How does Acts 2:23 address the problem of evil? Context of Acts 2:23 Peter’s Pentecost address confronts a Jerusalem crowd with the paradox that the crucifixion—history’s vilest crime—occurred “by the determined plan and foreknowledge of God” yet was executed by morally accountable perpetrators. The verse stands at the intersection of divine providence and human evil, making it a key text for any biblical treatment of the problem of evil. Divine Sovereignty and Foreknowledge • “Determined plan” (ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ) affirms that the crucifixion was not an accidental tragedy but anchored in God’s eternal decree (Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11). • “Foreknowledge” (πρόγνωσις) conveys more than foresight; it denotes God’s covenantal intention, the same word used of the elect in 1 Peter 1:2. • This sovereignty is compatible with God’s impeccable holiness: “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Human Responsibility and Moral Agency • “You…put Him to death” assigns full culpability to the crowd and “lawless men” (likely Roman executioners). • Scripture everywhere maintains dual agency: humans act freely and are judged (Deuteronomy 30:19), yet their actions unfold within God’s decree (Proverbs 16:9). • Moral accountability answers the experiential facet of the problem of evil: evil originates in rational creatures, not in God’s nature (James 1:13-14). Concurrence: God’s Good Purpose Through Human Evil • The crucifixion mirrors Joseph’s assessment of his brothers’ treachery: “You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20). • Concurrence means the same event is simultaneously evil by human intention and good by divine intention, without God becoming the author of sin. • Other New Testament parallels: Acts 4:27-28; Romans 8:28-30. Resolution to the Logical Problem of Evil • Premise 1: An all-good, all-powerful God exists. • Premise 2: God has morally sufficient reasons for permitting evil (shown supremely in the cross). • Conclusion: The presence of evil is not logically incompatible with such a God. Acts 2:23 supplies the concrete case in which God’s permission of evil achieves the greatest conceivable good—redemptive salvation. The Cross as Paradigm • Greatest evil: judicial murder of the sinless Son of God. • Greatest good: atonement, resurrection, and eternal life. • Therefore, any lesser evil can likewise be within God’s purview for an ultimately good end, even when His specific intentions remain hidden (Romans 11:33). Historical-Theological Witness • Early creeds (e.g., Apostles’ Creed) underscore “He was crucified…according to the Scriptures,” reflecting Acts 2:23. • Church fathers (e.g., Augustine, Enchiridion 100) argued that God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to prevent evil altogether. Analogous Biblical Precedents • Job’s trials: Satan meant harm; God’s sovereign permission refined Job (Job 1–2; 42:5-6). • Assyrian invasion: “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of My anger” (Isaiah 10:5-7). God uses a wicked nation yet pronounces judgment on its arrogance. • Cyrus the Persian: called “My shepherd” (Isaiah 44:28) centuries before birth, demonstrating providential orchestration of geopolitical events. Philosophical Considerations • Free-will defense: Genuine love requires the capacity for morally significant choice (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). • Greater-good theodicy: some goods (e.g., redemption, demonstration of divine justice and mercy) logically necessitate the temporary presence of evil (Romans 3:26). • Counterfactual knowledge: God knows all feasible worlds and actualized the one that maximally displays His glory while securing human salvation (Daniel 4:35). Pastoral Implications • Suffering believers can anchor hope in God’s demonstrated ability to convert tragedy into triumph (2 Corinthians 4:17). • The cross assures that God is not distant from pain; He entered it personally (Hebrews 4:15). • Evangelistically, Acts 2:23 calls every hearer to repentance: “Therefore let all Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Conclusion Acts 2:23 encapsulates the biblical answer to the problem of evil: a sovereign yet sinless God ordains events that free moral agents perform, turning their evil deeds into the very means of cosmic good—supremely displayed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
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