On the Importance of Adversatives Or A Lack Thereof

Reflections for Easter Day

14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them:

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible.

- Acts 2:22ff

It all begins with two words in the Greek: Oddly enough, the NASB translates the relative pronoun "on" as an adversative. Thus, they render Acts 2:24 as "but God." However, there is no adversative. Again, there is no adversative. Consider, how strange would it be for Peter to say that it was literally by God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge that Jesus was murdered yet then say, "but God raised Him..." -that would be God working against God! Thus. today is a day to be thankful for God's plan of salvation, the sovereignty of God over evil for the sake of good, the power of God to raise Jesus from the dead, the end of "birth-pains" (wdin) of death.