The Athenian Challenge - Part 1

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).(1) "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

These and many other biblical passages are often quoted by Christians when evangelizing, and there is little doubt why. They convey important realities about God, man, and the way in which humanity can be brought into a right standing before its Creator. Indeed, lost human beings desperately need to hear the words that lead to eternal life. One of the believer's greatest responsibilities, therefore, is to share these truths with others.

When the recipients of the Christian message are relatively familiar with the Bible's story-line, the communication of the gospel can move forward in a rather straightforward fashion. Whatever obstacles impede evangelistic success, at least the language barrier is fairly minimal. Thus, the exchange of ideas is greatly simplified when Christians and non-Christians hold to very similar worldviews.

However, not all people share the same assumptions. Missionaries, long realizing this fact, have expended great amounts of energy bridging language and cultural gaps, seeking to speak God's Word to people who are ignorant of its contents. But one need not travel to a foreign land to experience this phenomenon, for many people in the Western world are equally unaware of biblical truth.

There was a time, not long ago, when much of society was influenced by a Judeo-Christian perspective. Christmas carols were well-known. Sin was a generally understood concept. God was viewed in basically biblical terms. While many people still take pride in their religious (even Christian) heritage, the fact remains that a large percentage of today's population is biblically illiterate.

The truths many believers take for granted are quite foreign to non-Christians. D. A. Carson illustrates this point: "One of my students commented . . . that he was walking in Chicago with his girlfriend, who had a wooden cross hanging from a chain around her neck. A lad stopped her on the sidewalk and asked why she had a plus sign for a necklace."(2) Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that the world has undergone something of a paradigm shift.

Unfortunately, many evangelicals have not properly responded to these societal changes. As a result, certain segments of the church compromise the Bible's message, hoping to make Christianity more palatable to the consumer. At the other extreme, some retreat into the fortress of their own ecclesiastical communities; though still believing in evangelism, they insist on forcing the world into a culturally outdated grid.(3) Consequently, both frustration and arrogance abound. Frustration occurs when those who sincerely desire to share the gospel lack the biblical and cultural know-how to do so effectively. On the other hand, arrogance is the fruit of ministries that spend an inordinate amount of time criticizing and separating from unbelievers, without also putting forth every effort to reach them. While these characterizations may be somewhat rigid and though there are surely a good number of exceptions, the fact remains that many evangelical Christians are clueless when it comes to sharing the gospel in a primarily pagan environment.(4)

Thus, it is with good reason that the biblical writers address this subject. Among a number of important texts, none is more relevant than Acts 17:16-34. This passage will be the focus of this present study. The goal will be to uncover and apply principles that are relevant to the promulgation of the gospel in a neo-pagan world.

Survey

16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. 17So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. 18And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,"—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? 20For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean." 21(Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.) 22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed 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; 28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.' 29Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." 32Now when they heard of the resurrection from the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this." 33So Paul went out of their midst. 34But some men joined him and believed, among who also were Dionysius the Aeropagite and a women named Damaris and others with them.

Paul's missionary journeys took him to many places throughout the ancient world. In his travels he often encountered various degrees of resistence to the message he preached. On one particular occasion, he was forced to leave Thessalonica, fleeing for his life (Acts 17:5-10a).(5) From there he stopped at Berea (10b-15) before having to leave that city as well. Then, in God's providence, he wound up in Athens, that metropolis of pagan culture and thought.

Upon arriving in Athens, Paul was immediately struck by the rank idolatry of the city. Luke says that "his spirit was being provoked within him" (16). But the great apostle would not be deterred from his mission. Indeed, the pitiful condition of Athens seemed to spur him on as he began to share the Christian gospel. The "spectacle of a city so entirely dedicated to false worship stirred him to the conviction that here, if anywhere, were men and women who sorely needed the gospel with which he had been entrusted."(6)

As usual, Paul followed his practice of reaching out first to the Jews and God-fearers(7) in the synagogue (17). Then, he moved to the market place and conversed with the common people (17). At one point, he encountered Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (18). Some of these mocked,(8) but others were baffled by the apostle's words. This led to an opportunity to stand before the Areopagus, that "most venerable Athenian court,"(9) and clarify his teaching (19ff).(10)

Paul's speech is a masterpiece of cross-cultural communication. He begins by acknowledging the Athenian's religious nature, drawing attention to an altar on which was engraved "to an unknown God" (17:23). "Probably such altars reflected the fears of animistic strata in pagan culture. There are powers beyond what one can know, and just to be on the safe side, it is important to offer sacrifices to all of them—even to unknown ones."(11) At any rate, this altar is an admission of the Athenian's ignorance.

By way of contrast, the living God is not limited to human conceptions of Him (24-25, 29). Rather, as the transcendent Creator (26-28), He is independent of any creature (25). Quoting from their own poets, the apostle drives home a point the Athenians should have recognized. As divine image bearers, they ought to have perceived the foolishness of trying to manufacture deities (28-29).

But, according to Paul, God is not aloof and uninterested in mankind. Not only does He transcend His creation, He is also present within it (27). Furthermore, He has arranged history in such a way that people would seek after Him (27). The true God, the God who can be known, has been patient in His dealings with the uniformed (30). This is precisely why lost humans must turn from their ignorance and rebellion, and look to God's appointed mediator, "a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead" (31).

As might be expected, there were a number of responses to the apostle's preaching of the resurrection. Some sneered, being unable or unwilling to crawl outside of their own pagan presuppositions (32). Others wanted to hear more (32). Eventually, some believed (34).

In summary Acts 17:16-34 reveals how Paul made use of the Athenian's own admissions, experiences, and writings in his quest to lead them away from idolatry and into a relationship with the true and living God. Clearly, then, Paul's encounter with ancient Athenian pagans has great evangelistic relevance for similar situations today.

Apologetic Precursors

Before proceeding, it will be helpful to reflect on some of the key ideas that influenced the apostle Paul's approach. These were of course already a part of the way he thought, and they can be observed in many other portions of the New Testament. However, a number of factors are particularly evident here in Acts 17. In seeking to reach the Athenians with the gospel, certain truths helped inform and guide Paul's efforts. Among these are three factors.

Theological Factors

Theologically, Paul's thoughts were governed by God's Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Old Testament, coupled with the revelation received from the risen Christ, shaped his views. His understanding of God is evident here in this Athenian address. God is depicted as the Creator "who made the world and all things in it" (24). Thus, pantheism is clearly erroneous. Paul goes on to say that God is sovereign and so not limited in any way (25). This is sometimes referred to as divine aseity. As Carson writes, "he is not only self-existent . . . but he is utterly independent of his created order so far as his own well-being or contentment or existence are concerned."(12) Rather than needing man, humanity is "utterly dependent on him."(13) At the same time, this One who transcends human beings is "not far from each one of us" (27). That is, He is "present in, close to and involved with creation."(14) God is immanent.

The portrait painted by Paul, then, is of a magnificent deity. On the one hand, He defies human grasp and categorization. On the other hand, He is the God who relates to His people, the knowable Lord whose very acts of forbearance are a call to repentance. Paul believed in and proclaimed a God who is transcendent beyond human comprehension, yet closer than anyone can imagine.

Anthropological Factors

A number of truths about man are evident in Acts 17. Two points are particularly significant. First, humanity apart from divine revelation is ignorant and idolatrous. The Athenian's ignorance is implied in their altars which were inscribed "to an unknown god." By their own admission, they were uninformed. Therefore, the gods they did honor were nothing but horrible misrepresentations of the one true God. In essence a lack of special revelation left them to themselves. By themselves, they could not escape their blindness and misapprehension. Thus, they took to idolatry, the making of false deities.(15) All of this placed them in a precarious position, separated from the true God and culpable for their darkened state, willful rebellion, and vain worship.

Second, communication amid paganism is not completely closed-off. Though it is not his emphasis, Paul insists that even these pagans were aware of certain basic facts about God. They were at least cognizant of their own ignorance, hence their acknowledgment of an unknown god. Furthermore, their writers had alluded to the very things Paul declares. "In Him we live and move and exist" possibly originated with Epimenides (28), while "For we also are His children" (28) is often attributed to Aratus, a stoic poet.(16) Thus, "glimmerings of truth, insights from general revelation, may be found in non-Christian authors."(17) Or, as Mayers puts it, "man, groping in God's universe, can ‘feel' and vaguely approximate the truth."(18)

Paul's anthropology consisted of these elements: (1) Human beings are ignorant and culpable creatures who naturally allow their own machinations to draw them away from God and into God-dishonoring idolatry. Because of human depravity, man requires both special revelation and spiritual intervention. (2) Man is a divine-image bearer who can perceive the shadows of divine realities. As a result, he can be reasoned with (17), in the hope that God might lead him to repentance (30ff). Indeed, the detrimental effects resulting from the "one man" (26), Adam, can only be reversed by another man, God's chosen "Man" (31), Jesus, who is able to guide fallen humanity back to its Maker.

Christological Factors

While in Athens, Paul is especially concerned to provide the context within which the Christian gospel is coherent. Thus, he spends a good amount of time dealing with larger worldview issues before proceeding to the topic of Jesus Himself. Yet, none of this should lead the reader to dismiss the relevance of what Paul does say about God's Son.

For one, it is evident that Paul's reasoning is purposeful and directed. Not only does he lay out a biblical worldview, but he does so in order to lead people specifically to Jesus. That is, the whole aim of the apostle's efforts is Christological. At the very least, this shows that Paul viewed Jesus as the ultimate goal of his evangelism. Nothing mattered more than the Son of God (1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 6:14; Philippians 1:21).

Paul's high view of Christ is evident in many places (Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20). Here in Acts 17, some of Jesus' qualifications are mentioned. The apostle speaks of Jesus in exalted terms. For instance, He is the "appointed judge," the very one who will take center-stage when the eschatological judgment ensues. As such, He is to be both feared (because of His role as Judge) and embraced (since He is the One through whom salvation comes).(19)

Of course anyone can make extravagant claims. What makes Jesus unique, among other things, is the fact that He received God's approval.

The proof Paul offers to establish his argument is Jesus' resurrection. . . . The resurrection is . . . the linchpin for . . . applying the death and resurrection of Christ to one's eternal destiny. It establishes both the warning of judgment and the promise of salvation blessings.(20)

Priorities and Praxis

The city of Athens was (and is) a marvel to behold, its magnificent sculptures and architecture bearing witness to a noble history. Indeed, there is little doubt that Paul, a cultured man himself, would have been able to appreciate its great feats of architecture.

[The] buildings and monuments . . . were unrivaled. The acropolis, the town's ancient citadel, which was elevated enough to be seen for miles around, has been described as "one vast composition and architecture and sculpture dedicated to the national glory and to the worship of the gods."(21)

Yet, for all its captivating beauty, Luke reports of Paul that "his spirit was being provoked within him" (16). Rather than being distracted by the city's splendors, he immediately recognized that beneath the surface lay a detestable idolatry. Larkin notes:

Paul is more than greatly distressed, for he experiences a paroxysm in his spirit, a provocation of anger or grief or both, because the glory due to God alone is being given to idols. The Lord reacted the same way to idolatry in Israel (Deut 9:7, 18, 22; Ps 106:28-29; Is 65:2-3; compare Is 42:8), and so should we.(22)

Paul's zeal for God's glory would not allow him to ignore the blasphemy of this idolatrous city. Just as God had been provoked to anger by the idolatry of ancient Israel (Isaiah 65:2-3), so Paul was incensed by what he saw in Athens. It is not that he put on a pompous show of disapproval, as if that would accomplish anything. Nor did Paul view himself as "a cut above" his fellow human beings. Rather, he experienced a great inner unrest. God deserves unrivaled allegiance and is jealous when that allegiance is transferred to anyone or anything else; believers share His outlook.

Christians are to view all of life from the perspective of their Lord. When He is dishonored or minimized, when someone or something usurps His position, those who know Him ought to be appalled. Though believers should be careful, as Paul was, not to unnecessarily offend non-Christians, it is also essential to recognize the heinous character (as well as the sadness) of idolatry. The honor of God must reign paramount in any efforts to reach the lost with the gospel.

It is not only the comprehensiveness of Paul's message in Athens which is impressive . . . but also the depth and power of his motivation. Why is it that, in spite of the great needs and opportunities of our day, the church slumbers peacefully on, and that so many Christians are deaf and dumb, deaf to Christ's commission and tongue-tied in testimony? I think the major reason is this: we do not speak as Paul spoke because we do not feel as Paul felt. . . . For he saw men and women, created by God in the image of God, giving to idols the homage which was due to him alone. . . . Paul was deeply pained by the idolatrous city of Athens. Have we been provoked by the idolatrous cities of the contemporary world?(23)

But Paul did more than contemplate the pathetic realities of Athens, for he was compelled to reach out to these pagan people. It is fascinating to observe Paul's actions. He started in the synagogue where he spoke to the biblically-informed people of that community, those somewhat acquainted with the Old Testament Scriptures. Then, he moved on to the market place, the so-called agora. Finally, he addressed the intellectuals, first presumably in the agora, and then in a more formal setting. One can only marvel at Paul's flexibility. He made inroads where he could, took advantage of opportunities, and spoke with all kinds of people.

Though the level of understanding and intellect surely varied among his hearers, the apostle consistently reasoned with them (17).

The duty of Christian witness involves reasoning, as the descriptions of Paul's missionary activity show. Faith is not created by reasoning, but neither is it created without it. There is more involved in witness to Christ than throwing pre-arranged clumps of texts at unbelieving heads; the meaning and application of the gospel must be explained to men and women in terms of their actual situation. This requires hard thinking.(24)

To reason is to discuss a point of view, to appeal to the logic and coherence of a position, to intelligently show forth the inner consistency and attractiveness of something. In essence, Christian apologetics seeks to explain why a person ought to embrace the truth. With God's revealed will as the foundation and Jesus as the aim (18), Paul made use of reasoned proclamation and discussion.

1. "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ® 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1994 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by Permission."

2. D. A. Carson, "Athens Revisited" in Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 385.

3. For example many Christians maintain music and worship preferences that are out of sync with modern forms. Though these issues can often be complicated and controversial, the fact remains that some within the church are governed more by their cultural comfort zones, their traditions, than they are by the truth. It is sad to see believers missing out on genuine evangelistic opportunities because they are unwilling to bend in areas that are a matter of personal freedom. That is, they are closed to the idea of implementing the truth in more contemporary ways. "If we love people and long to see them come to Christ, I believe that we will be willing to sacrifice our own comforts for theirs, in the interest of their salvation. Jesus certainly did." John M. Frame, Contemporary Worship Music: A Biblical Defense (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1997), 96.

4. George Barna, The Second Coming of the Church (Nashville, TN.: Word Publishing, 1998), 15-28.

5. Since this paper is based on Acts Chapter 17, and since the majority of passages will be taken from this chapter, references to verses within it shall not include the name of the book nor the chapter. However, all other biblical references will follow the form of book name, chapter, and verse.

6. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts , NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), 329.

7. Concerning the designation "God-fearers," Hemer notes that "there were at least in some places numbers of Gentiles who were close enough to Judaism to be considered part of the community, albeit a separate part, without becoming full proselytes." Colin J. Hemer, The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History (Winona Lake, IN.: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 447.

8. Part of the Athenians' initial confusion may have been due to a misunderstanding of Paul's words. "Apparently they misconstrued his message to be about two deities, Jesus and his consort, Anastasis (the Greek word for resurrection), understanding them perhaps as Healing (Jesus sounds something like this in Greek) and Restoration." David J. Williams, Acts (Peabody, MA.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1990), 303. Also, see John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts (Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 282.

9. F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990), 378.

10. " : the two-word form, applied to the court, is regularly used in many inscriptions of the period. This hearing probably took place before the court in its meeting place in the Agora, not on the actual hill so called." Hemer, Acts, 117.

11. D. A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 499.

12. Carson, Telling the Truth, 392.

13. Ibid., 393.

14. Stanley J. Grenz, J. David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, "Immanence" in Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 63.

15. For more on this subject, see P. W. Comfort, "Idolatry" in The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 424-426.

16. See Hemer, Acts , 118 and Bruce, Acts: Greek , 384-385. The words attributed to Aratus, who possibly borrowed them from an earlier writer named Cleanthes, refer to Zeus, not to the true God. Still, this language mirrors a biblical truth. The point is not that all human beings are God's children in a redemptive sense but that they are His by creation. Thus, fallen man has an intuitive awareness about certain things, not the least of which is the absurdity of thinking "that the divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone" (29).

17. Stott, The Message of Acts, 286.

18. Ronald B. Mayers, Balanced Apologetics: Using Evidence and Presuppositions in Defense of the Faith (Grand Rapids, MI.: Kregel Publications, 1984), 166.

19. Note Luke's mention that some believed (34). Obviously, this belief is in something. In Christian usage this has to include at least some knowledge of Jesus as Savior. Thus, it is likely that Paul touched on this subject.

20. William J. Larkin Jr., Acts (Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 260.

21. Stott, Acts, 277.

22. Larkin, Acts, 251-252.

23. Stott, Acts, 290-291.

24. J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God (Grand Rapids, MI.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), 135-136.