Acts 17:16-34
Many Religious Beliefs
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.)
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.
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. 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. 27 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. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
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. 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.”
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.
John 1:14
The Word Became Flesh
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 14:6
Jesus and Truth
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 8:31-32
Jesus' Teachings Are the Truth and Will Set Us Free
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 18:37-39
Jesus Came to the World to Testify to the Truth
37 Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?"
John 16:16-33
The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy
16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 11:25-26
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Acts 1:1-3
Jesus Comes Back for Forty Days After His Death
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
As St. Paul walked around Athens two thousand years ago, he saw that the city was full of idols...He saw that the Greeks believed in religion but not in one religion or in One God or in the One True God...Many different people had different gods and different beliefs...It seemed that there was a potpourri of beliefs in Athens and in Greece...Paul even found an altar with the inscription: to an unknown god...Paul said that since they were worshiping something they did not know, they were ignorant of the very thing they were worshiping...They felt a need to worship, but they did not know to who or what to worship...Each person of Greece had a variety of choices to who and what they wanted to worship, praise, and give thanks to...So, St. Paul set out to correct them and tell them about the truths that he knew...
One's personal beliefs do have to start somewhere and from a beginning point...True belief and good beliefs have to have something to compare themselves to, like a bad or incorrect belief...
And for us personally our personal belief system is quite intimate and important to us...Spirituality is very important to humanity...And for each individual person, spirituality is also important...And so is each one's personal beliefs...Spirituality and their choice of God belief is one of the strongest and important beliefs of many people...Personal beliefs are well, very personal...So people even today understand this importance...But in Athens, people wanted to believe in what they wanted to believe in and they had their own ideas about personal spirituality and religion and different gods...
St. Paul understood as he traveled around to these different places, that belief does have this starting point...The starting point is the Truth...Why start out at any other position...You cannot believe in something that is not the Truth...Why would one believe in something that is not true?... Each and every Greek could not be right in believing in many different gods, and many different religious beliefs...Ones Spirituality beliefs must be true, and they must come from the Truth...And Paul knew this...This is why he was introducing the Greeks and the world to Jesus...Jesus had stood up and said He was the Truth...He said that He came to testify to the Truth...He said everyone on the side of Truth listens to Him...And He said that if we hold to His teachings, then the Truth will set us free...Jesus could see the Complete Truth...Jesus saw the Entire Truth...Jesus sees the Whole Truth, because He is Truth...
Now everyone does not believe in Jesus...Therefore, they do not believe what He said or that He is Truth...Non-believers believe He did not come to testify to the Truth...And non-believers are not on the side of His Truth, so they do not listen to Him...So they are not set free by His teachings, and believe in something different...So they certainly do not believe that He died and was resurrected back to life...These are some of the Truths that St. Paul was teaching the Greeks about the truths that he had come to know...
Jesus had a deep wisdom, and went about helping people...He healed many people, and was showing many divine acts during His ministry...He shared His teachings and His beliefs to His Twelve Disciples...The Disciples finally believed He taught the truth and was the Truth, after three years of being with Him...This is what the Disciples said the night before His arrest: Then Jesus’ Disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech...Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions...This makes us believe that you came from God.”...The Disciples now believed in the Truths He taught and that He came from God...But still that was not enough, He had to come back to them for forty days to convince them once and for all, that He is Truth...So it took His resurrection, and coming back from the dead to help put a final belief on His Disciples faith...
I also, like the Disciples, believe that Jesus came from God and taught about these Truths that He said He would testify to...I also believe that He is the resurrection and the life...
I believe that Truth is this deep wisdom that is Spiritual, and One who always is helping others, has mercy, and is forgiving others when necessary, and One who shares their ideas and teachings with others...Truth lives in goodness and LOVE...And I believe that Truth became flesh two thousand years ago, and is full of LOVE and grace...
All of our personal beliefs come from one's brain...Where else do and would they come from?...I believe that my thoughts, and everyone's thoughts are not evolved by random chemical type reactions, that are just signals sent throughout my brain synapses and my neurotransmitters winding up on by chance, a tiny nerve cell...I think a thought is much, much more complex...The organized thought is evidence of God...I believe that the universal organized thought wants morality and justice and peace in the world...And God has chosen to reveal these things, His Truths and His Son throughout the Bible...
I personally believe that there are Truths that are universal and eternal...There are universal Truths that exist everywhere...I believe that reason and reasoning exists that allows us to seek and find these Truths ...Reason and logic allows us to think and figure out things...I believe that the universal Truths and reason exist, and do not contradict each other...God gives us reason and reasons to search out and find Truth, through our conscious and reasoning powers, anywhere in the world and this is allowed by all nations (to find Him)...I believe that God has given us a Holy Spirit to help seek the Truth, and be guided by the Truth...I also believe that LOVE exists universally, and helps point us toward all Truths...I believe that Truth does not lie, have lies, or is a liar...I believe that all these things came from God and were made through His Son...These things come from God and are His Truths, no matter where you are at in life, and no matter what age you are in life...