with a

reference to idolatry:

`Athenians, in every way I perceive that you are extremely devoted to the worship of demons

(deisidaimonesterous), for passing through, and carefully beholding your shrines, I found also an altar on which

was inscribed, Unto an Unknown God. Whom therefore ye reverence not knowing, Him I declare unto you. The

God that made the world and all things that are therein, the same being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell

in temples made with hands, nor is served by men's hands as needing something, Himself giving unto all life,

and breath, and all things: and has made of one blood every nation of men to dwell upon the whole face of the

earth, having determined ordained seasons, and the boundaries of their habitation; that they might seek God, if

perhaps they might feel after Him, although He is not far from any one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and

are; as also some of the poets among you have said, For we are His offspring. Being therefore the offspring of

God, we ought not to think the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, the graven form of man's art and

imagination' (Acts 17:22-29 Author's translation).

The apostle, as previously in Acts 14, proceeds from the repudiation of idolatry to the attitude of God, (a) during

the time of the nations' apostasy, and (b) now, at the introduction of the reconciliation.

`God therefore overlooking the times of ignorance NOW commands all men everywhere to repent, because He

has set a day in which He is going to judge the habitable earth (the sphere of Babylonian activity and of the

beginning of the Messianic kingdom, Heb. 2) in righteousness, by a man whom He hath appointed, giving the

proof of it to all in having raised Him from among the dead' (Acts 17:30,31 Author's translation).

Now this constituted an important part of that which the apostle called `my gospel' (see Rom. 2:16) which was

for the same `obedience of faith among all nations'. The testimony on Mars' Hill throws light upon Romans 2. It

was evidently possible for the nations, apart from the law of Moses and the prophets, to seek after, feel for (grope as

the blind, Isa. 59:10), and find God. Romans 2:14,15 says:

`For when those of the nations which have no law practice by nature the things of the law, these, having no law,

are a law to themselves; which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing

witness, and between one another their thoughts accusing, or even excusing themselves' (Author's translation).

The apostle also speaks of that day of judgment, the coming of which he told the Athenians:

`For as many as have sinned without law shall perish also without law, and as many as have sinned under law

shall be judged by law ... in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men's hearts according to MY GOSPEL,

by Jesus Christ' (Rom. 2:12-16 Author's translation).

Perhaps the most astounding part of this remarkable chapter is the fact that God will judge in that day according

to Paul's gospel! What can this mean? When defining the ministry of the reconciliation the apostle makes a most

suggestive statement:

`God was in Christ reconciling a world unto Himself,

unto them' (2 Cor. 5:19

NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES

Author's translation).

This is somewhat similar to the following:

`And the times of their ignorance God condoned' (Acts 17:30 Author's translation).