Study Guide for Acts 17 - Paul in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens
A. God's work in Thessalonica.
LESSON VERSES - PAUL'S SERMON TO THE AREOPAGUS
3. (Acts 17:22-31) Paul's sermon on Mars' Hill (the Areopagus).
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,[a] 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';[b] as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'[c] 29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
4. (Act 17:32-34) The reaction of the listeners at Areopagus.
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this." 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
5. Assessing Paul's sermon on the Areopagus.
Acts 17:22-31 Biblical Commentary:
THE CONTEXT:
This is Paul's Second Missionary Journey (49-52 A.D.) as related in Acts 15:30 - 18:21 (see Acts 13-14 for his First Missionary Journey and Acts 18:22 - 21:16 for his Third Missionary Journey). Paul and Silas have recently been to Thessalonica, where their preaching provoked an uproar (17:1-9) and to Beroea (or Berea), where they had a much more favorable reception. However, the Jews of Thessalonica, learning that Paul and Silas were in Beroea, sent representatives to oppose Paul and Silas. The Beroean believers "immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there. But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed" (17:14-15).
"Now while Paul waited for them (Silas and Timothy) at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols" (17:16).
Paul spends his time debating. Greeks delight in a good debate, so they invite Paul to the Areopagus to tell the assembled crowds about this new teaching. Athenians pride themselves on their intellectual prowess, and delight in new ideas (17:21).
Paul's sermon at the Areopagus is the best example in the New Testament of his preaching to Gentiles. The other example is a sermon, similar to this one but shorter, that he preached at Lystra (14:15-17) (Polhill, 365).
In this sermon, Paul mentions a number of things with which Athenians would agree. There is enough of this in the early part of his sermon that scholars have debated whether his sermon was based primarily on Hebrew scripture or Greek philosophy. The answer is that he based everything that he said on Hebrew scripture and his personal experience with the risen Christ. The many points at which Paul connects with Greek philosophy are simply examples of tailoring a sermon to speak to a particular group. But Paul does this tailoring very expertly, presenting his message without any hint of compromise.
ACTS 17:22-23. TO AN UNKNOWN GOD
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.
"Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus" (Areiou Pagou -Mars Hill) (v. 22a). Orators appearing before the council would stand, just as most public speakers today stand to deliver speeches.
The Areopagus is a hill near the Acropolis where the Athenian council met. Not only does the council render judgments on various legal matters there, but Greek philosophers gather there to debate. It is a place where crowds gather to enjoy intellectual jousting.
The word Areopagus is used to refer to the council as well as the hill. When Luke says that Paul stood in front of the Areopagus, he probably means that he stood before the council.
"You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious (deisidaimonesterous- from deisidaimon) in all things" (v. 22b). Paul chooses his words carefully. Deisidaimon can mean "very religious" (a positive sense), but it can also mean "very superstitious" (a negative sense). Since Paul wants the crowd to respond positively to his speech, he wants them to hear this word in the "extremely religious" (positive) sense. However, Luke has told us that Paul was "provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols" (17:16), so we can be sure that Paul reserves the right to hear this word privately in its "extremely superstitious" (negative) sense.
"For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship (sebasmata), I found also an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD'" (v. 23a). Paul has done his homework well. As he looked around Athens, he noted the various idols as well as noting other aspects of Athenian life. He strives to connect with the Athenians where they are in an attempt to lead them to where they need to go. This mention of an unknown god lays the foundation for him to speak about his known God.
Why would the Athenians erect an altar to an unknown god? Perhaps it was their way of saying, "We don't want any god to feel left out"-but more likely it was their way of making sure that they didn't offend a god who might retaliate by doing them harm.
But this altar to an unknown god is their admission of their ignorance-a bit of irony, given their pride in their intellectual prowess.
"the objects of your worship" (sebasmata) (v. 23a). This is another example of Paul's skillful use of language. Although Jews would hear this word negatively, it would not sound negative to this Athenian audience (Chance, 309).
"What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you" (v. 23b). By erecting an altar to an unknown god, the Athenians have acknowledged that there might be a significant god of whom they are ignorant. Now Paul tells them that he will enlighten them regarding this God-the God who is unknown to them.
ACTS 17:24-25. GOD MADE THE WORLD AND ALL THINGS IN IT
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,[a] 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.
a. Acts 17:24 Greek made by hands
"The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth" (v. 24a). This statement is firmly rooted in Genesis 1-2 and other Hebrew scriptures having to do with creation.
This is a subject on which Greek philosophers would be divided. Some would believe that the gods had a role in creation, but others would see the created world (the sun, moon, stars, etc.) as deities.
But to the extent that Paul can establish in their minds that God is the creator of all that exists, the rest of his sermon will unfold as the logical outgrowth of this idea.
"doesn't dwell in temples made with hands" (v. 24b). If God is the creator of everything (v. 24a), then it follows that this great God would not tolerate being confined to a small shrine "made with hands." Again, this is a subject on which Greek philosophers would be divided. Some would accept the validity of the shrines, but others, such as Euripides, would acknowledge that gods could not be contained by shrines or temples (Bock, 565; Polhill, 373).
"neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything" (v. 25a). Most Greeks would find it easy to agree with this premise. While they understand their gods to be limited in nature-quite unlike the way the Jewish people understand Yahweh-they would nevertheless understand their gods as superior to people and not in need of anything that people could give them. Nevertheless, they would feel an obligation to make homage to their gods so that their gods wouldn't inflict disaster on them.
"seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things" (v. 25b). Once again, Paul turns to his understanding of God as creator (see v. 24a). God not only created the universe, but God also created people and gave them life. A God great enough to give life to people cannot at the same time be so poor that he would need what human hands have to offer.
ACTS 17:26-27. HE MADE FROM ONE BLOOD EVERY NATION
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,
"He made from one blood" (henos-one) (v. 26a). A literal translation would be "From one"-there is no Greek word for "ancestor" in the text. However Greeks would understand this word to mean "from one man" or "from one person" or "from one ancestor."
Paul surely intends this as a references to Adam-the original human. However, his Greek audience would not be well-grounded in Hebrew scripture, so Paul knows that they will not catch the significance of this allusion. He chooses not to fill in all the details.
"every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth" (v. 26b). Again, this idea is solidly rooted in Hebrew scripture.
This would be difficult for Greeks to accept, because they believe that they are inherently superior to other people. If all humans are descended from one ancestor, that idea becomes difficult to defend.
"having determined appointed seasons" (v. 26c). This could have various meanings. It could refer to the seasons of the year. It could refer to particular people living for particular periods of time. It could refer to the periods of time allotted to various nations-the rising and falling of empires. Or it could mean all of the above.
But it isn't necessary to understand this phrase in any particular way. The important thing here isn't the meaning of "appointed" but rather that God makes the allocations.
"and the boundaries of their dwellings" (v. 26d). Once again, this could have various meanings. This could refer to the division of the earth into habitable and uninhabitable areas. It could refer to national boundaries. But, once again, the important thing is not the exact meaning of "the boundaries" but rather that is that it is God who establishes them.
"that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him" (v. 27a). God's purpose is that people would search for God. However, the sense of this verse is that they can be expected to grope uncertainly-reaching out into the darkness. This is what these Athenians have been doing with their many idols. They have been groping for God-hoping to find God-hoping to placate God-hoping to keep God happy-hoping to avoid God's wrath. But they have a problem. Their gods are merely figments of their imaginations.
But their reaching out-their attempts to find God-will, in some instances, make them open to receive the revealed God whom Paul is speaking about here.
"though he is not far from each one of us" (v. 27b). This is another point where these Greeks could appreciate, at least in some sense, what Paul is saying. They might feel that their gods are near (after all, they think that their gods reside in local shrines). However, they would also understand the imperfectness of their understanding of God.
Paul can say that God is "not far from each one of us," because God has been revealing himself to the Hebrew people for many centuries-and Paul has directly experienced the presence of the risen Christ on the Damascus road. Paul understands that God has given him the gift of the Holy Spirit so that God dwells within Paul. He knows that this kind of gift-this kind of nearness-is possible for the Athenians as well. They have only to believe-to accept the gift.
ACTS 17:28-29. IN HIM WE LIVE, AND MOVE, AND HAVE OUR BEING
28 for "'In him we live and move and have our being';[a] as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'[b] 29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
a. Acts 17:28 Probably from Epimenides of Crete b. Acts 17:28 From Aratus's poem "Phainomena"
"For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (v. 28a). Scholars debate whether this phrase is from one of the Greek philosophers. Chance attributes it to Seneca (Chance, 311). Faw and Rogness attribute it to Epimenides of Crete (Rogness, 584). Bock says that it "appears to allude to pagan ideas" (Bock, 568). Williams says that it doesn't have the characteristics of Greek poetry (Williams, 307)-implying that this phrase does not come from a Greek source.
The phrase does not come from Hebrew scripture. However, it expresses beautifully the faith of Jewish and Christian people that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1)-and that God is with us and keeps us wherever we go (Genesis 28:15).
"As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring'" (v. 28b). Scholars agree that this phrase comes from the Greek poet, Aratus. Once again, Paul uses what these Greeks know to link to the God whom they do not know. He uses this quotation from a Greek poet (who meant that we are the offspring of Zeus) to establish that Yahweh has created us and that we are therefore his offspring-his children.
"Being then (oun-therefore) the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man" (v. 29). If are God's children, it follows logically (and these Greeks prize logic) that God cannot be created by human artistry. Images created by human hands from gold, silver, or wood, cannot even REPRESENT God adequately-much less BE God.
ACTS 17:30-31. GOD COMMANDS THAT ALL PEOPLE SHOULD REPENT
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
"The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked" (v. 30a). When Paul spoke earlier about the altar to the unknown god, he implied that the Greeks were admitting ignorance. Now he actually uses the word. To appreciate the significance, we must understand the pride that the Greeks take in their learning and philosophy. They think of others as ignorant barbarians, but consider themselves civilized sophisticates.
The Greeks have a choice. They can take offense at Paul's accusation, or they can allow Paul to enlighten them concerning the true God. Most will take offense, but those who truly prize learning might listen what Paul has to teach them.
"But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent" (metanoein-from metanoeo) (v. 30b). A new day has dawned. God has revealed himself in Jesus. God has validated Jesus ministry by the resurrection. God is accessible and knowable. God has even made it possible for believers to have God's Spirit dwelling within them.
So God, who once overlooked ignorance, now requires "all people everywhere to repent." The Greek word, metanoeo (repent), is a combination of two Greek words-meta (when used in combination with another word, as it is here, meta means change) and nous (mind). Metanoeo, then, means a change of mind-turning from one way of thinking to another way.
Greeks believed that a change of one's mind would naturally lead to a change in one's actions, because beliefs determine behavior. This is quite different from many psychological disciplines today that emphasize feelings as the determinant of behavior-i.e. to change behaviors we must first "get in touch with" and change feelings. However, there has been a movement in recent decades to understand beliefs as the determinant of actions. Beliefs constitute the starting point in the action-cycle. A change of thinking has the power to change both feelings and actions.
So Paul is calling these Greeks to change their minds from belief in idols and unknown gods to belief in the God who created all things.
"because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained" (v. 31a). Paul, who for the most part has been saying things that would resonate with his Greek audience, now moves into less congenial waters when he talks of a day of judgment and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By doing so, he risks losing his audience-but if he fails to emphasize the resurrection, there will be no purpose to his sermon.
This verse says that God has fixed a day of judgment. The world will be judged in righteousness. God has appointed a man (Jesus Christ) to do the judging. Paul doesn't say when that will happen.
"judge the world in righteousness" ( v. 31a). In the Hebrew Scriptures, judgment (Hebrew: mispat) and righteousness (Hebrew: sedeq) are closely related. God is the judge (Genesis 18:25) who punishes the wicked (Deuteronomy 8:19-20) while rewarding the righteous (Exodus 20:6; Leviticus 25:18; 26:3 ff.).
Both Old and New Testaments speak of the coming of the Day of the Lord, an eschatological (end of time) event that will bring judgment to the guilty and deliverance to the faithful. There are numerous references in the prophets to the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 13:6, 9; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7, 14; Malachi 4:5). Most of these references emphasize God's wrath, but some also include a note of vindication.
In the Old Testament (especially in Isaiah), righteousness has more to do with right relationships than with adherence to Torah law. Obedience to the law is important, but only as it reflects true devotion to Yahweh-as it grows out of affection for Yahweh. If a person is in a right relationship to Yahweh, that person will establish caring relationships to other people as well, in particular to vulnerable people such as widows, orphans, and the poor. The law makes special provisions for the care of such people (Leviticus 22:13; Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 16:10-11, 14; 24:17-22; Isaiah 1:17), but those who follow the law by rote rather than as an outgrowth of devotion to Yahweh are apt to sidestep their obligations to those who are less fortunate (Isaiah 1:23; Ezekiel 22:7; Job 22:9; 24:21; Psalm 94:6).
Jesus told us what we can expect on Judgment Day. He said that the outcome will depend on our righteousness that expresses itself in concrete actions to help those who are less fortunate (Matthew 25:31-46).
In his epistles, Paul talks about judgment. He advises disciplining an errant believer "that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 5:5). He warns that "the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
"of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead" (v. 31b). This is Paul's proof of what he has been saying. By raising Jesus from the dead, God demonstrated the victory over death that he has promised to believers.
Paul knows that Jesus was raised from the dead, because the resurrected Jesus encountered Paul (then known as Saul) on the road to Damascus (9:3-6). Unfortunately, this audience has not experienced the risen Christ, so they are less inclined to believe. Some scoff at Paul's mention of the resurrection, but others listen (17:32).
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. The ASV, which is also in the public domain due to expired copyrights, was a very good translation, but included many archaic words (hast, shineth, etc.), which the WEB has updated.
Lesson 44: Reaching Intellectuals for Christ (Acts 17:16-34) - Bible.org - S. Cole
If the thought of sharing the gospel with intellectuals intimidates you, then Paul's sermon to the philosophers of Athens should both encourage and instruct you. He was at Athens, not by his plans, but because he had to flee persecution in Berea. He was waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him. As he strolled around the city, his spirit was provoked by the abundance of idols that he saw. One early observer said that you were more likely to meet a god in Athens than a man, and it was statistically true. It is estimated that there were about 30,000 idols in the city, but only 10,000 people when Paul visited there. The glory days of Athens had been four centuries earlier. But it was still an intellectual and cultural center, with two predominant rival schools of philosophy, the Epicureans and the Stoics.
Epicurus (342-270 B.C.) taught that pleasure is the chief goal in life, especially the intellectual serenity that is achieved by overcoming disturbing passions and superstitious fears, especially the fear of death. He was a materialist, believing that at death the person ceases to be, and thus there is no afterlife. He believed in the gods, but taught that they did not get involved in human affairs.
The Stoics followed the teachings of Zeno (332-260 B.C.), who thought that the good lies in the soul itself, which through wisdom and restraint delivers a person from the passions and desires that perturb ordinary life. The Stoics tried to live in harmony with nature and put great emphasis on man's rational ability, his self-sufficiency, and his obedience to duty. This emphasis on their own ability also filled them with pride. They were pantheistic, regarding God as the World-soul.
These two schools of philosophy were Paul's main audience for his sermon at Athens. Since they did not know about the Bible, Paul did not quote Scripture. But, as F. F. Bruce observes (The Book of Acts [Eerdmans], p. 355), "Like the Biblical revelation itself, his argument begins with God the Creator of all and ends with God the Judge of all." He hits on sin, righteousness, and judgment, the three areas where Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convict people.
After a brief introduction where he establishes some common ground, Paul points them to the supremacy of God as the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth. He shows God's sovereignty over men and nations, and man's utter dependence on God for life, breath, and all things. He shows how foolish idolatry is: God made us; we cannot make God! He concludes by calling them to repentance before God judges the world through a Man whom He raised from the dead.
At the mention of the resurrection, many in Paul's audience began to sneer. Others said that they would hear more later. A few, including a leading man and woman, joined Paul and believed. Because of the scant response, some have said that Paul failed in his approach. But I believe God gave us this synopsis of Paul's sermon as a model for how to reach intellectuals for Christ. To sum up:
To reach intellectuals for Christ, we must begin on common ground, show them God's supremacy and their own sin, and call them to repentance and faith in the risen Lord Jesus.
1. To reach intellectuals for Christ, we must begin on common ground.
Paul's spirit was provoked by all of the idols that he saw in the city (17:16). This led him to reason in the synagogue as well as in the marketplace, where the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers heard him. They brought him to the Areopagus, a body of administrators that exercised jurisdiction over religious and educational matters. There is debate over whether or not this was some sort of trial to determine if Paul could promote his ideas in the city. It seems not to be a formal trial, but rather a preliminary hearing of his views.
Paul began by stating his observation that they were very religious in all respects. He was restraining his indignation over all the idols that he saw, and picking up on the fact that at least they were interested in spiritual things. One way to begin a conversation about the Lord is to ask a person, "Do you have any spiritual beliefs?" Or, if a person is spouting off intellectual ideas about God, you can say, "I see that you've done some thinking about spiritual issues. Have you given any thought to who Jesus is?"
Next, Paul mentions that he found an altar in town with the inscription, "To an unknown God." We cannot be certain of how such an altar (or altars) came to be, but it was probably out of a fear of offending some god that they did not know about. They wanted to cover all their bases! (See Don Richardson, Eternity in Their Hearts [Regal Books], pp. 9-18, for a speculative historic drama of how these altars came about.) But Paul picks up on this well-known fact in their culture and turns it to his advantage. In effect, he says, "You admit that you do not know this God. Let me tell you about Him." So he establishes a common point and then proceeds to tell them the truth about God.
Don't feel intimidated to talk to an intellectual about Jesus Christ, because you know something he does not. You know God and he is ignorant of God. The word "agnostic" means that he does not know if there is a God. Tell him what you know!
I grew up in a Christian home. When I was in college, I sensed God calling me toward the ministry, but I felt a bit sheltered. So I decided to major in philosophy to expose myself to the world's thinking about God and the other important issues of life. I discovered that philosophers have a lot of questions, but they don't have any good answers! My professors would speculate about their speculations, which were the same speculations that philosophers had been speculating about for centuries, but nobody could arrive at any helpful answers. They are like the men Paul warned Timothy about, who are "always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 3:7). If you know God through Jesus Christ, you have something that the philosophers lack. Begin on some common ground and tell them what you know.
2. To reach intellectuals for Christ, we must show them God's supremacy and their own sin.
Paul exalts God and humbles proud man. He begins at the beginning: "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things" (17:24-25). Intellectuals need to learn a basic fact: God is God and they are not God! Invariably, intellectuals sit in judgment on God, as if He were an idea that they are free to bat around and leave on the table when they're done. But Paul begins, as the Bible does, by declaring, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." He is the inescapable fact! Since He created the universe, He is Lord of it. To think that you can make a temple to contain God or that He needs anything from you is to make a huge blunder!
Where does your life come from? It comes from God! He has every one of your days numbered, and when the number is up, He will take your life and you will stand accountable before Him. He gives you breath. In the past minute, you drew about 18 breaths of air. In the past hour, you breathed 1,080 times, which adds up to more than 25,000 times in the past 24 hours. If you are 40 years old, you have gulped in more than 365 million breaths of air. Each one was a gift from God. Have you thanked Him for the air He gives you to breathe?
But God not only gives you life and breath; He gives you all things! Do you have a roof over your head? God gave it to you. Do you have a family or friends who care about you? God gave those people to you. Do you have money to buy clothing and food and other things? It came from God. Do you have the ability to enjoy the taste of food, the aroma of a rose, the touch of a baby's skin, the sound of music, or the beauty of a snow-covered mountain? All these gifts come to us from God. An intellectual needs to know that the fact that he has taken all of these gifts for granted all of his life, and what is worse, that he has had the audacity to challenge the existence of the Creator, only reveal his incredible arrogance. If the Sovereign of the universe so willed, the proud intellectual would choke on his next bite of food and die!
Furthermore, intellectuals need to be humbled by realizing that they have nothing to offer God. He is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything. He has gotten along just fine all of these centuries without their astute intellect, and He will do just fine in the centuries to come whether they offer Him their services or not! While He graciously gives His redeemed children the privilege of serving Him, He does not need any one of us to accomplish His purpose. The minute I start thinking that I am indispensable to God, I am in big trouble! God is able to raise up children for Himself from the very stones, if He wills (Luke 3:8).
Intellectuals also need to realize that God is sovereignly active in determining the rise and fall of individuals and of nations (17:26). Paul is here confronting the deism of the Epicureans, the view that God is not actively involved with His creation. He is also confronting the racism of the Greeks, who called everyone who could not speak Greek "barbarians." No nation or race is superior, because God made us all from one common ancestor. Any form of racism stems from sinful pride. God in His sovereign wisdom determined the appointed times and boundaries of every nation's habitation. He raises up world powers and He takes them down again, according to His purpose. No nation or ruler can boast that we are what we are because of our own intelligence or power. We are what we are only by the grace of God. If He plunges our nation into abject poverty and weakness, He has every right to do it.
Paul is arguing here much as he does in Romans 1, where he shows that that which is known about God is evident to all people. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20). Men do not know God because they have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18). "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Rom. 1:21-22), and plunged into idolatry.
Thus Paul's meaning in Acts 17:27-28 is not that fallen men of their own natural ability and free will can seek after and find God. He clearly refutes that idea in Romans 3. Rather, he is showing that even though men are in fact dependent on God for everything, and even though God has graciously given men life and breath and all things, men have ignored God and gone their own way. They should have sought God and groped in the dark for Him, and if they had, God would have graciously let them find Him. Even though God is high and lifted up, He is also near to all who call upon Him.
In verse 28, Paul cites the Cretan poet Epimenides, "in Him we live and move and exist." Then he cites a Cilician poet, Aratus, "we also are His children." Both of those lines were written in the context of Greek polytheism, which Paul was not in any way endorsing. Rather, he is taking a strand of thought from these pagan poets and showing how these thoughts lined up with the revelation of the one true God. The first quote supports what Paul has just said about all of us owing our very life and breath to God. The second quote supports Paul's contention that God made all people and nations from one man, so that we all are His children by creation. So Paul is using the debating tactic of quoting your opponents' own writers in support of your point.
Then he applies it in verse 29: Since we are the children of God in the sense that He made us all and we owe our very existence to Him, idolatry is ludicrous. To think that we can make God by creating a statue of gold or silver or stone is absurd. So Paul, in this capital of idolatry, shows the absurdity of idolatry! It would be like going to the casinos of Las Vegas and crying out against the absurdity and wickedness of gambling!
But don't miss the point: Intellectuals are all idolaters at heart. In our day, they may or may not have little statues that they bow down to. Surprisingly, many who pride themselves on their intellect are pure idolaters. Did you know that we have an entire store in this university town devoted to selling idols? I would never have thought that there would be enough of a market to support such a store, but there must be! They have Hindu idols, idols of Buddha, and idols of Mary and Jesus. I have also noticed an increase of Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags around lately, usually flown by those who worship the earth and advocate animal rights above human rights. They are idolaters, worshiping the creature rather than the Creator!
Those who promote atheistic humanism are also idolaters, worshiping man and his intellect. Ironically, at the same time they worship man, they say that he evolved by sheer chance from pond slime, and most recently from apes! And so they "exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures" (Rom. 1:23). As Paul puts it (1 Cor. 1:21), "in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God." Reason alone is not sufficient to bring men to salvation and the knowledge of God. We cannot reason an intellectual into the kingdom, because the heart of his problem is sin, not just wrong thinking.
The root sin of intellectuals is pride, which clearly shows itself here. Even before they heard Paul's defense of the gospel, they sneered at him and called him an idle babbler (17:18). The Greek word is a "seed-picker." It referred to birds that would flit around pecking at a seed here and a seed there. So it came to be used in mockery of a man who picked up a stray idea from one place, and another idea from another place, and went around promoting them as his own wisdom. But Luke, in a parenthetical comment (17:21), shows that the Athenians were the real babblers. They liked to pass their time with mind games and endless banter, attempting to prove the superiority of their intellects. John Calvin calls them "drunk with their own pride" (Calvin's Commentaries [Baker], Acts, 2:146).
Thus to reach intellectuals, begin on common ground and then show them God's supremacy and their own sin of pride.
3. To reach intellectuals for Christ, call them to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul's forceful conclusion (17:30-31) is, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring (or, commanding) to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
Some say that Paul blew it here because he skips over the death of Christ and jumps to the resurrection. I think that there are two possibilities. Luke is obviously giving us a summary version of Paul's sermon, and so he could have spoken about Christ's death, but Luke did not record it for us. He does say that earlier Paul was preaching Jesus and the resurrection (17:18), which is obviously a summary. To proclaim that Jesus is risen implies that He died, and it is not difficult to assume that Paul explained that Christ died as the substitute for sinners.
Or, Paul may have been intending to explain Jesus' death, but he got interrupted and never got the chance. I think this is more likely, because he never mentions the name of Jesus or the offer of God's forgiveness through faith in Him. Spurgeon mentions that the apostles often plowed the ground with the doctrine of God's judgment before they came in with the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ ("Jesus the Judge," on Acts 10:42, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [Ages Software]). Here, Paul got through the repentance part, but before he could mention faith in Christ, he got cut off by the jeering of some in the crowd.
The only way an intellectual can be saved is the only way anyone can be saved, by repenting of his pride and other sins, and by trusting in Jesus Christ as the one who bore his penalty on the cross. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
Conclusion
Plato told a story about the Greek philosopher Thales, who lived about a century and a half before him. The philosopher was walking along a road with his head thrown back, studying the stars, when he stumbled into a well. Hearing his cries for help, a servant girl pulled him out, but not without making the observation that while he was eager to know about things in the sky, he failed to see what lay at his own feet (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. by Clifton Fadiman [Little, Brown], pp. 539-540).
Many intellectuals are like that. They concern themselves with lofty questions, but they never face their own sin and need for a Savior before they die. If we follow Paul's example of establishing a common ground, showing them the supremacy of God and their own sinfulness, and calling them to repentance and faith in the risen Lord Jesus, some will sneer and some will put us off till later. But some will believe and be saved.
