I have been so impacted afresh by this chapter about Paul in Athens! He was disturbed by their idols, so his whole message really pivoted on the true God not being an idol. And the Christ he introduced to them, was the One who would judge them for this worship of foreign gods.
So we see that Paul ‘spring-boards’ his message from an identified, spiritual stronghold in this particular place. We also see that he introduced Jesus primarily as a judge (because of this particular focus and message) – a judge vindicated by God through resurrection from the dead. Having ‘revealed’ this true God and true judge, Paul was invited back to share more… Another key thing to note is that Paul supported his ‘truth’ about God, quoting their ‘authorities’ in literature – not scripture, but secular philosophers. (Acts 17:28) Both of the truths he states could have been referenced by quoting bible verses (e.g. Genesis 1:27 & Psalm 95:4), but Paul choses, instead, to quote their philosophers, Epimenides and Aratus. (Acts 17:28) What can we learn from this? Lots!
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AuthorPeter Walker. Archives
March 2022
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