22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ – Acts 17:22-28
This scripture happens at a location in Athens called the Areopagus or Mars Hill. When the men of Athens got to know Paul a little they took him there to do what Paul did best. Argue and teach about his God, Jesus. Athens was home to many idols including the idol that Paul singles out; “The unknown god.”
All the gods of Athens were untouchable. They lived far away in a cloud at the top of Mount Olympus. They came down when they pleased and did what they pleased, and it was up to the people to keep them happy with tribute and worship. They threw tantrums and destroyed, tricked, raped, then turned around and loved and blessed their subjects.
How different were the gods of Greece from the gods of Paul? The God who needs nothing from us! When we do give Him the worship, sacrifice, honor, and praise that He deserves, He gives us so much blessing in return that we can scarcely imagine or contain it. He is consistent and faithful and honors His people. He is not far off!
This quote Paul uses in his sermon is not from the Bible but from the Greeks themselves. He rightly attributes their words to the One true living God. In Him, we live and move and have our being! He’s not far away at all. He doesn’t hide in a cloud on the mountain. There’s no need to make an image of Him to bow down to, we just bow down anywhere, anytime, and in any direction because He is all around us from the moment we are conceived and in us at the point of salvation.
He speaks and interacts with us and provides for the righteous and the wicked alike (Matthew 5:45). He is sovereign over all the Earth, both physical and spiritual, and over all of space and time. No planet has been formed that He did not form, and not a creature created that He did not plan and create at the moment He planned. He is drawn to the righteous and the brokenhearted. He is the avenger, judge, giver of good gifts, and lover of our souls.
He covers all the bases, and there is no need for a group of known and unknown deities to take His place. He covers love, war, heaven, hell, land, ocean, lightning, sun, moon, and stars. He rules them all and they obey Him. There’s just something fun about saying it out loud. There is only one God and He is Yahweh. The God of the Bible, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of Paul, Martha, Peter, James, David, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Matthew, Gideon, Caleb, Joshua, Samuel, Rachel, Sarah, and John.
We live in a place and a time where we have a beautiful blend of cultures and people, and it is so fun and such a blessing. As a result, we often meet those who worship other gods and need to hear about Jesus. We have more opportunities than we realize to reason and teach like Paul did that day. He came in kindly, and wisely. He knew their texts and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him as he spoke. He shared the good news that he knew the God who made the world and still contains it.
He is too big for a temple or just one church. He doesn’t conform to our ideas about Him. He is not an animal or a woman or a man by a different name. He is matchless, glorious, perfect, wonderful.
Every other god is an idol
Who cannot see and cannot hear
There is one true living God
There is one true living God.
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