Acts 17:16-34
The Unknown God Made Known
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16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.
17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
18Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.
19So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
20For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
21Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.
22Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.
23For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.
24The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
25Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
26From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.
27God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
28‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’
29Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.
30Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
31For 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.”
32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.”
33At that, Paul left the Areopagus.
34But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Paul is deeply distressed by the idols filling Athens. In the synagogue and the marketplace he reasons with Jews, God-fearing people, and anyone who happens to be there. Epicurean and Stoic philosophers bring him to the Areopagus, curious about the new teaching but also suspicious that he is announcing foreign gods.
Paul begins with the Athenians' religious concern rather than mocking them. He refers to an altar dedicated to an unknown god and announces the God they do not yet know: the Maker of heaven and earth, Lord of heaven and earth, who does not live in temples made by hands or depend on human service. God is the one who gives life, breath, and everything else.
These claims change the relationship between worshiper and God. The Athenians depend on the Creator for their next breath; He does not depend on them to keep Him supplied. A statue they can make cannot contain the One who made them.
Paul says God made every nation from one man and appointed their times and boundaries so they would seek him. The true God is not far from us, though people have represented him with gold, silver, or stone shaped by human art. God now commands everyone to repent because he has appointed a man to judge the world in righteousness and has given assurance by raising him from the dead.
Some mock the resurrection, some want to hear more, and some believe, including Dionysius, Damaris, and others. Paul does not measure a faithful witness only by a uniform response. He explains the living God clearly and leaves room for each listener to respond.
Questions
1 What disturbed Paul in Athens?
AnswerHe saw that Athens was full of idols, and the sight provoked him because worship had been directed toward so many false gods.
2 What altar did Paul notice?
AnswerHe noticed an altar inscribed “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD,” and he used that acknowledged uncertainty as an opening to announce the God they did not know.
3 What does God give everyone?
AnswerHe gives everyone life, breath, and everything else, because He is Lord of heaven and earth and is not served as though He needed anything.
4 How did the listeners respond?
AnswerSome mocked the resurrection, some wanted to hear Paul again, and some believed, including Dionysius and Damaris.
What This Means for Us
Speaking to people who think differently requires attention before explanation. Paul understood what he saw, began where his listeners were, and still clearly announced repentance, judgment, resurrection, and Jesus.
When a friend asks about faith, listen long enough to understand the question. Explain what you believe about God and Jesus plainly, and leave room for another conversation. Some of Paul's listeners wanted to hear more; we need not treat every unfinished conversation as a failure.
Prayer
Lord, help us speak truth with understanding and courage. Keep us attentive to the people around us without diluting the message about Jesus. Amen.