Saturday August 14, 2004
For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you." (Acts 17:21-23)
Athens; it will certainly be center-stage on the news as long as the Olympics lasts. And, so, it seemed appropriate to speak of Athens here today.
My concern here is not the City itself, or about the Olympic games that are back this year in the City were the Olympics were born. What I would like to concentrate on is the Athenians themselves: those who, "...spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing."
The people of Athens were known to be quite religious, worshipping a host of nature gods. They even had set up an altar "to the unknown god." Paul made use of this point of contact to declare unto them the God they didn't know.
He starts by laying the foundation: This God, he claims is the Creator. He not only "made the world and everything in it" (vs.24), but also is "Lord of heaven and earth." To cause to exist and then rule over all creation, one must be omnipotent. He is much too great to dwell in "temples made with hands." How ludicous to think He might need anything, including the worship of men, "since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." (vs.25)
The Athenians, "Spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or hear some new thing." Now such talk is harmless when it concerns things of everyday life, such as sports, or a new recipe; where the danger in all of this is when some new idea comes around that concerns the basics of the faith and worse, affects Who God really and truly is. Paul would speak of this later:
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." (1Timothy 4:1)
Now we have the latest "new thing" (although it is not really new) on this board, which is actually the latest of the "doctrines of demons," that is "Open Theism." This says that God is pretty good with the past and the present, but does not know everything regarding the future in general, and individuals in particular. Yet, how many times did the gospel records say that "Jesus knew their thoughts," or say, "Do you inquire among yourselves...?" In John 2 it is recorded: "But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man." (vss. 24-25) "All men," Jesus knows everything about everyone, without exception.
John 17: 29-30: His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God." Note that they did not say that Jesus needed any man to TELL Him anything, but that there was no need to question (ask) Him about anything. Jesus knows all of the answers, before the questions! Peter spoke of those, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God." (1Peter 1:2) This is impossible for God, if He was so limited in His vision of the future.
To know all men, their race, futures, and details of their lives, God must be omniscient; past, present and future.
For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you." (Acts 17:21-23)
Athens; it will certainly be center-stage on the news as long as the Olympics lasts. And, so, it seemed appropriate to speak of Athens here today.
My concern here is not the City itself, or about the Olympic games that are back this year in the City were the Olympics were born. What I would like to concentrate on is the Athenians themselves: those who, "...spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing."
The people of Athens were known to be quite religious, worshipping a host of nature gods. They even had set up an altar "to the unknown god." Paul made use of this point of contact to declare unto them the God they didn't know.
He starts by laying the foundation: This God, he claims is the Creator. He not only "made the world and everything in it" (vs.24), but also is "Lord of heaven and earth." To cause to exist and then rule over all creation, one must be omnipotent. He is much too great to dwell in "temples made with hands." How ludicous to think He might need anything, including the worship of men, "since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." (vs.25)
The Athenians, "Spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or hear some new thing." Now such talk is harmless when it concerns things of everyday life, such as sports, or a new recipe; where the danger in all of this is when some new idea comes around that concerns the basics of the faith and worse, affects Who God really and truly is. Paul would speak of this later:
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." (1Timothy 4:1)
Now we have the latest "new thing" (although it is not really new) on this board, which is actually the latest of the "doctrines of demons," that is "Open Theism." This says that God is pretty good with the past and the present, but does not know everything regarding the future in general, and individuals in particular. Yet, how many times did the gospel records say that "Jesus knew their thoughts," or say, "Do you inquire among yourselves...?" In John 2 it is recorded: "But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man." (vss. 24-25) "All men," Jesus knows everything about everyone, without exception.
John 17: 29-30: His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God." Note that they did not say that Jesus needed any man to TELL Him anything, but that there was no need to question (ask) Him about anything. Jesus knows all of the answers, before the questions! Peter spoke of those, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God." (1Peter 1:2) This is impossible for God, if He was so limited in His vision of the future.
To know all men, their race, futures, and details of their lives, God must be omniscient; past, present and future.