In Friday's study Paul mentioned finding an altar at Athens dedicated "to the unknown god". In today's passage he tells them about the God they do not know.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else." (Acts 17:24-25) The first thing these intelligent and well-educated men must do is throw out their ideas of who God is. They have attempted to make Him in their image. Their city is filled with sculptures intended to represent the gods and these sculptures look just like human beings. In fact, ancient cultures attributed the same character traits to the gods that human beings possess, such as jealousy and anger and dishonesty. Their gods were like humans at heart but far more dangerous because they were endowed with supernatural powers. Paul insists that the Athenians must turn their thinking upside down. God is not made in man's image; man is made in God's image. A deity that could be fully represented by sculpture and art, or a deity that could be completely contained inside a temple, wouldn't really be worth worshiping. The God who is worth worshiping can't be comprehended by human minds well enough to be painted or sculpted into an image. He is too big to dwell in temples. His glory can't even be contained by the universe because He existed before the universe was created; therefore He must be many times greater than anything He has made.
"From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring.'" (Acts 17:26-28) Paul quotes two philosophers whose work would have been familiar to the Athenians: Epimenides and Aratus. Paul is a very well-educated man. He knows a great deal of ancient literature and he points out that poets who are revered by the universities at Athens freely admitted that there is one God who created all things.They don't have to simply take the word of a Jewish missionary about the Creator; they can take the word of of their own highly respected poets and philosophers.
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine Being is like gold or silver or stone---an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:29-31) God didn't overlook idolatry in the sense of being okay with it. Paul is saying that God has been long-suffering with the nations and tribes who practiced idolatry. He has not wiped them from the earth. But now it's time to get with the program. Jesus Christ has come. He has fulfilled all the law and the prophets. He has given Himself as the perfect and spotless sacrifice for sins. He rose from the dead as the irrefutable proof that He is who He says He is and that faith in Him saves mankind from sins. His gospel is being preached to all the world. There is now no more excuse for living in useless idolatry after having heard the gospel.
What are the consequences of hearing the gospel and refusing to believe it? A day of judgment. God has been patient with mankind ever since the first human being created an image and bowed down to it. God has been faithful to His creatures even when His creatures have not been faithful to Him. In His love He provided a means for these creatures to be saved from sin and to be in His presence forever. Jesus is God's chosen Redeemer. Salvation only comes through Him. The one who rejects the salvation that can only be found in Christ will be judged by Christ. We can accept the gospel message of Christ and be saved by Him, or we can reject the gospel message of Christ and be judged by Him. These are our only two options.
The Athenians aren't comfortable with only two options. They live to debate and they love to look at problems from every possible angle. They spend their days in endless discussions that never come to any conclusions. The idea that there is one way to heaven, and that it is through a man who died and rose from the dead, is far too simple for them. It's far too strange for them, because although most Greek schools of thought accepted the idea of an eternal soul, none of them taught a resurrection of the human body. When Paul brings up that subject they quickly dismiss him from the council. "When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, 'We want to hear you again on this subject.' At that, Paul left the Council." (Acts 17:32-33) The person who does not immediately accept the truth of the gospel will either reject it wholeheartedly as some of these Athenians do (sneering at the idea), or they will put off making a decision (intending to think about the message at some later date).
Paul doesn't make converts of the majority of Athenians. Most of the people at Athens consider themselves too worldly and sophisticated to accept the story of a carpenter from Nazareth who taught the word of God, performed miracles, was put to death, and rose from the grave. But there are some who believe, so Paul's visit to Athens was not in vain. "Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Aeropagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others." (Acts 17:34)
Christianity eventually flourished in Athens and this should encourage us whenever we feel like we are not getting through to those with whom we share the gospel. Paul did what he could at Athens to share the gospel. That's all God expected him to do. That's all God expects you and me to do. It's our job to carry out the great commission and it's God's job to work in the hearts of the men and women who hear the message. Paul could have become discouraged and said, "I only converted a few people in Athens. They will never change their ways and turn from idols to the living God." But God looked at Paul's mission as a success and said, "Souls have been saved at Athens! They will share the message with their family and friends and neighbors, causing more souls to be saved. Every soul is precious in My sight. If only one person had been saved at Athens, I would consider Paul's missionary journey there to have been a success."
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