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Paul’s Approach — Who is God?

As you and I share who God is in our communities, we have to understand that we all see God in a certain way based on our own experiences.

What has happened that makes you view God the way you do?

Most people who grew up in a church never think twice about whether there is a God or not. Others wouldn't question whether there is more than one god. But for those who grew up in other environments or cultures, or have chosen other paths, this may be something they have to wrestle with. The people of Athens were going to have to wrestle a bit with what they had been taught about the gods compared to what Paul was teaching them now about the one true God. This very concept was radical - only one God? Why not pray to whatever or whoever you believe in?

Paul understood where the people of Athens were coming from, and so he presented truth in a loving way.

So, who is God?

In Acts 17:24-27, Paul spoke to the Athenians. They were religious but didn’t understand God, so he gave them a basic lesson.

First, he said, The God …This is important in a society that believed there were over 30,000 gods.

In Acts 17:24-25, Paul explained that God is the opposite of their idols.

• He is the Creator of everything.
• He is Lord of all.
• He cannot be contained in a building.
• He does not need anything from us.
• He sustains his creation.

In Acts 17:26-27, Paul shared these truths:

• Every nation is traced to Adam.
• God determines the time and place for every individual.
• God put within us a desire to know him.

Let’s continue looking at how Paul reached the people around him.

After explaining God, Paul quoted two of the Athenians’ pagan poets. He got their attention in much the same way we might get someone’s attention by quoting a current movie or song lyric. In Acts 17:29, Paul pointed out the biblical truth that we are God’s offspring, and because we are, we need to think about God differently. He isn’t an image we can form and create on our own. He is a powerful, gracious, and righteous God who calls us to repentance. He is a God who creates, sustains, supports, and forgives, but he is also a God who will ultimately judge those who have chosen a way other than him.

Paul did what he could and then left the results to God. The people responded to Paul similar to how people respond to the same message we share today.

• Some rejected it. Acts 17:32 says that when they heard about the resurrection, they sneered. They heard the truth, and their pride wouldn’t allow them to do anything but mock it.
• Some were reluctant. In the last part of verse 32, some said, We want to hear you again on this subject. They were interested but they put off doing what truth required.
• A few believed. Verse 34 says, Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.

In Acts 18:1, we see Paul commit the results of the message to God. After this, Paul left Athens.

It seems that the Good News Paul shared wasn’t well-received in Athens. Only a few believed, and the city is never mentioned again in Scripture. The few believers formed a very small church. As far as we know there was not a great outbreak of believers following his visit, but Paul did what he was placed there to do. He shared what he knew about God and urged people to turn to him. The same is true when you and I talk about Jesus with those in our community. It is our responsibility to do what we can to connect others to Christ, and then let the Holy Spirit do the rest.