What does Acts 2:22-23 teach about God's sovereignty and free will?
Acts 2:22-23 teaches that God’s sovereignty and human free will operate together: everything falls under God’s sovereign control without cancelling the seemingly free choices of men and nations. Yet all things come to pass exactly as God foreordained them, and nothing is ever a day late.
Les explains that Acts 2:22-23 is a perfect example of how everything is under the sovereignty of God, without taking away the seemingly free will of men and nations. Yet everything comes to pass as He originally foreordained it, and nothing is ever a day late. He illustrates this from human history, especially World War II, where generals, admirals, presidents, and dictators seemed to make decisions of their own free will, but the sovereign will of God still came through.
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
How does God's sovereignty relate to human free will?
God is sovereign over all things while allowing the seemingly free will of men and nations. Human decisions—even those of generals, admirals, presidents, and dictators—do not thwart His foreordained plan. Everything comes to pass exactly as God originally foreordained it, and nothing is ever a day late.
How do Acts 2:22-23 illustrate God's sovereignty and human free will together?
Acts 2:22-23 illustrate that God's sovereign foreordination and human free will work together: men and nations seem to make their own decisions, yet everything still comes to pass exactly as God originally ordained. Nothing is ever a day late, and God's sovereign will prevails without cancelling the seemingly free choices of people.
How can people have free will if God's purposes always come to pass?
God's purposes always come to pass because He predetermined a plan for the ages in His foreknowledge, yet He leaves men and nations with free will. They do as they think they want, but the end result brings everybody and everything to the end of God's purposes.
More Questions
How can God be sovereign and still allow human free will?
Everything is under God's sovereignty, yet men and nations still have seemingly free wills; nonetheless everything comes to pass exactly as God originally foreordained, as Acts 2:22-23 perfectly illustrates.