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Acts 14-15

1. What did Paul mean that in the past God let all nations go their own way? (Acts 14:16)

In the context Paul also said to the people of Lystra,

We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. (Acts 14:15-17).

Therefore, "their own way" has to do with their worshipping idols and false gods. A few chapters later, we find Paul preaching something similar in Athens:

Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:29-30).

In Athens Paul called it ignorance, for they did not know the true God and what He required. Perhaps this is similar to the "ignorance" Peter attributed to the Jewish people and leaders crucifying Jesus:

Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders (Acts 3:17).

There is; however, nothing in the text to suggest that ignorance means innocence. It simply means that God did not pay much attention to it, so as to try to correct it. In other words, He allowed self-condemned peoples to go their own way to condemnation. Likewise, he allowed the Jewish people and leaders crucify Jesus in keeping with their spiritual ignorance. 

What changed was that Jesus entered the picture, so that Paul says, "But now he commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Before, they simply had the light of creation (Acts 14:17), sufficient only to condemn them in their idolatry (Romans 1:18-32); however, now the light of the Gospel in Jesus presented the way of salvation for those that would repent and believe.

Therefore, what did Paul mean that in the past God let all nations go their own way? He meant that God simply ignored the idolatry of the nations in times past, allowing them both to sin and then to be condemned.