Why did Paul tell the people worshiping ignorantly with their devotions, that God, whom Paul declares salvation is through Jesus Christ, commands them to repent?
"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....And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" (Acts 17)
Your religion says "No Paul, No God, No one is commanded to repent, just go ahead doing what you are doing and your love and good deeds will be found righteous before God." The spirit of antichrist.
He is not reprimanding them, he says he knows this God of theirs.
Man if any chapter is going to help your case its not this one. You just shot yourself in the foot.
Here we got Paul quoting PAGAN scriptures as BEING TRUE.
I'm going to give you a loaded question.
28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
"for in Him we live and move and exist" Do you believe this? is this Christian theology?
He's quoting a poem for Zues pagan god of the sky. Their poetry is their holy scriptures. The whole verse is Pagan scripture.
26and He made from one
man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined
theirappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
This part explains why I think you should act more in mercy. God sets the boundries of all revealed truth. You are no one special and could have been born in the middle east swearing up and down Allah and Mohammud.
You can tell yourself that is not true all you want, but it is by God's grace you get any truth.
You are no better then your heathens, pagans, muslims ect. He sets these harder boundries for people so they DO search for God and GROPE for him. The term grope here is like a blind man reaching out trying to find what he needs. There are people out there who never heard the gospel but they do the best with what was supplied by God.
Paul affirms the pagan scripture that we are all his children and that God is not far from anyone.
You would never tell a bunch of pagans that they are Children of God, you can barely tell other Christians.
Paul studies another religion emphasizes what is true about it to bridge the complete truth that Jesus Christ is God almighty.
It would a complete shock if any day you began to sound like Paul in anyway.
This combative attitude towards anything unlike yourself is not Christianity.
Colossians 3
5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander,
and abusive speech from your mouth.
9Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its
evil practices,
10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
11a renewal in which
there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms
and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17Whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Love is the perfect bond of unity.
1 John 4
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
