Acts 17:29-31 “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. (30) Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, (31) because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."
The second witness quoted above, is the apostle Paul. The context of this passage of scripture is that Paul was preaching the gospel in the city of Athens, at the invite of those wanting to hear what he had to say. This passage of scripture is particularly enlightening for us, because in it, Paul reveals to us that in fact God now commands all men everywhere to repent. The gospel message is a message of repentance. And so, the means that God uses to command all men everywhere to repent is through the preaching of the message of the gospel of salvation. And so very clearly, God expects the church to preach the gospel to all men everywhere so that they can all repent and thus be saved. Again, all men everywhere, means exactly that.
Titus 2:11-13 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, (12) teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, (13) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
As the second witness in this section I have quoted the apostle Paul twice. In the above passage of scripture, the Holy Spirit through Paul tells us plainly that in this current dispensation that the grace message of salvation has appeared to all men, not just a select few. The Holy Spirit can say that through His apostle, because He is the one Who is instrumental in sending the church into the entire world to preach the gospel to all men.
Michael E.B. Maher
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