The Unknown God - By Gregg Bing

The God who created the world and everything in it, the God who reigns in sovereignty over the world He created, the God who gave His only begotten Son that we might have eternal life, the only true God, is, sadly, an unknown God to most people. Many people's lives are centered around themselves; they have no thought for God whatsoever. Of those who seek to worship God, the majority do not really know God. Why is this the case?

How can a person truly know God? The Lord Jesus provided the answer to this question in John 8, when He told the Pharisees: "I am one who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the Father, who sent Me." When these Jewish leaders asked Him, "Where is Your father?" Jesus answered, "You do not know Me or My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also." The Jews claimed to worship Jehovah, who certainly is the true God, but Jesus declared that they did not know God the Father since they did not know Jesus as Lord and Christ. Moslems worship one god, whom they call Allah, but their god cannot be the true God, since they, too, deny the deity of Jesus Christ. Even many who call themselves "Christians," though they belong to some church, go through religious rituals, and partake of ordinances, do not know God either, for they have never truly trusted in the One whom God sent to be their Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

What a tremendous need there is for genuine believers to share the truth of this unknown God with a world that "lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19); a world whose minds have been blinded to the truth (2 Cor. 4:4). How do we effectively share the truth of God with those who do not know Him? Paul's ministry to the people of Athens provides an excellent example of how to confront unbelievers with the unknown God.

Paul's ministry in Achaia (modern day Greece) began in Thessalonica. Paul ministered there three Sabbaths, but the unbelieving Jews forced him out of the city (Acts 17:1-10). Paul and his companions moved on to Berea, where the Word was received very well by the noble Bereans. However, the same Jews who had run Paul out of Thessalonica, followed him to Berea and stirred up the crowds against him (Acts 17:11-14). From Berea, Paul was to travel on to Athens, but Silas and Timothy remained behind, no doubt to help establish and encourage the believers in these two cities (Acts 17:15).

From a human standpoint, Paul might have been somewhat discouraged at this stage of his ministry. The type of troubles and persecution he had endured would lead many believers to despair, to lose heart, to give up the work of the Lord, but not the Apostle Paul. Paul traveled from Berea to Athens, the center of Greek (heathen) wisdom, philosophy, ideology, and worship—a city "completely given over to idols" (Acts 17:16). How would Paul respond? Any feelings of discouragement he might have felt were immediately dispelled as "his spirit was provoked within him" (Acts 17:16). The word "provoked" means to be stimulated or sharpened, to have the feelings aroused. Paul's feelings for the lost of this city were aroused, as well as his feeling of love for the Lord, a love that compelled him to service (2 Cor. 5:14).

Paul continued his ministry of the Word, just as in every other city he visited. First, he went to the Jewish synagogues and reasoned with both Jews and proselytes from the Old Testament Scriptures (Acts 17:17 with 17:2). However, Paul also went to the marketplace daily and reasoned with "those who happened to be there" (Acts 17:17). While it is not likely that Paul persuaded very many, he still was there daily to share the truths of God with those in darkness.

While there in the marketplace, Paul was confronted by two different groups of Greek philosophers: the Epicureans, who had abandoned hope and sought pleasure by experience, and the Stoics, who held to their own self-sufficiency and practiced stern self-repression. Some of these philosophers publicly ridiculed Paul, calling him a "babbler" or literally "a seed picker," one whose ideas were picked up in bits and scraps from others, in other words a plagiarist. Others were puzzled by the things Paul preached, and they conjectured, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods." They did not understand Paul's preaching about Jesus and the resurrection. As a result, they brought Paul to the Areopagus (Mars Hill), the highest court of the Greeks, to hear what this strange, new doctrine was that he proclaimed.

Here was an open door, an opportunity for Paul to minister the Word of God to these people. While they might have been given over to idols, the Athenians and the other foreigners dwelling in Athens "spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing" (Acts 17:21). They were willing to listen to what Paul had to say. The question was, How could Paul most effectively reach these people with the gospel of Jesus Christ? We are taught in Colossians 4:5-6 to:

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." (Col. 4:5-6)

As Paul stood to speak, no doubt he prayed for such wisdom from God to know how to answer these who were outside of Christ.

Next month we will look at how Paul was used of God to declare to them "The Unknown God."

When Paul arrived in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he looked around at a city whose people were completely given over to idols (Acts 17:16). After reasoning with the people in the Jewish synagogue and in the public marketplace for several days, he was confronted by certain Greek philosophers. Desiring to understand more about this strange, new doctrine Paul preached concerning Jesus and the resurrection, they brought him to the Areopagus (Mars Hill), the highest court of the Greeks. What an opportunity this provided for the Apostle Paul. Though the people in Athens were idol worshippers, they "spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing" (Acts 17:21). As a result, they were willing to listen to what Paul had to say. As we look closely at Paul's message to the Athenians, we find helpful examples of how to effectively share the truth of God with unbelievers.

As Paul stood on Mars Hill, he spoke boldly (freely). He did not hesitate to declare the truth to these people, though they were viewed by many as experts on wisdom and knowledge. He did not water down or compromise the truth in any way, just to avoid offending them. In our ministry of the Word to others, even to those who do not know God, we should not hesitate to confront them with the truth of God's Word; nothing else has the power to transform their hearts and lives (Rom. 1:16, Heb. 4:12).

Though Paul spoke boldly, he was careful to "walk in wisdom" toward those who were outside of Christ (Col. 4:5). Paul began by saying:

"Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious." (Acts 17:22)

We need to be perceptive, aware of the needs and feelings of those we minister to. What did Paul perceive? That these people were "very religious." This expression is translated "too superstitious" in the King James Version. The literal meaning of the Greek word used here means "fear of demons (or pagan gods)." Rather than criticizing these people, I believe Paul was, in a respectful way, acknowledging their devotion to worship, though he knew this worship was misdirected. As servants of the Lord, it is important that we deal with people humbly and gently. Our task is not to criticize or argue with them but to communicate the truth of God's Word. Paul instructed Timothy:

"A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth." (2 Tim. 2:24-25)

After commending their devotion to worship, Paul used a technique that was often employed by the Lord Jesus in His earthly ministry: an object lesson. Object lessons convey spiritual truths using real life objects or situations which people readily relate to. Jesus told parables, true-to-life stories that He used to teach spiritual lessons. Paul focused the attention of the Athenians on an object they would relate to—one of their own altars—one he could use to teach the truth.

"As I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD." (Acts 17:23)

The Greeks worshipped many gods, who, in their minds, controlled every area of their lives: weather, harvest, fertility, music, love, war, death, etc. This altar to "the unknown god" was no doubt a safety measure to avoid offending any god they did not know. The God who remained unknown to the Athenian people was, in fact, the one true God. This is the God Paul would proclaim to them.

Nature of God

Paul first declared to these idol worshippers and philosophers the nature of the true God: His person, His power, and His preeminence.

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands." (Acts 17:24)

The true God is an awesome God, much bigger and more powerful than the gods the people of Athens worshipped. He is not a god who can be contained in a temple made by human hands. Even Solomon, as he considered the daunting task of building the temple in Jerusalem, which was to be God's dwelling place among His people, Israel, declared of Him:

"But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?" (2 Chron. 2:6) The true God is not an object (idol) made by human hands. He is the Creator of the world and everything in it, and He is Lord over all He created, both in heaven and on earth.

Worship of God

Such a God cannot be worshipped as these Athenians worshipped their gods. Their worship focused on doing things with their own hands to provide for the needs of their gods: carving images of them, building temples for them to dwell in, erecting altars to honor them, bringing gifts and sacrifices to appease them and garner their favor. Much religious worship today centers on the same false premise: that man must do something for God. The emphasis of real worship should be praising God for what He has done for us. So, Paul told them:

"Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." (Acts 17:25)

God does not need anything from man. On the contrary, He is the One who gives us all we need: "life, breath, and all things." Worship of such a God is not to be based on the traditions of men, with its ritualistic and ceremonial attempts to please God. This is why Jesus told the woman at the well:

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

This is what God desires from man, worship that is spiritual in nature, worship that comes from the heart, worship that is based on the truth of God's Word.

The Jews worshipped in the tabernacle and later in the temple. While their worship under the law involved ceremonies (i.e. cleansing), keeping feast days, bringing gifts and sacrifices to the Lord, every aspect of this service toward God was intended to focus their hearts on Him and His purpose for their lives. Yet, by the time Jesus was born, Israel's temple worship had deteriorated and become little more than ritual to most Jews. They had elevated the traditions of men above the Word of God. In Matthew 15:8, Jesus reproved them with these words:

"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

Sadly, this is the case in many so-called places of worship today. People simply go through the religious motions, "having a form of godliness," but with hearts that are cold and unaffected by the things of God. All such worship, which is based on the traditions of men rather than the Word of God, is in vain. Paul warned the Colossians:

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Col. 2:8)

WWhen Paul arrived in Athens, he found a city completely given over to idols. As Paul's spirit was provoked within him, and he spoke to these people about the Lord, he aroused their curiosity and was brought by the Greek philosophers to the Areopagus, the highest Greek court. Here Paul was given a wonderful opportunity to share with these unbelieving people the truth of God. Paul spoke freely and openly the things of God, but he depended upon the Holy Spirit to help him choose his words wisely. Paul began by respectfully acknowledging their devotion to their gods, then, using one of their own altars as an illustration, he turned their attention to the One who was, to them, "THE UNKNOWN GOD."

Paul could not communicate to these Athenians in the same way he did to the Jews. These Gentiles had no background in the Old Testament Scriptures, and they were certainly not looking for a Messiah to come. So, Paul concentrated on things they did have knowledge of: their gods and the world around them. Paul started with the nature of God, a God who is so much more awesome than the gods they worshipped. The God who was unknown to these people is the Creator of all things, and thus, Lord of all. A God such as this cannot be contained in temples made with hands, nor can He be worshipped as the Athenians worshipped their gods, with the works of their hands. The true God does not need anything from man. On the contrary, God gives us everything we need: "life, breath, and all things." Paul proceeded to declare to these worldly wise men the eternal purpose of God for man.

Purpose of God

"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings." (Acts 17:26)

Every nation of men comes from one blood, the blood of the first man, Adam. As these nations were formed, God determined their boundaries and pre-appointed the times and ways He would deal with them. For instance, many question why so much of the Old Testament is taken up with the small, seemingly insignificant nation of Israel. The answer is, when the nations turned away from the worship of the true God (first during the days of Noah and later at the tower of Babel), God gave them up (Rom. 1:18-32).

God called out Abram to be the father of a new nation, Israel; a nation He would keep separate from all other nations (Gentiles); a nation He would use to bring the Savior into the world. While God was carrying out this purpose through Israel, the rest of the Gentiles were outsiders, "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).

Though they were God's chosen people, eventually, the nation of Israel gradually turned away from God, rejecting Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, God set this nation aside and opened up salvation to the Gentiles. While God made a clear difference between Jew and Gentile in the past, today, in the Church, the Body of Christ, this difference has been removed. While men may question these things, God's dealings with the nations have all been in accordance with His eternal purpose which He "accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11). Paul expressed this purpose to the Athenians with these words:

"So that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring." (Acts 17:27-28)

God desires that men seek Him and find Him. It's not that He is hiding from men, not at all, for "He is not far from each one of us." Paul reminded Timothy that God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). To this end, God has made Himself known to man in different ways through the ages: through His creation (Psalm 19:1-6, Rom. 1:19-20), through His written Word (Isa. 1:2, Heb. 1:1), and finally, through His Son (Heb. 1:2, John 1:18).

It is vital that man find God because "in Him we live and move and have our being." As the Creator, God is the Author of all life, and all men are God's offspring, but only in regard to their physical life. Only those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior become spiritual children of God.

As Paul reached the climax of his message, he appealed to these men of reason with a logical question: "Since we are the offspring of God," as one of their own poets had written, "we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising" (Acts 17:29). In other words: Man did not create God; God created man. Paul then clearly laid out their:

Responsibility to God

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

Three "times" are identified in these verses: times of ignorance (past), time to repent (present), and the day of judgment (future). In the past, God overlooked their "times of ignorance." This does not imply that God excused their sin of idolatry; it simply means He did not judge their sin at that time. Paul wrote to the Romans about the Gentile nations who "worshiped and served the creature (creation) rather than the Creator," saying: "God gave them up" (Rom. 1:25). While God then turned from dealing with the nations collectively to dealing with only one nation, Israel, the Gentiles would still one day face the "righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 1:18, 32).

Now has come the time when God "commands all men everywhere to repent," both Jew and Gentile. The word "repent" is typically associated with the Jews, who were once in covenant relationship with God under the law. Having gradually turned away from Him to worship idols, Israel was called upon by John the Baptist and by the Lord Jesus to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins. However, the word "repent" simply means to change the mind, something that is required of all men, both Jews and Gentiles, if they would be saved. Through Paul, God had "opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (Acts 14:27). Speaking to the Ephesian elders regarding his ministry among them, Paul stated that he testified "to Jews, and also to Greeks (Gentiles), repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:20-21). It was time for these Gentiles at Athens to change their minds about who was the true God and to seek the spiritual life that can be found only in Him.

Paul warned these unbelievers they would one day answer to God, for He has appointed "a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained" (Acts 17:31). This verse points out two things that should be a vital part of our witness. First, our testimony should include the fact that all men are sinners, and that God will one day judge the sins of men. Second, our testimony should always culminate in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ. Paul was certainly going in this direction with His testimony. He declared that God, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, had given assurance that He was indeed the One ordained by God to carry out this judgment. No doubt Paul would have gone on to give the complete gospel of Jesus Christ: His death for our sins, His resurrection from the dead, and our need to believe in Him (1 Cor. 15:1-4), but Paul was hindered from doing so.

Response to the Word

When these so-called philosophers (literally "lovers of wisdom") "heard of the resurrection, some mocked, while others said, We will hear you again on this matter." They refused to allow Paul to proceed with his testimony; they had heard enough.

It is a difficult thing when our testimony is rejected by men, but we need not be discouraged. We must realize that, within ourselves, we do not have the power to persuade men. We are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to speak to them through His Word. Paul was faithful in his stewardship. He preached the Word, knowing that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). When they ceased to listen any longer, Paul "departed from among them."

Though the majority rejected the Word, "some men joined him (Paul) and believed, among them Dionysius, the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them" (Acts 17:34). Since only a few were saved, many present day Christians might consider this evangelistic meeting a failure. God, however, took special note of those who did believe. He even mentioned two by name, demonstrating His delight in the salvation of these precious souls. This shows how important it was for Paul to take a stand and speak boldly to this group of unbelievers. It may have seemed useless to try, but God's Word is powerful enough to reach even the most hardened heart.

Concusion

There is so much to learn from Paul's ministry in Athens. As ambassadors for Christ today, we face similar audiences with the same mindset and the same need. To the majority of the world, God is unknown. Many are certainly religious, some even devoted to worship, but, like the Athenians, their devotion is misdirected. These lost souls need believers like Paul, who are willing to stand and boldly proclaim to them "THE UNKNOWN GOD;" even when it is not easy; even when they themselves may be personally discouraged at the time; even when they know they will face ridicule or hostility; even when the prospects for success do not look promising. This is why Paul's final charge to Timothy was: "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2).

We must remember: God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). The question for us is: How do we respond when we encounter people who are unsaved? May God help us to respond as Paul did when he arrived at Athens. May our spirit be provoked within us when we see people to whom our God is "THE UNKNOWN GOD."

 Mp3 Studies By Pastor Gregg Bing

Ephesians - 01 - Introduction

Ephesians - 02 - Blessed be God
Ephesians - 03 - Nature of Our Blessings
Ephesians - 04 - The Will of the Father
Ephesians - 05 - The Work of the Son
Ephesians - 06 - The Fullness of the Times

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