There is so much rich theology found in Peter’s explanation in Acts 2:23, but the grammar makes it very clear—The ultimate cause for Jesus’ execution was not the wicked actions of man, but rather the will of God. Notice this Jesus wasn’t delivered over to lawless men, BUT was delivered over to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. Even the structure of this part of the verse provides great clarity, in that God’s predetermined plan and God’s foreknowledge are not just linked, but have much overlap in meaning.
This is vastly different than how God’s foreknowledge is sometimes portrayed as something like looking into a crystal ball to see into the future with detailed precision. If that were true, in this context of Acts 2:23, that would mean that God decided to send his Son into the world and then looked ahead in time and discovered how Jesus was going to be severely mistreated. After seeing that, he then constructed his plan of salvation based on man’s desires to have His Son crucified. That turns the content of Peter’s sermon on its head since it makes sinful man the ULTIMATE designer of Christ’s death.
In contrast to that way of thinking, God’s pre-determined plan also appears a couple chapters later during a prayer in Acts 4:27 For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
It’s been mentioned previously that the cross of Christ was plan A for God, even before the foundation of the world, according to Rev. 13:8 and 17:8. Then, of course, you have all the OT prophecy, such as Zech. 12 and Is. 53, which predicted the suffering of Christ. This is exactly what Peter refers to in his next sermon in 3:18 But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
So, when the Bible declares that God is sovereign over all the creation, it means it. If God has foreknowledge of something, then it is ordained to happen, which means that this divine foreknowledge is really a forechoice. So God has predestined the history of the world, including all human decisions. We see this occur in the Scriptures through the lives of kings all the way to shepherds. We also see this in the evil actions of Pharaoh and Pilate, along with the good works which were prepared beforehand for all believers to walk in (Eph. 2:10).
Here are a couple of texts that teach this doctrine—Eph. 1:11…[he] works all things after the counsel of His will…Ps. 135:5 For I know that the Lord is great And that our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
No what’s critical to understand is that this foreordination of the Lord does not cancel out human responsibility nor human will. It’s just that the human will is not the ultimate determiner of history or the future. As v.23 indicates—Christ was delivered over to God’s plan and the lawless ones were the agents of carrying out that plan!