What does Acts 2:23 say about God's counsel and the crucifixion of Jesus?
Acts 2:23 states that Jesus of Nazareth was delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, yet He was taken and crucified and slain. The verse therefore sets the crucifixion within God's predetermined plan for the ages, while also addressing those who carried it out.
Les explains that Acts 2:23 is spoken by Peter on the Day of Pentecost as he preaches to the nation of Israel and rehearses the fact that they had crucified their Messiah. The verse says Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, and they took and crucified and slain Him. Les teaches that this shows God has had a plan for the ages from eternity past. Way back in eternity past, the Triune God in counsel determined it, not by sitting for an afternoon debating, but in a split second determining His plan. In His foreknowledge, He could see every detail coming down through history. So even though men and nations exercise free will and do as they think they want, the end result still brings everybody and everything to the end of God's purposes.
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
More Questions
What does 'counsel' mean in Acts 2:23?
The word 'counsel' in Acts 2:23 is spelled c-o-u-n-s-e-l (not c-o-n-c-i-l) and means an agreement of ideas, not a council.
What is the determinate counsel of God in Acts 2:23?
The determinate counsel of God is the Trinity's pre-creation consultation and agreement about how fallen man would be redeemed.