Week Five: Many Ideas; One God

IS THERE MORE THAN ONE TRUE GOD?

During his second missionary trip, the apostle Paul found himself in the city of Athens.  Though its greatest glory was in the past, the city was proud of its standing and was considered to be the cultural and intellectual center of the world.

Lots of smart, intelligent people living there, right?

The people who lived there would have thought so.

Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, made a parenthetical note in his account of Paul’s time in Athens, saying, “All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listen to the latest ideas” (Acts 17:21).

Don’t you love the humor of the Bible?

So spiritually ignorant were the leading men of the city that they considered the gospel that Paul was preaching to be a new teaching, a novel idea.  Out of curiosity – and probably with the intention of deciding if they would allow Paul to continue teaching in the city – they invited Paul to tell them more.

Since this group was made up of the leading men of the city -men who took pride in their academic and cultural standing, men who were thought to be a notch or two above anyone else – this could have been a very intimidating setting.

Paul, of course, was at home in an academic world. But he stood before them as one who had committed himself totally to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the service of the Lord Jesus, as one who wrote, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things" (Philippians 3:8). He knew that many of that crowd would sneer at him – and they did.

What Paul said to this group of men is a classic example of the way to present the gospel to folks like those living in Athens. Paul simply presented the true God to them, addressing not only their minds but particularly their hearts.

He spoke of God as:

•    Creator:  “He made the world and everything in it”  (Many sneer at this today!)

•    Sustainer: “He himself gives life and breath and everything else”  (Every breath of every living person is given by Him.)

•    Ruler: “From one man he made every nation of men…and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”  (Beginning with Adam – a real, historical person – God has determined the ultimate purpose of all men and nations.)

•    The Father of all by way of creation (not by redemption): “We are his offspring”   (Paul actually quoted from one of their own poets – showing that he knew their culture – but using their own poets to demonstrate that their spiritual ignorance was inexcusable.)

•    The Judge of all: “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.”   (Many deny this even today!)

In proclaiming the true God to the Athenians, Paul aimed at their hearts, desiring their repentance and saying, “Now He commands all people everywhere to repent.”

Many gods that we may serve?  Absolutely not.  There is but one true and living God, the God who has revealed Himself to us in all of creation so that all men are without excuse.  He is the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture and who has come to us in the Lord Jesus Christ that we may know Him.

This living and true God commands our repentance.

Where do you stand with Him?

At New Covenant Presbyterian Church,
we do not proclaim that there are many gods that we may rightly serve.

We are not interested in simply listening to all the latest ideas
while being ignorant of the true God and of the eternal truths of Scripture.

We do not proclaim that there are many ways to God and that it does not matter which God you serve
or how you serve, as long as you seek to be kind and “tolerant” toward everyone and toward every idea.

With gratitude and humility, we proclaim, worship, and serve the God of Scripture.
Anything else is but an idol, a false god, that cannot save.

"Turn to me and be saved...all you ends of the earth
for I am God, and there is no other."
Isaiah 45:22