Acts 17:1-34
Paul in Thessalonica
1 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
Paul In Berea
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Paul In Athens
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.
St. Paul went to Greece and discussed his beliefs on God...In Thessalonica he told them about how God sent Jesus to be our Savior...He continued his talks and beliefs on God in Berea...When St. Paul spoke to the Athenians, he continues to tell them that God is Eternal and does not need help from man, and that man is not on any level with God...God is not served by human hands...Paul is teaching us that God as Creator, is our Creator...Paul affirms God as the Creator of the universe, emphasizing His role as the Source of all existence...This contrasts with polytheistic beliefs prevalent in Greece at that time...He is teaching us about God's Transcendence Nature...Paul asserts that God is not confined to human-made temples, emphasizing His transcendence and independence from human constructs...God is the One in control, not man...So he is telling us that God is our Sustainer...Paul portrays God as the giver of life and breath, and everything else that is essential for human existence...This highlights God's ongoing involvement in His Creation...He is teaching us that God does have a Universal Plan...Paul emphasizes God's purpose in creating diverse nations and cultures, implying a universal plan for humanity...We all have had a set time when God created us and where we would live, according to His Plan...He tells us that God is accessible...Despite His transcendence, God is accessible to all people...Paul encourages that God is seeking a relationship with each of us...God's Judgment is Perfect and Just...Paul introduces the concept of God's judgment, emphasizing the need for repentance and the hope of resurrection...Paul clearly presents a monotheistic view of God, contrasting with the polytheistic beliefs of the Athenians and Greeks...Paul emphasizes God's creative power, sustaining presence, and universal involvement...God is in control of all things...God is LOVE and wants to have a relationship with each of us...Paul calls people to seek God and repent, highlighting the importance of a personal relationship with The Divine, which are God and His Son...Paul's speech aligns with the concept of God as the Self-Existent One, as it affirms God's Independent Existence, creative power, and universal involvement...
While reading the Book of Acts, and reading about what St. Paul had to say, I believe God has to exist for Creation to be spoke into being...Before Creation there was nothing, except God and His Heavenly Hosts...We are made by Him and created in His Image...God is not only the same yesterday, today, and forever - but also from eternity to eternity...So the concept of God existing "from eternity to eternity" has to be how all things and man came into being during His Creation Process...This signifies that God is not bound by time, as man is...
God transcends time, existing outside of its constraints...The concepts of "before" and "after" do not apply to God...God is Self-Existence...God is described as the "Eternal Self-Existent One."...This means God doesn't depend on anything else or anyone for His Existence...God's independence as Being a Self Existent One, implies Ultimate Authority and control over His Creation...God is Perfect and Complete and Eternal...God is often portrayed as Perfect and Complete in Himself, He lacks nothing...Creation, while glorious, doesn't add to God's Perfection...
And so we learn from God and Scripture:
Exodus 3:14-15: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM...This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”...God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’...
“This is MY NAME forever,
the name you shall call Me
from generation to generation...
Psalm 90:2: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."...
Revelation 1:8: "I AM the Alpha and the Omega," says the LORD God, "Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty."...
Humans have our limitations...Words and language just show up out of the air...We did not invent a language in the beginning...God had to help us communicate with each other...Our human minds struggle to grasp the concept of eternity and God's Eternal Nature...It's a mystery that invites contemplation and faith...God has Divine Sovereignty...God's Eternal Existence underscores His Sovereignty and control over all things, including time...These ideas make it easier to believe in Jesus and being Him sent from Above...Understanding God's Eternal Nature and Self-Existence can profoundly impact one's belief in Jesus as the Son of God who was sent from heaven to be our Redeemer...
We can better see that Jesus is of Divine Origin...If God is understood as Eternal and Self-existent, it reinforces the concept of Jesus as His Divine Son, sent by the Eternal Father...It solidifies the belief in Jesus' has a unique position as God incarnate...We can better see that this is the fulfillment of God's Plan...Jesus' mission becomes a logical extension of God's eternal purposes...His coming and sacrifice are seen as the fulfillment of God's plan for salvation...The concept of God's Eternal Nature can address doubts about the possibility of a Divine intervention in human history...It provides a foundation for believing in miracles and supernatural events...Jesus explains and proves that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, as Paul said...Jesus is the One to come and is the Messiah is a part of God's Plan...
Essentially, understanding God's eternal nature strengthens the theological framework and for our personal belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior and LORD...