By: Dale Weckbacher
Text: Acts
17:16-34
Acts 17:16-18.
Now while Paul was
waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw
that the city was full of idols. 17 So he
reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the
marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the
Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler
wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign
divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
(ESV)
I appreciate good acting in
movies, especially when an actor or actress plays a part that goes against
their core beliefs. Such is the case for
Kevin Sorbo in the movie God’s not dead where he plays the part of an atheistic
professor asking his students to believe God is dead. While most of the class goes along, one
student decides to take a stand and challenge his professor. This parallels what Paul accomplished in his
interaction with the intellectuals in Athens in Acts
17:16-34, giving us a biblical pattern to follow when engaging with
intellectuals in presenting the Gospel.
When in Athens, Paul,
1) Observed
the idolatry of the intellectuals in Athens (Acts
17:16,23) – While waiting for Silas and Timothy, Paul observed the city was
full of idols and especially one idol with an inscription to the unknown
god. The Apostle Paul zeroed in on their
belief in an unknown God by preaching Jesus who as God in the flesh (John
1:14) made God known to humanity and provides salvation from sin due to His
death burial and resurrection (Romans
10:9-10). This is something no idol
made by human hands can accomplish (Acts
17:24-25).
2) Discerned
their belief in many gods, even an unknown god (Acts
17:23) – The religion of the Greeks was pantheistic or a belief in many
gods, even an unknown god. Paul had a
personal relationship with God and had a calling to take the Gospel to the
Gentiles, including those in Athens. To present
the Gospel to the intellectuals in Athens, Paul determined to present Jesus as
a previously unknown God who made himself known by becoming human (John
1:14). Jesus then did the
unthinkable by taking on the sins of humanity, even though he had no sin, and
dying for their sins on the cross (2
Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:8). He
then resurrected from the dead so those believing in Him can have eternal life,
sitting at the right hand of God as an advocate for those that believe in Him (John
3:16; 1 John 2:1). Jesus is not an
unknown god but God the creator that one can know personally and who wants to
know us.
3) Introduced
them to God who has made Himself known in Jesus (Acts
17:22-31) – When the intellectuals heard Paul’s teaching they wanted to
know more and took Paul to hear more (Acts
17:19). The Apostle Paul seized the
opportunity and told them that God who made the world and everything in it and
that a God this powerful could not be confined in a temple made by man (Acts
17:24). While one could conclude
that a God this big is unknowable, this previously unknowable God became flesh,
making it possible for anyone to know Him personally through a profession of
faith in His death burial, and resurrection (Romans
10:9-10). One can then lose
conformity to this world which separates one from a relationship with God and
be transformed through the renewal of their mind by God’s Word (Romans
12:1-2).
All individuals were created to worship something with even
those that claim not to believe in God, or believe God is unknowable
worshipping gods they do not know (Matthew
6:21). These gods may be their high
level of education, their associations with powerful people, or their powerful
positions of leadership. When one places
their worship in these things, they will be disappointed for there is always
more to learn, more powerful people to associate with, and power-hungry people
seeking to remove one from the position of power. It is only when one chooses to worship God,
the creator of everything that one can worship and not experience
disappointment. This God is not unknown
or unknowable for he became flesh (John
1:14) and took on the sins of humanity, even though he had no sin, died for
humanities sins (2
Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:8), and resurrected from the dead so anyone believing
in Him can have eternal life.
Based on the arguments from
Scripture presented by Paul, one with any level of intellect should conclude
that the most logical decision one can make is to place their worship in God by
professing faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why would one logically decide not to worship
God the creator of everything and instead, worship something created by man? In the time of Paul, these created things
were gold, silver, and stone monuments to unknown gods. Today these gods can be a lust for power or
elitism due to achieving a high level of education which are also creations of
man. I urge anyone reading this who has
placed their trust in power or a lust for power or the elitism of their higher
education to make the logical choice presented in Scripture and pray to accept
Jesus as their Savior.
For those that have not already
done so, I invite you to know the unknown God by praying with me now,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
May God bless everyone and may
everyone become acquainted with the unknown God through prayer and study of His
Word, the Bible.
No comments:
Post a Comment