An interesting verse recorded in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is in Acts 17:30 which reads, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:” as the Apostle Paul preached on Mars Hill about Jesus Christ and His resurrection from death to a people who were highly superstitious.
While the most common meaning of the word ‘wink’ is to shut one eye briefly as a signal or in teasing, another definition according to the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, for the word ‘wink’ is to avoid seeing or noting something.
In the context of the aforementioned verse, Paul writes that God winked at the ignorance of men, using the word ‘wink’ interchangeably with the word ‘overlooked’. Before the foreknowledge of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, His Sacrifice and His Resurrection, God avoided seeing or noting the sinfulness of man and the need for a Savior, but when one is made aware of the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, God commands (and yes it is a command) ALL men EVERY WHERE to repent (to turn from sin with a contrite heart, amending one’s life to be sanctified to Him).
It is truly the mercy and grace of God that God is a winking (overlooking) God, otherwise those who have not heard of His Son, Jesus Christ, would not have a chance. And now to you and me and every one else, who are made aware (no longer ignorant) of Jesus and His work, we are commanded to make amends of our life and turn from our life of sin with a contrite heart, one that God will not despise.
