ACTS LESSON 38

     In the last lesson we saw Paul whisked off to Athens to keep the
people of Berea from capturing him.  He left Timothy and Silas behind.
He sent word for them to join him in Athens.  While he is waiting for
them in Athens, he discovers that Athens is completely idolatrous.  We
will pick up here in Athens in Acts 17:17.

    Acts 17:17 "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews,
and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that
met with him."

    Dispute means he argued with them.  Devout means religious.  The
synagogue was Jewish and these people Paul was disputing were the
leaders of the Jews.  They were students of the Old Testament, but did
not believe Jesus was the promised Messiah.  It seems this dispute was
not occasional, but daily.

    Acts 17:18 "Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of
the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler
say?  other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods:
because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection."

    These philosophers of the Epicureans taught that through
philosophy a person could find happiness.  True pleasure, and not
absolute truth, is what they taught.  In Athens, this philosophy of
materialism was strongly supported at this time.  The Stoics taught
pride, individual independence, and believed in fate, not faith.  You
see, neither of these were even vaguely associated with God. In fact,
they both remind me of secular humanism which is centered on self, and
not God.  You see, they did not know God nor His Son Jesus, and they
did not believe in life after death.

    Acts 17:19 "And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus,
saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest,
[is]?"

    This Areopagus seems to be a court named after their false god of
war.  These people, who were so possessed with having every bit of
knowledge they could get, would be wanting this new knowledge, as
well.  They were fascinated with the mind, not the spirit.

    Acts 17:20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears:
we would know therefore what these things mean." Acts 17:21 "(For all
the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in
nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)"

    These people analyzed everything they heard.  They checked out all
new things, just as people today are always looking for something new.
You cannot analyze God.  He must be accepted on faith, not fact.
These people worshipped their own mind.  If they could not prove it,
they did not believe it.  They had faith in no one and nothing.  They
dealt only with their so-called facts.

    Acts 17:22  "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said,
[Ye] men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too
superstitious."

    Areopagus and Mars' hill is the same place.  Superstitious, here,
means more religious than others.  He does not say they are involved
with God, just that they are religious.  A person can be religious
about any thing.  Any habit you have, you are religious about it.

    Acts 17:23 "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found
an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye
ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."

    You see, these intelligent people knew that there had to be
something, or someone, who started all of this.  In science you can go
so far back, but science does not really know where it all began. Paul
says here, you really are worshipping God, but you are ignorantly
worshipping you know not what. For them to be told they are ignorantly
doing anything, is quite a shock to them.  They think themselves to be
very intelligent.  Paul says to them, listen and I will tell you who
this God is.

    Acts 17:24 "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing
that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with
hands;"

    Paul, here, is starting out with very fundamental teaching.  He
touches first on something that they will agree with.  They know that
they have no idea who made heaven or earth, so they will go along with
this much of Paul's message.  They know that they have never seen Him,
so they would, also, believe that he dwelleth not in temples.  We see,
here, that boldness of Paul, because on this very Mars' hill they have
temples to false gods.  The Parthenon is one of the well known temples
here.

    Acts 17:25 "Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he
needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all
things;"

    Since God made the world, and everything, and everyone in it, He
really doesn't need us, or the things we might do for Him.  We need
Him.  In Him we live, and breathe, and have our being.

    Acts 17:26 "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to
dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times
before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;"

    These proud people do not want to hear that all these people of
the world, that they look down on, were made from the same blood line
as they were.  God decided what color our skin would be and where we
would live.  Paul is showing that all people everywhere are sisters
and brothers, and that we should all worship the one true God who gave
us all life.

    Acts 17:27 "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might
feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of
us:"

    God is with us all the time.  He never moves away from us.  We
sometimes wander away from Him.  If we seek Him, we will find Him.
The heathens are stumbling through life looking for something (they
know not what).  They are really looking for God and do not realize
it.  His handiwork is around every one of us.  The flowers, trees,
skies, and for that matter, everything shows His handiwork.  Paul is
saying to these people, reach out, He is right here with you.

    Acts 17:28 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as
certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his
offspring."

    Paul says, here, that God causes us to live.  We Christians know
that the very breath of life breathed into us at creation is our life
He (God) put within us.  These words Paul quoted had been written by
one of their Greek poets.

    Acts 17:29 "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we
ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man's device."

    Paul is explaining here to them why it is wrong to worship a
statue of gold, or silver, or any other engraved thing.  These are
creations of man.  We must only worship Creator God.  Paul is saying,
if you are God's offspring, then you know these images are not God.

    Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent:"

    Paul says that God overlooked their sin in the past, because it
was done in ignorance.  God now has revealed Himself to mankind, and
man must repent of all those sins he has committed and come to the one
true God.  Since the knowledge of God has come, God will not look the
other way any longer at sin.  Man must repent, and start over again
worshipping God.

    Acts 17:31 "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will
judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained;
[whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath
raised him from the dead."

    We see here, that Paul has led them to the place and time of
decision.  Do they go on worshipping their idols, or do they repent
and start life anew with this God that Paul is telling them of?  Paul
tells of a day of judgement, when even these people of Athens will
stand before this Judge of all the world.  Paul tells them that the
one who will judge the world is the very same Jesus that rose from the
grave.  His rising from the grave is evidence of who He is.  His
judgement will be righteous.

    Acts 17:32  "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead,
some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this
[matter]."

    Paul had turned some of them completely off when he mentioned the
resurrection, because they did not believe in life after death.  Some,
however, were interested and were eager to hear more about this life
after death.  All men fear death, until they have the blessed hope of
the resurrection.

    Acts 17:33 "So Paul departed from among them."

    Paul had done and said all that he could.

    Acts 17:34 "Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed:
among the which [was] Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named
Damaris, and others with them."

    In another book, other than the Bible, we read that a Dionysius
was the pastor of a diocese in Corinth and this one here was named for
him.  This woman Damaris was not a relative of his. Perhaps, these
specific mentions here just show how few received the gospel message
into their hearts.

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                           Acts 38 Questions


1.  Why was Paul whisked off to Athens?
2.  Who did he leave behind?
3.  What did Paul find out about Athens?
4.  Who did Paul dispute with in the synagogue?
5.  How often did Paul do this?
6.  What philosophers encountered him?
7.  They said he seemed to be a setter forth of what?
8.  What did Paul preach to them?
9.  How did they believe a person could find happiness?
10. What did the Stoics teach?
11. What, in our modern society, are they like?
12. Where did they take Paul when they took him?
13. What false god was it named for?
14. Why did they want to hear the new doctrine?
15. What did they spend their time doing?
16. What was another name for Mars' hill?
17. What did Paul say he perceived about them?
18. Paul had found an inscription on an altar to whom?
19. Who did Paul tell them this was?
20. Where did Paul tell them God did not dwell?
21. Where did Paul tell them He was Lord of?
22. In verse 25, Paul says that God gives all people what two things?
23. How does verse 26 teach against prejudice?
24. Who should seek the Lord?
25. "For in Him we ________________________________ and
    ________________"
26. Whose words had Paul quoted to them?
27. What should we know about the Godhead since we are his offspring?
28. What were all men now commanded to do?
29. Who will judge the world?
30. How will He judge?
31. When they heard what, some mocked?
32. Who specifically were mentioned who believed?

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