Acts 17(16–34)

Introduction

We’ve been following Paul and his companions on their second missionary journey which has taken them from Antioch all the way to Thessalonica and Berea in Europe. And wherever Paul and his companions went, they preached the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ to whomever they met. And as we’ve seen, wherever he went, some Jews and Gentiles believed the good news, but many others did not believe and they often stirred up trouble for Paul and his companions. In Philippi, for instance, Paul and Silas were whipped and beaten and jailed. In Thessalonica, some of the Jews formed a mob and they rushed to the home of one of the new believers named Jason, looking for Paul and Silas. And when they didn’t find them, they took Jason and his companions from his home and dragged them to the city officials and complained about them that they had welcomed Paul and the others who were causing trouble all over the world. And the opposition was so fierce, that the new believers thought it best for Paul and his companions to move on to another city. And so, they went to Berea. But the Jews from Thessalonica followed them and again stirred up trouble against them. And so, Paul was forced to move on and he travelled as far as Athens. And today’s passage is about what happened in Athens.

Verses 16 to 21

And so, in verse 16 we see that Paul is in Athens. He’s waiting for Silas and Timothy to catch up with him, because they stayed in Berea for a little longer. And while he waited for them, he must have wandered around the city. And Paul was greatly distressed by what he saw in Athens. He was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. It seemed to him that wherever he looked all he could see were idols: images of false gods.

One of the commentators quotes an ancient source who joked that it was easier to find a god in Athens than a man. And the historians record for us how the city of Athens was filled with shrines and temples and statues and altars to Athena and Apollo and Jupiter and Venus and Mercury and Bacchus and on and on. They were everywhere. In fact, one ancient source suggests that there were something like 73,000 statues in Athens (Pliny quoted in Schnabel).

Nevertheless, the idolatry didn’t keep Paul from doing what he normally did when he arrived in a new city. He went to the Jewish synagogue, where he reasoned with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks who had gathered there for worship and instruction. Luke doesn’t say what he reasoned to them about, but no doubt he reasoned with them from the Scriptures about the Lord Jesus. That’s what he did in Thessalonica and Berea, proving to them from the Scriptures that the Lord Jesus is the Christ. That is to say, he is God’s Spirit-Anointed And Conquering King who came to save us from our sin and misery in this life and to give us eternal life in the presence of God.

And not only did he reason with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks in the synagogue, but he did the same in the market-place with those who happened to be there. Athens had a reputation for being a place where the people discussed and debated philosophy with one another. In fact, Luke will go on to say in verse 21 that the Athenians and others who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. And the marketplace was one of the places where the people met to discuss these things.

According to verse 18, a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers was there; and they began to dispute with Paul. They heard what he was saying and they began to debate with him. The Epicureans believed that the gods weren’t interested in what happened here on earth. They also believed that when we die, there’s no judgment to face, because the gods aren’t interested in us and in what we do; and there’s no afterlife. So, when we die, that’s it; that’s the end of our existence. And while we go on living on the earth, we should avoid pain and seek to enjoy life as best we can. The Stoics, on the other hand, believed that a divine spirit permeated everything and determines what will happen. They also believed that history is cyclical, and everything that dies or is destroyed is reborn. They also taught that each person should seek to live in harmony with the world; and we should try to develop an indifference to things beyond our control. We shouldn’t let things bother us. And so, we say today that a person who puts up with trouble is being stoical.

So, these Epicureans and Stoics debated with Paul. Some weren’t impressed with him at all, referring to him as a babbler. The Greek word behind the translation ‘babbler’ was used originally to refer to birds, scavenging through rubbish and picking up seeds. It was then used to refer to people who picked up this idea and that idea from here, there and everywhere. It was a term of insult. So, some weren’t impressed with Paul. Others, though, were baffled by him, because it seemed to them that he was advocating foreign gods. Luke explains that they said this because he was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection. The commentators think the Athenians misunderstood him and thought resurrection was the name of a god.

Nevertheless, they still wanted to hear more. And so, they brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, which was like a council which governed the city; and the members of the Areopagus had the authority to decide whether he was a trouble-maker who should be silenced; or whether he could continue to preach about Christ.

Verses 22 and 23

And Paul’s speech to the Areopagus begins at verse 22, where Luke tells us that he stood up in the meeting and addressed the council. And he began by describing the members of the audience as being very religious. They were very religious, because the city was full of objects of worship. But then Paul went on to say to them that among all the objects of worship he saw, he found an altar which was dedicated to an unknown god. And what they worshipped as something unknown, he was going to proclaim to them.

Do you see what Paul was saying to them? He was saying to them that they both knew and didn’t know the true God. They both knew and didn’t know the true God. They knew him in the sense that all the objects of worship and the idols and shrines and temples and statutes and altars and the altar dedicated to this unknown god testified to the fact that they understood there is a God who deserves their worship. There is a God in heaven above who should be worshipped. But they don’t really know him and they didn’t know what he’s like or what he’s done for our salvation. And so, they worshipped idols and not the true God.

Think of it this way: Ask a blind man to draw your portrait; and he’ll get it all wrong. He knows you exist, and he probably knows that a face has two eyes, a nose and a mouth. But he doesn’t really know what you look like, because he hasn’t seen you, because he’s blind. And every picture he draws of you is wrong. And the Athenians were aware that God exists. But they were blind to his true being and character and they were unaware of anything he had done. And every idol they created was their attempt to imagine the true God. But every idol they created fell short.

Paul, in fact, said something similar to this in Romans 1 where he wrote that God has made himself known to everyone by the things he has made. And that means that every person, in a sense, knows God. People know he exists; and that’s he’s powerful and that he’s divine. But because people are sinners, they suppress or they repress what they know about him. And instead of worshipping the true God, people bow down to, and we worship, other things.

And that’s what the Athenians were doing. They knew there’s a God, but they didn’t know him or worship him. Instead they worshipped other things.

It’s the same today, isn’t it? God has made himself known to all people everywhere by what he has made. Everything in the world — including every person — speaks to us of God, who made all things. God has made himself known to all people; and deep down inside, everyone knows that God exists and that he made all things. But though all people know God, so that they’re without excuse, they do not glorify him or give thanks to him, but instead they worship other things.

And so, those people who follow other religions apart from Christianity worship false gods, and not the true God. And other people, who may even call themselves atheists, have their own idols whether they realise it or not, because an idol is something we rely on for happiness or for security or it’s something we rely on to give our life meaning and purpose. And so, people rely on their career or their family or their health or their money or something else. So long as I have my career, my life has meaning. So long as I have my family around me, then I’m happy. So long as I have my health, so long as I have my wealth, then everything will be okay.

Just like the Athenians, people today do not worship the true God. They know God, because he has made himself known through what he has made; and everything in the world has his signature on it and bears witness to him. But though they know God, they don’t know him. And whatever they know about him, they push out of their thoughts. They shove him away and they replace him with these other things.

The Athenians both knew God and they did not know him. But what was unknown to them about God was known to Paul. And he had come to Athens to proclaim to them the true God. And he was able to proclaim to them the true God, because not only has God revealed himself in what he has made, but he has revealed himself in his word. And Paul had God’s word and he was able to proclaim to the Athenians the truth about God. And God has also revealed himself by his Son who came into the world as one of us. And Paul knew what God’s Son has done for us and for our salvation by his life and death and resurrection. And so, Paul was able to teach them about him so that they would give up their false gods and worship the true God.

Verses 24 to 25

In the verses which follow Paul proclaims to the Athenians the truth about God so that they would truly know him. And his address is in three parts: God is the creator of all; God is the ruler over all; God is the judge of all.

So, first of all, God is the creator of all. This is in verses 24 and 25. He tells them that the true God made the world and everything in it. And since he made all things, then he’s the Lord of all things. He is the Great King over all.

And he does not live in temples built by hands. So, whereas the Athenians made idols out of stone and metal and placed them in temples, which they built for their idols, the true God made all things. He doesn’t need them to build him a house. Paul is letting them know that their idea of what God is like is completely wrong. They knew God, but they also didn’t know him at the same time.

Furthermore, the true God does not need to be served by human hands, as if he needed anything from them. The Athenians would come to their temples with gifts and offerings for their idols and false gods. But the true God does not need us to serve him. He does not need us to give him anything. He does not need anything from us. On the contrary, he gives us what we need. He gives all men life and breath and everything else. There’s not one good thing we have which has not come to us from him. The Athenians thought the gods needed them; but no, we need God, because he gives us everything. Their idea of God couldn’t be more wrong. They knew God, but they also didn’t know him at the same time.

Verses 26 to 29

So, the true God made all things. And secondly, the true God rules over all things. That’s in verses 26 to 29 So, from one man, Adam, God made every nation. And he made every nation so that they would inhabit the whole earth. And rather than being aloof and uninterested in creation, as the Epicureans believed, God has determined the times set for the nations and the exact places where they should live. So, the Lord, who made all things, has determined which nation will live where; and he has determined the extent of their territory. Moreover he rules over the nations in such a way that he determines the rise and fall of the nations. He determines which one will be exalted and which one will be brought down. The nations are in his hands.

And God did this — Paul says — so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him. So, people ought to have realised that behind the rise and fall of the nations there’s the God who rules over all. They ought to have realised this. But, of course, instead of seeking him and instead of reaching out to him, the Athenians worshipped and bowed down to false gods instead.

But they mustn’t think that God is far from them, as the Epicureans believed, because in God we live and move and have our being. We live our lives before him and he upholds us moment by moment. And Paul quotes a pagan poet who wrote: ‘We are his offspring.’ Though he was a pagan, that poet’s words testify to the fact that he both knew God and did not know him. He knew there’s a God who made all things and that we have come from him. But the poet did not worship him or give thanks to him. Like the rest of the pagan world, he worshipped and bowed down to images made of gold or silver and made by man’s design and skill.

But God is nothing like that. We did not make him, but he made us. And he needs nothing from us, whereas we need him and depend on him for everything. He rules over all things; so that we’re not to think of him as far away and aloof and uninterested in what we do and in how we live. He’s involved in the world and he determines the circumstances of our life.

Verses 30 and 31

And finally, having said all that, Paul gets to his conclusion. Not only is God is the creator of all things; and not only does he rule over all things, but God will judge all things.

In the past — Paul says — God overlooked the kind of ignorance which Paul discovered in Athens, where the people knew there’s a God, but they did not know him truly and they did not worship him.

Now, when Paul says the Lord overlooked their ignorance, he doesn’t mean that God disregarded it or treated it as unimportant. He means God withheld his wrath from the nations and did not condemn them straightaway for their sinful ignorance. So, in the past, God overlooked the ignorance that was in the world. However, now — now that Christ has come into the world to be the Saviour of the world — God commands all people everywhere to repent. And to repent means to turn from your sin and to turn to God for mercy, confessing your sins and asking God to forgive you for the sake of Christ who died for sinners. The Lord Jesus gave up his life as the ransom to set us free from condemnation; and he shed his blood on the cross to cleanse us from our guilt. He died for sinners, so that through faith in him we’re pardoned by God and not condemned.

And now that Christ has come, God commands all people in all places to repent. And God has the authority to command all people in all places to repent, because he made all people and places and he rules over all people and places.

And he commands all people to repent, because he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. So, since everyone will be judged for what they have done and for how they have lived, they are now commanded to repent, so that instead of being condemned for their sin, they’ll be pardoned by God. Instead of being sent out of God’s presence to be punished forever for their disobedience, they’ll be pardoned and brought into God’s presence to enjoy perfect peace and rest and happiness. The day of judgment is coming; that day is already marked on God’s calendar; and every day it’s getting closer. And so, before that day arrives, and while there’s still time, repent. Give up your sins. Turn to God for mercy, confessing your sins and trusting in Christ, the only Saviour of the world, for salvation.

But how do we know this is true? How do we know this will really happen? What proof do we have that God really has appointed a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed? How we we know this is true? Well, God has given us all the proof we need, all the assurance we need, by raising the Lord Jesus from the dead. When he raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, he exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name; and he appointed him to be the judge over all so that, one day, every knee will bow before him when he comes to judge the world.

The Epicureans thought that God was not interested in their lives and that there is no judgement or afterlife. The Stoics believed the world just went on and on, and whatever dies or is destroyed is reborn. But Paul made clear how wrong they were, because all of history is moving forward to the day when God will judge the world by Jesus Christ; and everyone will have to give an account to him for how they lived their lives. And the only way to escape the coming wrath of God is by repenting and believing in Christ.

Verses 32 to 34

How did the people respond to Paul’s message? Some of them sneered, we read in verse 32. They did not believe in the resurrection. Others wanted to hear more. Were they being polite or were they being serious? Did they really want to hear more or where they politely putting him off? But then, there were some others who were there that day and they became followers of Paul and believed. The Holy Spirit had come and opened their hearts to pay attention to the message; and the Holy Spirit convinced them and converted them to a true faith in the Saviour.

Conclusion

And God still commands all people in all places to repent. So, will you repent? Perhaps there’s someone here who needs to repent for the very first time. Well, now’s the time to repent. And those of us who have been believers all of our lives need to repent. We all need to repent, because all of us sin against the Lord every day. And so, every day we need to turn from our sin; and we must turn to the Lord for mercy, asking him to pardon us for the sake of Christ who died for sinners.

And here’s the thing: Whoever repents and trusts in Christ, the only Saviour of the world, need not fear the coming day of judgment. You need not fear the coming day of judgment, because when Christ comes again, and you stand before his judgment seat, he will declare you not guilty. Not guilty, because he has already paid for your sins with this life; and God has forgiven you because of Christ who died for you. And so, instead of sending you away to be punished, he’ll bring you into the presence of the Lord to be with him for ever and ever in glory. And then you will know God in a far greater way than you know him already, because you shall be with him; and you shall see him and you’ll behold his glory for ever. And you’ll be able to join with all those in every generation who repented and believed; and together you’ll worship him and give thanks to him for ever and for ever.