Acts 2:22-24
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Tag: God is Sovereign: Even Over Man's Evil
Notice the contrast in the above verses. I one verse (v. 23) Peter (the speaker) states that God had a "definite plan" and had complete "foreknowledge" as to what would happen to Jesus. Yet, Peter states to the Jews he is speaking to, "you crucified and killed" by the hands of "lawless men." On the one had you have God's divine plan. On the other hand you have the evil deeds of evil and lawless men. This is a great example of the "sovereignty of God" conflicting with the "free-will of man." Man's freewill is marred, in that if man has a choice he will ALWAYS choose evil (Romans 8:5-8). They can never, on their own, please God. Yet, we see that God had a "definite plan" to see His Son, Jesus, crucified. God sovereigning planned for Jesus to be crucified and used the evilness that is in men's hearts to accomplish His plan. He did not cause them or create them to do evil. But they have evil in their hearts and God allowed their evil to go unchecked to crucify His Son and, through that evil act, provide salivation for the very men and woman who, on that day, yelled, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" God is sovereign, even over the evil of mankind. God does not stop the evil of man or simply wipe it out. God does, however, allow man's evil to accomplish His end and His glory.
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