Act 17:25 | KingComments | STEP | Paul begins his speech by connecting with the world of the Athenians. He knows what kind of audience he has in front of him. Among the Jews he appeals to the Scriptures because the Jews also refer to them for they know them. The Athenians do not know the Scriptures and Paul does not quote from them, but everything he says is based entirely on the Scriptures. He does not begin with a condemnation of their idolatry (cf. ), but with a neutral observation. He does not express any appreciation or reproach. He tells what he noticed when he went through the city. Among the many objects of worship, he had also found an altar dedicated “to an unknown God”. An altar for an unknown god had been erected for fear of having overlooked a god who had to be honored after all. It could also be that it was a kind of ‘garbage can god’, where one would go if one had a business for which one could not go to the ‘known gods’. Starting from this gap in their cult of idols, Paul starts preaching to them the true God. He does not say that he is going to preach that unknown god to them, as if he is filling a gap in their arsenal of idols. He does not say ‘who you worship in ignorance’, but “what you worship in ignorance”. What Paul is going to preach overthrows their entire system of idolatry. He does not correspond to their ignorance of a particular god, but to their ignorance of everything that has to do with the true God. Paul does not proclaim a new god, but the God of gods. The first thing he says about God is that He is Creator. If we don’t know Him like that, we don’t know Him at all. In this intellectual city, Paul must descend to the lowest rung of the ladder of truth. That is the result of intellectual civilization without God. Paul addresses the basic questions that every thinking person asks: Where do I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? God made everything, the whole world and everything in it ( ; ). This is at odds with the Greek thinking that assumes that matter is eternal. God made the world, the world came into being out of Him. He called the things which did not exist as existing ( ; ). That means that everything that is, came forth from that one God. God is not part of creation or united with creation. He is there and is above creation. Although He is above His creation, He cares for it. He is not a God at a distance, separated from His creation. He is also not a prisoner of His creation, as if He were locked in it. He is too big to live in something made by human hands, but not too big to deal with people’s needs. People have to carry, nurture and even take their gods into captivity ( ), but the true God Himself serves man and carries His own ( ). God needs nothing from man, but man depends on Him for everything he needs. The temples don’t contain God, but the service in those temples doesn’t add anything to God either. God cannot be limited spatially, He is omnipresent. Solomon, who built a temple for God, was aware of this ( ). Gentiles have only local gods. With these arguments Paul sweeps their whole system off the table. God is the Source of every good gift. He is so interested in man that He gives to all “life and breath and all things” ( ; ). To Him, all men are also equal, for He made them all come forth from one blood, that is, from one ancestor. To all those people God makes His gospel known. And God has not only given people life and breath and all things as individuals, He has also placed those people together in nations and given each nation its own territory. God leads the history of all nations and each of those nations He has given its own place on earth, taking His people Israel as a starting point ( ). God did not make man to leave him to himself, but that he might seek Him. In the deepest being of man there is a craving for God. This is how he was created by Him. God is not far from man. In the gospel He comes close to man. The sincerely seeking man will find Him. God has done everything to make it easy for man to find Him. How much man is in darkness about God, Paul indicates by saying that people “grope” for God. Someone does something by groping when he has no light. Man lives in darkness, his understanding is blinded by the god of this age ( ). That is why he does not perceive God although God can be seen wherever man looks. To make this fact of God’s nearness clear to the Athenians, Paul appeals to some of their famous poets who have said that humans are God’s offspring. What those poets said, they said with Zeus in mind, but Paul applies it to the real meaning for God. Adam was born of God, created by Him and therefore of His offspring [not: His children]. In that sense he is also called “son of God” ( ). Man is created in God’s image and resembles Him in the qualities He has, through which man can act as a responsible being. Wherever people are, we see the image of God. We can also recognize Him in creation, that is, His eternal power and Divine Nature are seen therein ( ). In this sense, it is perfectly true that He is not far from each of us because we live and move in Him and exist in Him. The fact that man does not find Him despite all that, shows how great man’s alienation from God is. In reality, man is not looking for God either. There is no one seeking for God because they have all deviated from God’s original plan with man ( ). Subtly Paul draws attention to that deviation by pointing out that they should not think that the Divine Nature can be depicted by people. He has seen that Athens is full of that foolishness. If we are ‘His offspring’, that is, if God made us in His image, it is foolishness for us to make images of God in our own imagination. Anyone who makes an image of God does so according to his own image of God. The consequence of this can only be that the greatness of God as far as man’s knowledge of Him is concerned is completely nullified. If man sets to work with this, he cannot but destroy this image.

‏ Acts 17:25

Speech to the Men of Athens

Paul begins his speech by connecting with the world of the Athenians. He knows what kind of audience he has in front of him. Among the Jews he appeals to the Scriptures because the Jews also refer to them for they know them. The Athenians do not know the Scriptures and Paul does not quote from them, but everything he says is based entirely on the Scriptures. He does not begin with a condemnation of their idolatry (cf. Rom 1:22-23), but with a neutral observation. He does not express any appreciation or reproach.

He tells what he noticed when he went through the city. Among the many objects of worship, he had also found an altar dedicated “to an unknown God”. An altar for an unknown god had been erected for fear of having overlooked a god who had to be honored after all. It could also be that it was a kind of ‘garbage can god’, where one would go if one had a business for which one could not go to the ‘known gods’.

Starting from this gap in their cult of idols, Paul starts preaching to them the true God. He does not say that he is going to preach that unknown god to them, as if he is filling a gap in their arsenal of idols. He does not say ‘who you worship in ignorance’, but “what you worship in ignorance”. What Paul is going to preach overthrows their entire system of idolatry. He does not correspond to their ignorance of a particular god, but to their ignorance of everything that has to do with the true God. Paul does not proclaim a new god, but the God of gods.

The first thing he says about God is that He is Creator. If we don’t know Him like that, we don’t know Him at all. In this intellectual city, Paul must descend to the lowest rung of the ladder of truth. That is the result of intellectual civilization without God. Paul addresses the basic questions that every thinking person asks: Where do I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?

God made everything, the whole world and everything in it (Psa 146:6; Isa 42:5). This is at odds with the Greek thinking that assumes that matter is eternal. God made the world, the world came into being out of Him. He called the things which did not exist as existing (Rom 4:17; Heb 11:3). That means that everything that is, came forth from that one God. God is not part of creation or united with creation. He is there and is above creation.

Although He is above His creation, He cares for it. He is not a God at a distance, separated from His creation. He is also not a prisoner of His creation, as if He were locked in it. He is too big to live in something made by human hands, but not too big to deal with people’s needs. People have to carry, nurture and even take their gods into captivity (Isa 46:1-2), but the true God Himself serves man and carries His own (Isa 46:3-4).

God needs nothing from man, but man depends on Him for everything he needs. The temples don’t contain God, but the service in those temples doesn’t add anything to God either. God cannot be limited spatially, He is omnipresent. Solomon, who built a temple for God, was aware of this (1Kgs 8:27). Gentiles have only local gods.

With these arguments Paul sweeps their whole system off the table. God is the Source of every good gift. He is so interested in man that He gives to all “life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25; Psa 50:12). To Him, all men are also equal, for He made them all come forth from one blood, that is, from one ancestor. To all those people God makes His gospel known. And God has not only given people life and breath and all things as individuals, He has also placed those people together in nations and given each nation its own territory. God leads the history of all nations and each of those nations He has given its own place on earth, taking His people Israel as a starting point (Deu 32:8).

God did not make man to leave him to himself, but that he might seek Him. In the deepest being of man there is a craving for God. This is how he was created by Him. God is not far from man. In the gospel He comes close to man. The sincerely seeking man will find Him. God has done everything to make it easy for man to find Him.

How much man is in darkness about God, Paul indicates by saying that people “grope” for God. Someone does something by groping when he has no light. Man lives in darkness, his understanding is blinded by the god of this age (2Cor 4:4). That is why he does not perceive God although God can be seen wherever man looks.

To make this fact of God’s nearness clear to the Athenians, Paul appeals to some of their famous poets who have said that humans are God’s offspring. What those poets said, they said with Zeus in mind, but Paul applies it to the real meaning for God. Adam was born of God, created by Him and therefore of His offspring [not: His children]. In that sense he is also called “son of God” (Lk 3:23 ; 38). Man is created in God’s image and resembles Him in the qualities He has, through which man can act as a responsible being. Wherever people are, we see the image of God.

We can also recognize Him in creation, that is, His eternal power and Divine Nature are seen therein (Rom 1:20). In this sense, it is perfectly true that He is not far from each of us because we live and move in Him and exist in Him. The fact that man does not find Him despite all that, shows how great man’s alienation from God is. In reality, man is not looking for God either. There is no one seeking for God because they have all deviated from God’s original plan with man (Rom 3:11-12).

Subtly Paul draws attention to that deviation by pointing out that they should not think that the Divine Nature can be depicted by people. He has seen that Athens is full of that foolishness. If we are ‘His offspring’, that is, if God made us in His image, it is foolishness for us to make images of God in our own imagination. Anyone who makes an image of God does so according to his own image of God. The consequence of this can only be that the greatness of God as far as man’s knowledge of Him is concerned is completely nullified. If man sets to work with this, he cannot but destroy this image.