Paul in Athens - Talking Too People in their Own language. (Acts 17: 16-34)

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Introduction:

I'm thrilled to have you join us as we dive again into the book of Acts, exploring the timeless lessons it offers for our lives today. In today's episode, we'll be looking at how Paul engaged with the intellectuals of Athens, a city full of idols and diverse philosophies.

Key Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

Episode Summary:

In this episode, we find Paul in Athens, deeply distressed by the city's idolatry. While waiting for his companions, Paul engages with the local Jewish community and everyday Athenians in the marketplace, eventually drawing the attention of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. These philosophers, curious about Paul's teachings, bring him to the Areopagus (Mars Hill) to explain his "new ideas."

Here, Paul delivers a masterful speech, acknowledging their religiosity and using an altar to an unknown god as a starting point to introduce the true God. He proclaims that the true God is the Creator of all, not confined to temples made by human hands, and that He desires all people to seek and find Him. By quoting their own poets, Paul bridges the gap between their beliefs and the gospel message, making a compelling case for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Main Points:

1. Cultural Context:
   • Athens as the intellectual and artistic center of the world.
   • The prevalence of idols and religious plurality in Athens.
2. Paul's Approach:
   • Reasoning in the synagogue and marketplace.
   • Engaging with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.
   • Being called to the Areopagus (Mars Hill).
3. Paul's Speech:
   • Acknowledging their religiosity.
   • Introducing the true God as Creator.
   • Emphasizing the unity of humanity.
   • Quoting their own poets to connect with his audience.
4. Modern Application:
   • How to share the gospel with those who do not accept biblical presuppositions.
   • Finding com

Transcript

Paul in Athens - Talking Too People in their Own language.

 (Acts 17: 16-34)

Transcript: 

As an adult, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people about faith. I’ve learned that not all non-Christians are alike. Relatively few people these days accept our presuppositions because in the Uk anyways very few people come from a background that taught them the Bible is the word of God. 

How do you talk to them? If they don’t accept the Scriptures, using the Bible might have no effect or even an adverse effect on them. So, what do you do? Where do you start? And how do you proceed if you want to share the gospel with someone who doesn’t accept the Bible as authoritative in any way?

Many years ago, I stumbled upon a method that has inspired my ministry life, outside the church for decades now. This method is illustrated for us in Acts chapter 17. 

As we’ve been going through the book of Acts, chapter by chapter, verses by verse, we’ve come to the famous passage where Paul is among a group of intellectuals in Athens. Let’s see how Paul talked to people who did not accept his religious presuppositions into todays episode…..

In today’s episode we find Paul waiting for his companions in Athens, and it begins in chapter 17:6.

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

(Luke 17: 16-21)

To understand this passage, we need some background information. Athens was the intellectual capital of the world. If you know anything about philosophy, you know this is where Socrates and Plato taught. Aristotle would adopted Athens as his place of study, and Epicureans and Stoics flourished here. Athens was indeed the birthplace of Western philosophy.

It was also an artistic center, home to the greatest artists, poets, writers, and orators. The city was filled with masterpieces, great sculptors and architects. Its streets and buildings were crowded with statues and works of art. 

And finally, Athens was a religious capital, with countless temples, altars, and idols. Paul was walking around this city, seeing it filled with idols, and he is provoked by the idolatry he sees. 

This is the context in which Paul delivers his message.

Willaim Barclay in his commentary of Acts mentions that the population of Athens at this time was somewhere around 10,000, yet they had about 30,000 statues of gods. 

Athens was filled with idolatry, and when Paul saw this, he was deeply troubled. The text tells us in Acts 17:17 that he “Reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.. 

Let me pause here to remind you of something. Paul's custom was, he went to the synagogue and reasoned with them from the Scriptures there. He would do this by explaining and demonstrating that the Jesus was the Messiah. He would start in the synagogue where people already accepted the Scriptures as the Word of God.

When Paul spoke in the synagogues, he was addressing people who shared a great many of his presuppositions. They were familiar with the Old Testament scriptures, so he used those scriptures to explain that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead. 

Passage like, Daniel 9:26 where it says the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. Or passages like Isaiah 53 speak of the Messiah bearing the iniquities of many, and Psalm 16 talks about His resurrection. Paul would connect these Old Testament prophecies to Jesus, asserting that Jesus fulfilled them and therefore is the Messiah.

However, in Athens, Paul expanded his audience beyond the synagogue. He engaged with people in the marketplace, which was the centre of civic life. The marketplace, or agora, was more than a place for buying and selling goods; it was a hub for public debate. Philosophers and Teachers would gather their disciples there and engage in philosophical discussions. So, Paul debated daily in this setting, speaking to whoever was present.

In the marketplace, Paul encountered philosophers, specifically Epicureans and Stoics. These groups did not share his presuppositions about the Scriptures. The Epicureans, followers of Epicurus who lived about 300 years earlier, acknowledged the existence of gods but believed that these gods were indifferent to the world. They thought everything happened by chance and they also denied an afterlife. Their highest goal was the pursuit of pleasure, which they often interpreted as the pursuit of happiness and tranquillity.

On the other hand, the Stoics had a different philosophy. They believed that everything is god, a view known as pantheism. This meant they saw divinity in all things. They taught that everything in the universe is interconnected through a divine reason or logos. They emphasized self-sufficiency and virtue as the highest good, believing that one should live in harmony with nature and accept whatever happens.

In this intellectually diverse context, Paul preached Jesus and the resurrection. Despite the scepticism and differing worldviews of his audience, some were intrigued and wanted to hear more. This passage in Acts illustrates Paul's adaptability in his mission. He used different approaches depending on his audience's starting points and beliefs, demonstrating the importance of understanding and engaging with the cultural context when sharing the gospel.

Sounds familiar, right? The modern parallel to these people might be something like the New Age religion. 

The point I wish to make is this: the particulars of those two groups may or may not exist today, but that's not the point, because there modern day equivalents do. The point is that these were philosophers, not religious people like the Jews. The Jews accepted the Hebrew scriptures; these people did not accept the Hebrew scriptures, nor did they accept Paul's presuppositions. So, what is he possibly going to do with them?

Paul is in the marketplace, which is bustling with activity, and he gets called up to the Areopagus. Now, that's a mouthful. The old King James calls it Mars Hill. I need to explain this because Mars Hill, according to Greek mythology, was where Mars, the god of war, was judged for murder. Hence, its name. The Acropolis was on a big hill, and it had numerous temples, including the main one dedicated to Athena.

Just below the Acropolis was a smaller hill, the afore mentioned, called Mars Hill, where they held court. Paul goes there and is before all these philosophers. 

Paul is now addressing people who do not accept anything he has to say in terms of his presuppositions. Listen to how he handles this situation. Remember, on the hill above, there were temples and idols, especially to Athena. With that in mind, let's pick up and see what Paul has to say in Acts 17:22-23:

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

(Acts 17: 22-23)

Paul starts by acknowledging their religiosity and finds common ground with them. He uses the altar to the unknown god as a starting point to introduce the true God. This is a brilliant strategy, showing respect for their beliefs while guiding them toward the truth. Paul continues in verses 24-25:

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

(Acts 17: 24-25)

Paul boldly declares that the true God is the Creator of everything and does not dwell in man-made temples. This was a direct challenge to the Athenians' belief system, especially with the majestic temples looming over them.

He continues in verse 26:

26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands

(Acts 17: 26)

Paul emphasizes the unity of humanity, stating that God made all nations from one blood. This would have been a confrontational statement, as both Jews and Greeks had strong divisions between themselves and others. The Jews divided people into Jews and Gentiles, while the Greeks divided them into Greeks and barbarians.

In verse 27, Paul explains God's purpose:

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

(Acts 17: 27)

Paul is saying that God designed the world and its seasons to encourage people to seek Him. He then quotes their own poets in verse 28:

28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

(Acts 17: 28)

Paul uses their own cultural references to connect with them, quoting a line from one of their poets. This shows his deep understanding of their culture and his skill in using it to bridge the gap between their beliefs and the truth he was proclaiming.

That's interesting. But his point, this is what I want you to see, is that he says God created the world and God created man. God created us, not the other way around. You see, you've got these idols that you created, but the God you don't know about is the one who created us and the world. That's the message Paul is conveying.

In Acts 17:29-30, Paul concludes by saying,

29 “Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

(Acts 17: 29-30) 

The word "repent" in this context doesn't just mean changing your mind; it means changing your understanding about God. The whole point is that while they think God is made with hands, Paul is telling them that God is not made with hands—God made the hands! He did this so that people would change their minds about their ways and about Him.

Then Paul says in verse 31,

For 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.”

(Acts 17: 31)

This is a bold proclamation. He transitions from creation to judgment, and then to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This is the gist of Paul's message. He starts with creation, moves to judgment, and then to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When Paul speaks about the resurrection in verse 32-34, it says,

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

(Acts 17: 16-34)

This is the typical reaction to the gospel message—some mock, some are curious and want to hear more, and some believe.

To sum up the message and the reaction: Paul asserts that God is the Creator of the world and of humanity. This Creator God is distinct from the idols they worshipped. God is not a product of human creativity; rather, He is the source of all creation. Furthermore, because God is the Creator, He has the right to judge humanity. And this judgment will be executed by Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead.

The reaction to Paul's message varied. Some mocked him, thinking the idea of resurrection was absurd. Others were intrigued and wanted to hear more later, while a few believed.

In practical terms, Paul is emphasizing that salvation is by grace through faith. It's not about being religious or trying to earn favour with God through our actions. Salvation is about recognizing our need for a Savior and believing in Jesus Christ. 

The Bible teaches that none of us are righteous on our own; we all need the forgiveness and grace that come through Jesus.

So, how do you get that righteousness? You get it by believing in Jesus Christ. The Greek word for "believe" means to trust, depend on, and rely on. I’m not depending on myself or anything I’ve done to get to heaven; I am depending on Jesus Christ. 

The Bible says, "He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Imagine our sin as a dark coal and Christ’s righteousness as pure white. “Christ, who had no sin, took on our sin so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

To put it simply, the moment we say, "God, I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe He died for my sins and rose from the dead, and I trust Him," God declares you righteous. He forgives you and sees you as righteous. Now, you can grow to become what you’re supposed to be.

So, to wrap this all up, I feel in need to remind us that the word "believe" encompasses trust, reliance, and dependence. 

Paul, when he spoke to people who did not accept his presuppositions, started where they were. He began with the concept of God as the Creator. The Bible says, "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19). Later writing to the church in Rome he states that the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.

Anyone should be able to look at the world and conclude that there is a Creator. 

Paul, in Acts 17, starts with the premise that God created the world and all humans. This is a fundamental starting point.

If you’re talking to someone who doesn’t accept the Bible, start with creation. Is there a God? Is there a Creator? Many will say, "That’s interesting. Let’s talk about it more." Others might mock you, but some will believe.

There are many stories of atheists who, after examining the evidence for Christianity, became believers. C.S. Lewis is a well-known example. I’ve been doing this for decades, and I can tell you that while we can't prove God's existence in a scientific way, there is overwhelming evidence.

It’s easier to believe that someone created something than that nothing created something. If you believe there is a Creator, it follows that this Creator has power and intelligence, and it makes sense that He has revealed Himself to us.

Christianity claims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to us and was resurrected from the dead. Many intellectuals have been convinced by the evidence of Christ’s resurrection.

Paul’s approach in Acts 17 was to start with creation, move to judgment, and end with the resurrection. I’ve had long conversations with people who initially did not believe in God, and after discussing these points, some, a few have come to believe in Jesus Christ.

So just share the message. Start with creation, declare there is a God, and go from there. You never know how people will respond. Some will mock, some will be curious, and some will believe. Just go tell people and let them decide.