Claude T. Stauffer :: The Spirit Acts in a Reasonable Way – Acts 17

The Spirit Acts

The Spirit Acts in a Reasonable Way – Acts 17

How does the Holy Spirit communicate the gospel through disciples to the lost? In Acts 17, we will see that the Spirit acts in a reasonable way. We will also discover the nature of reasoning and the particular things the Spirit includes in reasoning with the lost. The mind is the window to the heart and the Holy Spirit reasons with the lost to get to the heart of their need to be saved from their sin.

Let’s remember too our focus statement for our study in Acts:

The Spirit of God using the word of God to make people of God and changing the people of God into Spirit-empowered, effective, edifying, disciples of Jesus Christ.

As we see the Spirit’s edifying work in Acts, we should be praying He does the same work in us.

God Reasons With Us

God has given human beings a brain and the capacity to reason through problems intelligently. God uses reason to reach our hearts with the gospel. While it is possible for someone to know about Jesus but not know Jesus, it is more likely that when the Spirit reasons with us He opens the door to our hearts where salvation takes place.

There are numerous places where the Lord either calls us to reason with Him or that He reasons with us. One such place is found in Isaiah where it states:

• Isaiah 1:18 –
  “Come now, and let us reason together,”
  Says the Lord,
  “Though your sins are like scarlet,
  They shall be as white as snow;
  Though they are red like crimson,
  They shall be as wool.”

Now in the Old Testament the word “reason” is translated from the Hebrew term YAKACH (Strong’s #3198 – yaw-kahh’) meaning, “to be right (i.e., correct);…to argue;…to decide, justify or convict…appoint, argue, chasten, convince, correct (–ion), daysman, dispute, judge, maintain, plead, reason (together), rebuke, reprove (–r), surely, in any wise.”²¹⁹ The idea here is not so much that God is calling a person into a reasonable discussion, as it is a call from God to listen to Him because when He is heard; His truth and revelation are so great that there really is no need or room for discussion.

Jesus used reasoning (in particular reasoning from the Scriptures) in His ministry. In Mark it records an incident where some Sadducees and a scribe pose some questions to Jesus in an effort to stump and discredit Him. Jesus reasoned with them from the Scriptures and rebukes them for not know the Scriptures. It states in the gospel:

• Mark 12:18-31 – ¹⁸ “Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: ¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰ “Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. ²¹ “And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. ²² “So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. ²³ “Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.” ²⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God ? ²⁵ “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶ “But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷ “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.” ²⁸Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” ²⁹Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ³⁰ ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. ³¹ “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Jesus reasoned from the Scriptures when questioned (Mark 12:24, 28). Jesus knew the Scriptures and responded from the Scriptures to those who questioned Him. That should be our practice too. We are called to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6). Therefore, we should rely on the Spirit to help us reason with others like Jesus did. That is exactly what we will see in Acts 17, the Holy Spirit preparing and empowering the disciples to reason with people from the Scriptures.

The Spirit Acts by Preparing Us to Reason with Others

• Acts 17:1 – “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

Amphipolis was thirty-three miles from Philippi. Apollonia was another thirty miles from Amphipolis. And another thirty-seven miles beyond that was another major city known as Thessalonica. Given the one hundred miles traveled by the apostles, it is safe to assume that it took a number of days to cover this distance. This travel time must have given the travelers much time to pray, meditate on God’s word and be inspired and moved upon by the Spirit as to how they should reason from the Scriptures about the gospel. The Spirit gives us preparation time to edify us and equip us to reason from the Scriptures.

When the apostle Paul was teaching about the spiritual armor the Christian wears he said:

• Ephesians 6:15 – “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

The word “preparation” here (HETOIMASIA – Strong’s #2091 – het-oy-mas-ee´–ah; from HETOIMADZO – Strong’s #2090) means, “preparation; readiness.”²²⁰ Vines adds, “It also has the meaning of firm footing (foundation).”²²¹ The believer is to have a firm footing and foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9-11). We “shod” or put on such preparation in the gospel through careful, prayerful study of God’s word in the Spirit. As Paul and the missionary troop traveled, they likely were prayerfully putting on the gospel preparation, being readied by the Spirit to reason from the Scriptures the basis and truth of the gospel.

In 18^th century England, the Lord raised a man by the name of John Wesley to minister in a way that was somewhat unorthodox for his day. John Wesley was moved by the Spirit to preach and teach the Biblically prescribed faith-oriented way of salvation. Because of this, he was barred from the churches of his day. The Lord used this barring from churches to move him to an itinerant ministry which opened ministry and led him to the fields ripe for harvest. Because of this, Wesley found himself spending much time on horseback traveling long distances from one place to another to preach the word. John Wesley rode over 250,000 miles on horseback. He preached 42,000 sermons and wrote over 200 books. Wesley was able to accomplish all of this because he was a very disciplined man and methodical in redeeming the time. An example of this was that he actually had his horse saddle constructed in a way that he could take certain books with him on his journeys so that he could study and prepare his messages and write articles and books along the way. In doing this he was probably following in the footsteps of the apostle Paul who no doubt had a desire to redeem the time and use it efficiently for edification and preparation as he went from place to place preaching the word of Christ. Today we have iPads, iPhones, and laptops to help us take our libraries with us. Let’s follow their example.

Prepared in the Word of God

The most important part of preparing to be used by the Spirit to reason with others about the Lord is spending time alone with the Lord in prayerful study of His word. We are exhorted to study God’s word diligently so that we are ready when opportunities open up to us to reason about God’s revelation in His word. Paul exhorted Timothy:

• 2 Timothy 2:15 – “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

There are two words we need to take note of from this verse regarding the preparation in the word of God. The first is “diligent.” The word “diligent” is translated from the Greek term SPOUDADZO (Strong’s # 4704 – spoo-dad´–zo) which means, “to use speed, i.e., to make effort, be prompt or earnest…do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavor, labour, study.”²²² Preparation in the word of God involves effort, earnest, diligent, labor and study in God’s word. Reading God’s word is good, but study of it is even better and study is necessary for any disciple who desires to be used effectively by the Spirit in a ministry of reasoning (or in any form of ministry for that matter).

The second word to note in 2 Timothy 2:15 is “worker.” The word “worker” is translated from the Greek term ERGATES (Strong’s # 2040 – er-gat´–ace) which refers to “a toiler;…a teacher…laborer, worker (–men).” ERGATES is derived from the Greek term ERGON/ ERGO (Strong’s #2041 – er´–gon – which means, “to work; toil (as an effort or occupation);…an act…deed, doing, labour, work.”²²³ A worker is someone who takes action, who labors and toils over something. Instead of thinking about and only saying we are going to study God’s word, we need to take action and get to work studying God’s word. That is the sense of this word, we need to labor and work in God’s word.

Diligent labor in the word of God is the means by which the Spirit brings us to a place where we are “approved” (DOKIMOS – Strong’s #1384 – dok´–ee-mos;…acceptable…Approved, tried²²⁴) and “not…ashamed” (ANEPAICHUNTOS – Strong’s #422 – an-ep-ah´–ee-skhoon-tos;…not ashamed,…needeth not to be ashamed”²²⁵) before God. When we handle God’s holy word, we need to do so as though we have a precious jewel in our hands. God’s word is a precious document containing the truths of eternity, the heart of God, and His holy word toward us. He entrusts His word to us to pass on to others and that is an awesome privilege and responsibility. That is not something we approach in our own strength but in the strength of the Holy Spirit who authored the inspired word of God. An unknown author has described the Bible in the following way:

The Bible is like a magnificent palace constructed of precious oriental stone, comprising 66 stately chambers. Each one of these chambers is different from the others, and is perfect in its individual beauty, while together they form an edifice incomparably majestic, glorious, and sublime.

In the Book of Genesis we enter the grand Vestibule where we're immediately introduced to the records of the mighty work of God in creation. This Vestibule gives access to the Law Courts, passing through which we come to the Picture Gallery of the historical books. Here we find hung upon the wall’s scenes of battles, heroic deeds and portraits of valiant men of God. Beyond the Picture Gallery we find the Philosophers Chamber – the Book of Job – passing through which we enter the Music Room – the Book of Psalms – and here we linger, thrilled by the grandest harmonies that ever fell on human ears.

Then we come to the Business Office – the Book of Proverbs – in the very center of which stands the motto, "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Leaving the Business Office, we pass into the Research Department – the Book of Ecclesiastes – and thence into the Conservatory – the Song of Solomon – where greet us the fragrant aromas of choicest flowers, fruits, and the sweet singing of birds. We then reach the Observatory where the Prophets with their powerful telescopes are looking for the appearing of the "Bright and Morning Star," prior to the dawning of the "Sun of Righteousness."

Crossing the courtyard, we come to the Audience Chamber of the King – the Gospels – where we find four life-like portraits of the King Himself, revealing the perfections of His infinite beauty. Next we enter the Workroom of the Holy Spirit – the Acts of the Apostles – and beyond that the Correspondence Room – the Epistles – where we see Paul and Peter, James, John, and Jude busy at their tables under the direction of the Spirit of Truth.

Finally we enter the Throne Room – the Book of Revelation – where we are enrapt by the mighty volume of adoration and praise which is ever addressed to the enthroned King, and which fills the vast Chamber; while in the adjacent Galleries and Judgment Hall there are portrayed solemn scenes of judgment and wondrous scenes of glory associated with the coming and manifestation of the Son of God as King of Kings and Lord or Lords. – Author Unknown

Peter when he was inspired to write his first epistle said the following:

• 1 Peter 4:11 – “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

When we are used by the Spirit to reason with others, we do so from the Scriptures and in using the Scriptures we are speaking from the wealth and treasure of God’s word. If we speak for God, we should be diligent and right in representing Him and His word. We would never want to claim something God did not claim or speak a falsehood on behalf of God that would discredit Him and bring shame to us. No, if we are going to speak on behalf of God as His disciples, we should take it seriously, very seriously and properly represent Him according to what He has revealed to us from His word (“oracles” – Greek LOGION – Strong’s #3051 – log´–ee-on…an utterance…of God…oracle”²²⁶).

We need to study God’s word. There is a subtle error many make in the study of God’s word and that is that often people study about God’s word and neglect the study of God’s word itself. When we study the word of God, the Spirit helps us to come to know Jesus (2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 10:7). There are many people, even smart ones, even seminary professors, who know a lot about Jesus but do not know Jesus. While we do not know God’s word like we know Jesus (because God’s word is not a person), we can make a similar mistake when we read a lot of books about the Bible, a lot of commentaries about what the Bible says and means and do a lot of work about the Bible and never even get into the Bible itself. There are Bible Colleges and Seminaries where students can go and rarely even open up the Bible. If you feel called to Bible College and Seminary and you aren’t studying the word of God itself right now, what makes you think that going away to a Seminary or Bible College is going to change your bad habit of not studying the word itself? Bible College and Seminary can be useful, but Peter, James and John never went to seminary, they only (!) spent time alone with Jesus. Ask yourself this question, “When you read a book and a portion of Scripture is quoted and written out in the book you are reading, do you read the verses or simply look at the reference and skip over it assuming you already know the word?” If you skip over the verses you are skimming over the word of God where the power is. Perhaps the Lord wants to impress upon you some knew perspective or truth you weren’t previously ready for. We need to study the word itself.

A Holy Habit of Reasoning from the Scriptures

Acts 17:2 – “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,”

Verse two states, “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). It was Paul’s “custom” to go into the synagogues and “reason” with the Jews “from the Scriptures.” We will look at all three of these aspects of the ministry, but first we need to recognize that what Paul did here was his “custom.” The word “custom” is translated from the Greek term, ETHO, (Strong’s #1486 – eth´–o) which refers to a practice, “habit or conventionality,” be custom (manner, wont).”²²⁷ The Holy Spirit led Paul in the practice or holy habit of reasoning with the lost from the Scriptures about their need for salvation. Paul’s practice was to begin such reasoning with those in the synagogues.

Here we have something to emulate and follow in the life of the apostle Paul and the others in his missionary troop. Like Paul, we should be led by the Spirit to have a holy habit of reasoning with people from the Scriptures about salvation. It should be our ambition to have the Spirit equip us in His word to prepare us to reason with the lost about Jesus and the gracious salvation offered in Him.

The Spirit Works Through A Reasoning Ministry

What does it mean to “reason” with someone? The word “reasoned” in Acts 17:2 and 17:17 is translated from the Greek term DIALEGOMAI (Strong’s #1256 – dee-al-eg´–om-ahee;) meaning, “to say thoroughly, i.e., discuss (in argument or exhortation); dispute, preach (unto), reason (with), speak.”²²⁸ In Acts there are a number of other instances when the apostles are said to have reasoned with people in this way:

• Acts 17:2, 17 – ² “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,… ¹⁷ Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.”
• Acts 18:4, 19 – ⁴ “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.... ¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.”
• Acts 24:25 – “Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
• Acts 26:25 – “But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.”

To reason with them from the Scriptures means Paul laid out before them a reasonable road map of proof-texts showing some very specific things. We should be open to the Spirit to use us to explain and discuss thoroughly God’s truths with others and even dispute against falsehoods when the opportunity presents itself. Below are a number of verses that exhort us to reason in the Spirit with others. Let’s look at a few of these passages.

In the short letter of Jude, it states:

• Jude 1:3 – “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Again we see the reference to diligence on behalf of Jude and an exhortation to be earnest in contending for “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” “Contend” literally means to “struggle” for something (EPIGONIDZOMAI – Strong’s #1864 ep-ag-o–nid´–zom-ahee;…to struggle for…earnestly contend for”²²⁹). What is it that we are called to struggle or contend for? It is “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” Now stop and think about this for a moment. Jude’s letter was written in the first century A.D. (68 A.D.) and he is calling his readers to contend for “the faith,” which is a general statement referring to the Christian body of belief. But the important part is to note that this body of belief we are to contend for, “was once for all delivered to the saints”! That means that “the faith” we should contend for is the faith that was once and for all time given in that first century, not a “faith” that includes God’s word and human addendums or traditions! God’s word is what we should contend for, and we shouldn’t add to it or subtract from it. Stick to God 's word, His inspired and authoritative inerrant 66 books of the Bible, nothing more, nothing less. That is the only reasonable thing to do.

The apostle Peter instructed:

• 1 Peter 3:15 – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”

Here we are told to “sanctify” or set apart as special, to focus on and depend on God as Master and Lord, Ruler of our hearts and always be ready to give a response for the “reason” for the hope we have in Christ. Our relationship with Jesus is to be current, in part, so that we can always be ready to give a reasonable response to those who ask us about the reasons we are so hopeful in life.

Paul wrote in his last letter to Timothy:

• 2 Timothy 1:13-14 – ¹³ “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.”

Paul exhorts Pastor Timothy to “hold fast” or “don’t let go of” the “pattern of sound words which you have heard from me.” The grammatical form of the phrase “hold fast” conveys the thought of a vital ongoing and necessary practice (Present/Active/Imperative of ECHO – Strong’s 2192). The “pattern” (HUPOTUPOSIS – Strong’s #5296 – hoop-ot-oop´–o-sis…“typification under (after),…a sketch…for imitation…form, pattern”²³⁰) of “sound” (HUGIAINO –Strong’s #5198 – hoog-ee-ah´–ee-no;…“to have sound health,…be well (in body);…to be uncorrupt…true in doctrine…be in health,…”²³¹) “words” (LOGOS – Strong’s #3056) means that Paul is exhorting Timothy to stick to the healthy doctrinal teachings Paul has given to him. Paul warns Timothy later in this letter that Timothy needs to be ready because a time will come when people won’t want to listen to sound doctrine but will look for teachings that only tickle their fancy and condone their fleshly lusts. Paul wrote Timothy:

• 2 Timothy 4:1-5 – ¹ “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

The Spirit wants to use you to reason with others, but that reasoning must be rooted in, guided by, and based on the Scriptures.

The Spirit Works by Reasoning From the Scriptures

When we refer to a ministry of reasoning, we are not referring to philosophical reasoning based on human premises, assumptions or presumptions; we are referring to Spirit-led, Scripture-based reasoning. You do not have to take a course in philosophy to reason in the Spirit from the Scriptures.

In Acts 17:2 it specifies that Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” The Spirit, through disciples, uses the Scriptures to present a rational presentation of the gospel. This is what Paul meant when he spoke about “rightly dividing the word of truth,” when he wrote to Timothy in his second epistle to him. We mentioned this above, but the verse bears repeating:

• 2 Timothy 2:15 – “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

It is the Scriptures that give us the basis of our reasonable ministry. The Scriptures are foundational to what we know about God and the reasonable conclusions God enables us by His Holy Spirit to make about Him. Believers must be disciples and disciples need to use God’s word to present the gospel reasonably.

But wait a minute pastor, isn’t it reasonable to assume that there are a lot of people who reject the Scriptures as the word of God? Yes, I believe that is safe to assume. But here is a key thing to understand, it really doesn’t matter. What? Yes. It is a good thing to be able to reasonably demonstrate the reliability and authority of the Scriptures. There is a great deal of evidence to support the reliability of the Bible and its authority. Archeology, manuscript evidence, prophetic fulfillment, and the continuity of the Scriptures are all things the student of the Bible should be familiar with. But when I say, “it really doesn’t matter,” what I mean is, if God’s word is God’s word, it is going to have its effect. Even if someone rejects God’s word, they have been brought to a point of decision by the word of God. And for those who straddle the fence, indecision is decision. The Bible is God’s fulcrum to determine one’s eternal life. We wouldn’t know about Jesus and the good news of the gospel of grace if it weren’t for the word of God, the Bible.

The Bible is powerful and living (Hebrews 4:12). It isn’t living in the sense that it is ever-changing, quite the opposite. The Bible is living because it is God’s instrument to produce powerful life change. The Bible isn’t powerful, inspired, authoritative, and inerrant because a body of people or one person says it is. The Bible is powerful, inspired, authoritative, and inerrant because God says it’s so. The canon of inspired Scripture isn’t canonical because a body of human authorities says what it is. That would be to elevate such a body to greater authority than the Bible. No. The canon of Scripture is what it is because it is inspired by God. The Church and any ecclesiastical authority get their authority from God and His word, not the other way around. We all bow before the authority of Scripture. That is true for all Christians, all the Church, and it is true whether or not you believe it. You may reject God and His word in this life, but if you do, you will discover its truth, reality, and consequences, in the next life.

It is God who has set the parameters and demonstrated the power and reliability of His word throughout history. The Bible stands out transcendently in comparison to all other religious works. The Bible is unique. The Bible is holy. You can rely on God’s word in your reasoned arguments. And a reasonable person who gives fair and objective consideration to God’s word and what it is will come to these conclusions. Many a skeptic has been converted to Christ through the word of God. No religious writing has impacted the world like the Bible. I encourage you to look into this.

That the Bible is our tool of presenting the gospel reasonably is clearly seen in the following verses:

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – ¹⁶ “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
• 2 Peter 1:19-21 – ¹⁹ “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Those who stand saved from sin before God do so because the Spirit has in some way reasoned with us from the Scriptures. We should present ourselves to God to be used by Him to reason with the lost through us (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).

The Spirit is the Agent of Reason

When we seek to be used by the Spirit in a reasoning ministry, we need to understand a very important aspect of such a ministry; we are only tools in the hands of the Holy Spirit who is the Agent of reasoning. This view and understanding are critical because it keeps us from putting pressure on ourselves in the reasoning situation, and it keeps us from depending on our own wits in reasoning with others. Truly, those who rely on themselves to reason with others will discover rather quickly that they are nothing more than nitwits.

Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit was the One who would lead them into all truth, in effect, that it was the Spirit who would reason with them from the Scriptures:

• John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
• John 15:26 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

Paul was inspired to write to the Corinthians that it is the Spirit who reveals God’s truth to us:

• 1 Corinthians 2:9-14 – ⁹ “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” ¹⁰ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. ¹³ These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Explanations can be difficult and unless we rely on the Spirit to explain the word clearly to others, we’ll be frustrated and futile in our attempts and ultimately fail.

That explanations are difficult and can at times leave the wrong impression is illustrated by the following story:

A woman's red station wagon was crushed by an elephant at a circus. The owners of the animal apologized, explaining that the animal, for some reason, simply liked to sit on red cars. In spite of the damage, the woman's car was still drivable. But on the way to the garage she was stopped short by an accident involving two other cars just ahead of her. When the ambulance arrived a few minutes later the attendants took one look at her car, and then ran over to assist her. "Oh, I wasn't involved in this accident," she explained. "An elephant sat on my car." The ambulance attendants quickly bundled her off to the hospital for possible shock and head injuries, despite the lady's vehement protests.²³²

Another story went something like this:

In Florida, small black flies that swarm in the spring and fall can be a nuisance to motorists. We were about to head north and were grateful for a friend's suggestion that we spread a coating of petroleum jelly on the front of the car to make it easier to flush the bugs off with water. I felt a little foolish but I did it. In a small town in Georgia, we pulled into a service station and asked the attendant to check the oil. He tried to lift the hood, but his hands kept slipping. "What ya got on your car, mister?" he called out. "Vaseline," I said. Before I could explain further, he responded, "Whatza matter? Ya got a tight garage?"²³³

Now these stories are a bit comical, but there is nothing comical about trying to explain the truth of God in your own ability. We need the Holy Spirit to empower us if we are ever to minister God’s truth and word effectively.

The Spirit-Led Reasoning Ministry – Explaining, Demonstrating, Persuading Patiently

• Acts 17:3 – “explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

The two characteristics of a ministry of reasoning are explaining and demonstrating. The word “explaining” is translated from the Greek term DIANOIGO (Strong’s #1272 – dee-an-oy´–go) and means, “to open thoroughly,…to expound; open.”²³⁴ The grammatical from of the word here (Present/Active/Participle) conveys the thought of an ongoing and patient work. The word “demonstrating” comes from the Greek term PARATHEMEA (Strong’s #3908 – par-at-ith´–ay-mee) which means, “to place alongside, i.e., present (food, truth);…allege, commend, commit (the keeping of), put forth, set before.”²³⁵ The form of this word (Present/Middle/Participle) also conveys the idea of an ongoing, consistent, patient work.

The need for patience in reasoning.

When Paul wrote to Timothy in his last epistle he was inspired to exhort him to use patience in reasoning with those who had either strayed from the faith or were lost in their sin. Paul was inspired to say:

• 2 Timothy 2:24-26 – ²⁴ “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵ in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, ²⁶and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

It can be difficult at times to patiently explain, demonstrate and persuade people in the ministry of reasoning. Sometimes we can become proudly haughty and impatient, thinking to ourselves, “How come they don’t see this, it’s as clear as night and day?” We are tempted to get short-tempered with people and have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. That is not how Jesus reasoned with others and with us and that is not how we should respond to others either (Matthew 18:21-35).

James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote about the need for patience in waiting for Jesus’ return as well as in ministry and Christian life generally, when he was inspired to write:

• James 5:7-11 – ⁷ “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! ¹⁰ My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

One of the aspects of the loving fruit of the Spirit is patience (Galatians 5:22-23). We cannot explain, demonstrate and persuade people reasonably in our own strength, we need to rely upon the Holy Spirit to enable us to do so.

The Spirit Focuses His Reasoning on Three Primary Truths

• Acts 17:2-3 – ² “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

When we look at how the Spirit moved Paul to reason with these people, we see that the Spirit led him to focus his reasoning presentation on three primary truths. These three primary truths were:

1. Christ had to suffer.
2. Christ had to rise from the dead.
3. Jesus is the Christ

Let’s take a moment to reason together about these three truths.

First, why did Jesus have to suffer? The suffering of Jesus points us to the cross of Christ. Jesus, according to the Scriptures, had to suffer the cross for the following reasons:

1. Humanity is sinful and cannot atone or save themselves from their sin, not even by keeping the Law (Genesis 3; Romans 3; Galatians 3:10-12; James 2:10).
2. The wages or consequence of sin is a curse, physical and spiritual eternal death (Ezekiel 18:4; Luke 16:19-31; Romans 6:23; 8:22; Galatians 3:10-12).
3. Sin also creates a barrier between humanity and God (Isaiah 59:2).
4. God is Holy and Just and cannot simply dismiss or overlook sin but must remain true to His nature and deal with sin justly (Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 45:21; Revelation 15:3). Therefore, God ordained that the just and righteous means for sin to be dealt with is by way of a sacrificial substitute. The substitutionary atonement was foreshadowed in the Old Testament sacrificial system and fulfilled in Jesus Christ on the cross (Psalm 85:10-11; 145:17; Zechariah 9:9; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Hebrews 10). Indeed, God was in Christ and reconciled the world to Himself by giving His only Son Jesus in this sacrificial way (Romans 3:21-26; 2 Corinthians 5:19). Jesus had to die to pay the penalty of death and satisfy God’s righteous justice.
5. For humanity to be saved from their sinful state and for God and humanity to have a relationship, sin must be dealt with. Jesus, the perfect sinless Man, suffered in our place on the cross to bear the penalty of sin which is death for us as our substitute to open the door to having a relationship with God (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:10-13).
6. The suffering of Jesus Christ is the faithful fulfillment of God’s prophetic word (Isaiah 53; Psalm 22). Jesus said He would die on the cross and if He didn’t, He would be a false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Matthew 16:21; 17:12; 20:17-19; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22

Second, why did Jesus have to rise from the dead? The resurrection of Jesus is God’s sign that He accepted the death of sinless Jesus on the cross as atonement for the sins of the world which satisfied God’s just requirements. The Bible says that Jesus had to rise from the dead because:

1. The resurrection of Jesus was foretold in the Bible and, therefore, He had to rise from the dead to show God’s faithfulness to His word (Psalm 16:10-11; Acts 13:34-35).
2. Jesus said He would rise from the dead and, therefore, if He did not rise from the dead as He said, He would be a false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; 9:9-10; Luke 9:22; 24:25-27, 45-49; John 2:19-22).
3. The resurrection is God’s sign of accepting the atonement of Jesus as satisfactory to His just requirements. If Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead, it would have indicated His atoning work was not accepted by God, and we would still be in our sin as well as false prophets because we proclaim Him (Romans 4:25; 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19).
4. The resurrection is God’s evidence in Christ of His power over sin and death (John 10:18; Acts 2:24; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; Philippians 3:10).

Third, why is Jesus the Christ? Jesus is the Christ because He is the One and the only One who fulfilled the work of the cross and the resurrection as foretold in Scripture. Jesus is the Christ according to Scripture because:

1. Jesus fulfilled the prophetic signs of Messiah (He fulfilled over 300 prophetic requirements given by God to identify Messiah, e.g., His virgin birth – Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:18-25; His place of birth – Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:1; His deity – Isaiah 9:6 and John 1:1-2, 14,18; 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; Hebrews 1:8; His being the Passover Lamb of God – Exodus 12 and John 1:29, 35-37; 1 Corinthians 5:7). <</li>
2. Jesus came to Jerusalem at the exact time God said Messiah would come (Daniel 9:24-27 and Mark 1:15; Luke 19:28-29, 41-44).
3. “Christ” means “anointed” (Strong’s #5547) and refers to Jesus as the anointed One who is designated by God to save the world from sin. Jesus is the Savior of the world (John 3:16; Titus 3:5-6; 2 Peter 2:20; 1 John 2:1-2; 4:14).
4. Jesus is the Christ because He performed miracles just as the Old Testament said Messiah would (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 11:4-5).
5. Jesus is the Christ, the Savior because it is in Him that sins are forgiven, and lives actually changed (John 3:1-8; Acts 9; 2 Timothy 1:12-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus’ atoning death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead and that He is the anointed Messiah, the Savior of the world are the three things the Spirit points us to focus upon when we seek to be used by Him to reason with others.

The Reasonable Response

• Acts 17:4 – “And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”

The objective of such a reasoning ministry is that those listening be “persuaded.” “Persuaded” comes from the Greek term PEITHO (Strong’s #3982 – pi´–tho) meaning, “to convince (by argument, true or false);…agree, assure, believe, have confidence, be (wax) confident, make friend, obey, persuade, trust, yield.”²³⁶

Explaining, demonstrating and persuading people with Spirit-directed, and empowered reasoning is something we need to take time to do. We need to be willing to make time to be used by the Spirit in this way. There is no rushing through reasoning with the lost the way the Spirit would have us do. And when we patiently reason in the Spirit with people in this way, there will be a fruitful harvest (Matthew 9:37-38; John 15:1-11; Galatians 6:9).

Really, when the Spirit reasons with a person, the evidence for the truth of God in Christ is so overwhelming to the objective listener that the only reasonable response is to fall down on your knees before God and repent. If a person listens to the Spirit, the only way they can reject the reasonable truth of God is if they willfully reject it in spite of reason. In effect, it is unreasonable to reject the gospel and reasonable to accept it. Sin is the reason people reject the gospel, not intellectual reasoning.

In the Book of Romans, the first eleven chapters deal with a reasonable doctrinal presentation of the gospel. In the first couple of verses in Romans 12 Paul is inspired to tell the readers what the reasonable response to such a reasonable gospel is:

• Romans 12:1-2 – ¹ “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

The only reasonable response to the gospel is to give yourself to God as a living sacrifice. A living sacrifice lays no claim on its own life but gives itself entirely to God. In other words, the reasonable response to the gospel is to give yourself to God as a servant, (i.e. “reasonable service”).

When we reason with the lost in the enabling of the Spirit, they will often give their hearts to Jesus. But sometimes they will not. God allows for the free will decision of humanity. Our faithful calling is to share the gospel reasonably and trust the harvest to the Spirit.

The Product of the Spirit’s Reasoning – “These who have turned the world upside down.”

• Acts 17:5-9 – ⁵ “But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶ But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. ⁷ “Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” ⁸ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. ⁹ So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.”

“Envy” as a tool of the enemy against the work of God (Acts 17:5). That is what we see motivating those who had not been persuaded by the Spirit's reasoning, Jews who went out and commandeered some hoodlums (i.e., “evil men”) to stir up a riot against the disciples. They then went to Jason’s house, who they knew had harbored the disciples. Jason must have been a known Christian in the community which speaks well of his testimony. The accusation brought against the disciples was that they acted “contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king – Jesus” (Acts 17:7). Citizens of Rome were required to proclaim their allegiance to Rome and, in particular, Caesar. Many a believer gave their lives because they would not acknowledge that Caesar was their lord but that they had only one Lord, Jesus. The disciples were being charged as insurrectionists who defied Caesar. Jason and others were let go after they posted bail (Acts 17:8).

But it appears the disciples were making their mark on the world as they were empowered by the Spirit. This is seen in how they were referred to, as “These who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). They were known and were making an impact in the Spirit. Are you known as a Christian and are you making an impact in the world around you?

Jesus said that the one who is well-trained would be like their teacher (Luke 6:40). If the Spirit is training you, you will be like Jesus in your reasoning. Jesus ruffled religious feathers at times (Matthew 23). At other times, He could be very sensitive and gentle (John 8:1-11). It cannot be doubted that He made an impact on those with whom He came into contact. You couldn’t come into contact with Jesus without being put in a decision-making situation. When you came into contact with Jesus, the nature of His reasoning brought you to a place where you needed to decide whether you were going to follow Him or reject Him (Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus turned the world right side up. Are you like your Teacher?

We know from Paul’s letter to the church started at Thessalonica that they became like their teacher, Paul whose Teacher was Jesus. Paul wrote of them:

• 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 – ⁵ “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. ⁶ And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷ so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. ⁸ For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. ⁹ For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

The Thessalonians gave themselves to the Lord to reason with others at some point and were used by Him to turn their part of the world around.

How about you? What is your reputation amongst the unsaved? Are you known as one who “turns the world upside down” (i.e., right side up in Christ)? Do people feel the presence of the Lord through you? Do they feel comfortable or uncomfortable telling a coarse or dirty joke around you? Do they know better than to include you in a sinful scheme, or are you the first person they go to for input on how to undermine others? Is the Lord making a difference in people’s lives through you or do those around you not even know that you’re a Christian? Are you a Christian complacently incognito or are you courageously reasoning in the Spirit from the Scriptures speaking the truth in love with those around you? Are you like the Thessalonians, or are you a just-leave-me-alonian? I want to exhort and encourage you to turn to the Lord and ask Him to empower you, to baptize you with the Holy Spirit for service. One way to see that you are used by the Holy Spirit to turn the world upside down is to follow the example of the Bereans in the following verses.

The Spirit Reasons According to His Revelation – The Bereans

• Acts 17:10-15 – ¹⁰ “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. ¹² Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. ¹⁴ Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.”

The name “Berea” means well-watered. The Bible speaks of being pure hearted and sanctified or set apart for the Lord’s use, “with the washing of the water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). When we look at the Bereans we gain insight and valuable truth about the reasoning used by the Holy Spirit. The Bereans based their reasoning on the revelation of God’s word. The Spirit’s reasoning is based on His revelation in the word of God.<

The Bereans are referred to as “fair minded” (Acts 17:11a). The words “fair-minded” come from the Greek term EUGENES (Strong’s #2104 – yoog-en´–ace;) meaning “well born, i.e.…high in rank, or…generous: — more noble, nobleman.”²³⁷ The word “noble” means, “possessing outstanding qualities.” Therefore, we can say, the Spirit’s outstanding source of reasoning is the revelation of God’s word.

What made the Bereans nobler, more outstanding reasoners than others? What outstanding qualities did they have? There were two outstanding qualities of these Bereans:

First, the Bereans’ outstanding quality was that they “received the word with readiness” (Acts17:11b). The word “readiness” here is translated from the Greek term PROTHUMEA (Strong’s #4288 proth-oo-mee´–ah) which means, “predisposition,…forwardness of mind, readiness (of mind), ready (willing) mind.”²³⁸ The idea conveyed by this word is that the Bereans had a zealous and eager spirit to receive the message of the word of God;l they looked to receive revelation from God in His word. This is an outstanding quality to have and cultivate in the Spirit.

The Bible exhorts us to eagerly take in God’s word as a source of truth and revelation in the following verses:

• Psalm 25:9 –
  “The humble He guides in justice,
  And the humble He teaches His way.”
• Proverbs 2:1-5 –
  ¹ “My son, if you receive my words,
  And treasure my commands within you,
  ² So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
  And apply your heart to understanding;
  ³  Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
  And lift up your voice for understanding,
  ⁴  If you seek her as silver,
  And search for her as for hidden treasures;
  ⁵  Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
  And find the knowledge of God.”
• Proverbs 4:20-22 –
  ²⁰ “My son, give attention to my words;
  Incline your ear to my sayings.
  ²¹ Do not let them depart from your eyes;
  Keep them in the midst of your heart;
  ²² For they are life to those who find them,
  And health to all their flesh.”
• Matthew 13:23 – “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 – “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
• James 1:21-25 – ²¹ “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

There is no substitute for God’s word and its consumption by the disciple if one is to grow in their walk with the Spirit. Our reasoning must be based on the revelation of the Spirit in God’s word.

Second, the Bereans’ outstanding quality was that they “searched the Scriptures” (Acts 17:11c). The Bereans actively and vigorously searched the Scriptures. The word “searched” comes from the Greek term ANAKRINO (Strong’s #350 – which means to examine (Acts 4:9; Acts 12:19; Acts 24:8. Acts 28:18. Luke 23:14; 1 Corinthians 9:3); to judge (1 Corinthians 2:15; 4:3, 9:3; 14:24); to ask questions (1 Corinthians 10:25; 27); to search (Acts 17:11); and to discern (1 Corinthians 2:14). The grammatical form of this word (Present/Active/Participle) also indicates a persistent ongoing action. The idea, therefore, is to continuously, habitually, persistently investigate, examine, scrutinize, sift, and look into. (See Psalm 1:1-3; Psalm 119:18, 97-100; Isaiah 8:20; Daniel 9:2; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Third, the Bereans’ outstanding quality was that “They searched the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11d). These Bereans had a holy habit of daily looking into the Scriptures. This is an outstanding quality to have and conveys the idea of consistency and perseverance, not to mention it shows a love for God’s word! (See Joshua 1; Nehemiah 8:18; Luke 11:3; Luke 21:36). Perhaps they rose up in the morning and searched the Scriptures or during the day and at night, they were people of God’s word who loved the word of God so much they just couldn’t get enough of it. Listen to the psalmist’s words:

• Psalm 119:47, 48, 97, 113, 119, 127, 159, 163, 167 –
  ⁴⁷ “And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
  Which I love.
  ⁴⁸ My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
  Which I love,
  And I will meditate on Your statutes.…
  ⁹⁷ Oh, how I love Your law!
  It is my meditation all the day.…
  ¹¹³  I hate the double-minded,
  But I love Your law.…
  ¹¹⁹ You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross;
  Therefore I love Your testimonies.…
  127 Therefore I love Your commandments
  More than gold, yes, than fine gold!…
  ¹⁵⁹ Consider how I love Your precepts;
  Revive me, O Lord,according to Your lovingkindness.…
  ¹⁶³ I hate and abhor lying,
  But I love Your law.
  ¹⁶⁷ My soul keeps Your testimonies,
  And I love them exceedingly.”

The Bereans had a love for God’s word that drew them to it daily and for every purpose and circumstance in life.

Fourth, the Bereans’ outstanding quality was that they had a purpose for searching the Scriptures which was, “To find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11e). These Bereans were outstanding because they did not simply leave the interpretation of truth up to the one teaching but went to God’s word to verify and scrutinize and prove whether or not God agreed with what was being said. They took personal responsibility for their spiritual lives and did not lazily entrust to others (2 Corinthians 11:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

A. T. Robertson notes that the Bereans “were eagerly interested in the new message of Paul and Silas but they wanted to see it for themselves. What a noble attitude. Paul’s preaching made Bible students of them. The duty of private interpretation is thus made plain (Hovey)” (Word Pictures, vol. 3, p. 275).²³⁹

The Bereans had outstanding qualities that we should copy in the Spirit. Now you might have thought at some point, “How come a letter was not written to the Bereans and put in the New Testament Canon?” Well, first, just because a letter is not found in the New Testament Canon addressed to the Bereans does not mean Paul or another apostle never wrote them one, it simply means no inspired letter was written to them. But secondly, it may be that the Bereans and their outstanding nature to search the Scriptures led them in such a way that a letter of correction was not needed. If you look at the New Testament letters to the churches, they are often motivated by the need to correct some problem. Perhaps the absence of such a correcting letter is a testimony to the solid Scriptural lives the Bereans lived.

The Bible is a book that is loved by millions. Do you have a love for God 's Word?

A young blind girl had such a love for God 's Word. I'll finish with her story. A young blind girl in France was given a copy of Mark's Gospel in Braille. As she read and re-read the book, she came to faith in Christ and the book became more precious to her, every time she read it. She read it so much though; that she developed massive callouses on her fingertips. Eventually the callouses prevented her from feeling the raised dots of the braille. But this young girl was so determined to read God 's Word that she decided to cut the callouses and peel the skin back, she was hoping to make her fingers more sensitive, as you might imagine she permanently damaged the nerve endings on her fingers, so she could feel nothing any longer. She was devastated not so much about her fingers; she was devastated because now she couldn't read the book. She picked up the book and decided that she would kiss it farewell because she loved it so much. And when the pages of the book touched her lips, she discovered that her lips were more sensitive than her fingers. The Poor blind girl was so overjoyed that she had her book back that she stayed up all night and read God 's Word with her lips. The next time you read the word, hold it to your lips and kiss it and thank God for it.

The Spirit Stirs Up Spirit Led Reasoners – Idols, Idols Everywhere

• Acts 17:16 – “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

Paul was brought to Athens (Acts 17:15) and while he waited for the others to catch up to him, it says that Paul was “provoked” (Acts 17:16). The word used here to describe the effect of Athens on Paul conveys the idea of being stirred up and exasperated (Strong’s #3947. – par-ox-oo´–no;…to sharpen alongside,…to exasperate… stir.”²⁴⁰). What was it that stirred Paul up like this? It was the presence of rampant idolatry he saw in Athens. The sin of idolatry stirred Paul up. Idolatry stirs up the Spirit-led disciple because it is sad and frustrating to see people waste their time on inanimate objects that are empty and void of any real life-giving reality. The reality and truth and life are in Christ!

Greek Historical Contributions

The Romans eventually succeeded the Greeks, but in many ways the Greeks’ influence persisted and influenced the Romans and future cultures. The Greeks are credited with introducing:

• Democracy – or the political concept of the people holding power is a Greek invention.
• History – Herodotus of Halicarnassus is credited with being the father of history. He was the first to depart from the tradition of Homer, which was a more exaggerated myth than actual accounts and rely more on documented historical events put into a narrative.
• The Basis of Geometry – While geometry predated the Greeks in Egypt, Babylonia, and the Indus Valley, it was they who established that geometric facts should be established by deductive reasoning. “Thales of Miletus, Euclid, Pythagoras and Archimedes all gave geometric axioms that are still taught in schools today.”
• Philosophy – It was the ancient Greeks who pondered the world and universe around them, trying to go beyond mythology to explain the world and after life through reason, observation, and empirical evidence. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are best known for this.
• Jury Trials – where peers witness and decide a person’s case is something that originated in Ancient Greece.
• Theater – originally created as a mode of worshiping the gods, it later became a source of entertainment for the populace. Thespis (from which we get the word thespian) is believed to be the first actor. The first comedian was Menander who mocked the upper classes.
• The Olympic Games – The oldest sporting event, was born in the city of Olympia in 776 B.C. the games were originally meant to honor Zeus until this was banned by emperor Theodosius in 393 AD. The modern Olympic Games started in 1896 in Athens.
• Cartography – or map making was invented by Anaximander in 611-610 BC. He introduced the concept of longitude and latitude.
• The alarm clock – believed to have been invented by Plato.
• Vending Machines – Hero of Alexandria invented a machine to dispense holy water when someone put a coin in it. The machine was placed at the entrance of temples.
• The Clock Tower – The first clock tower known as The Tower of the Winds was built in Athens near the Acropolis in 47 BC. It featured eight sundials and a water clock (clepsydra) which helped merchants to estimate delivery times for their products. The tower also served as a weather station. It still stands today in the city of Plaka.
• The Lighthouse – it was the Greeks who invented the idea of guiding ships at night by light. The first lighthouse ever built was in Alexandria Egypt, a city founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. This lighthouse was also known as “Pharos” and at the time was one of the tallest man-made structures in the world. It remains a model for lighthouses to this day.
• The Anchor – the Greeks were among the first to explore the seas and therefore contributed greatly to ship building. They are credited with inventing the anchor.
• Cranes – The Greeks invented cranes to build temples and large structures.
• The Odometer – The Greeks invented a way to measure distance travelled known as the odometer.
• The Marathon – This was one of the original Olympic events. It was established out of a military event where Pheidippides, a soldier, ran a “marathon” of 26 miles to announce the Athenians had defeated the Persian army.
• Showers – the ancient Greeks were the first to invent showers that had sophisticated sewage systems. These showers were in in the “gymnasiums” or “palaestras” which were wrestling schools so that athletes could wash and refresh themselves. The Greeks later invented bathhouses and communal showering rooms for citizens.
• Umbrellas – While other people groups had a hand in inventing umbrellas, it seems the Greeks were the first.²⁴¹
• Foundation of Medical Practices and the Hippocratic Oath – it was the Greeks who moved beyond the belief that disease and illness was merely punishment from the gods. They moved beyond remedies steeped in superstition. It was Hippocrates of Kos who began conducting experiments that showed disease was the result of natural biological and environmental processes. He found that symptoms were the bodies’ response to disease and germs. Hippocrates is considered the Father of Western Medicine. His Hippocratic School of Medicine and Hippocratic Oath introduced the training of doctors and nurses. Hippocrates also established religious and ethical standards for doctors and their care.²⁴²

When Paul entered Athens, he was entering arguably the intellectual center of the world. Would he be intimidated? Not in the least.

Given over to Idols.

These words do not completely communicate the sense of the situation here. The phrase, “given over to idols,” (Acts 17:16) is translated from one Greek term KATAEIDOLOS (Strong’s #2712 – κατείδωλος [kateidolos /kat·i·do·los/] which means, “wholly given over to idolatry,” or “full of idols.” As Paul was sightseeing in this center of art and culture he was struck by the plethora of idols and images. The term “idols” is translated from the Greek term EIDOLOS (Strong’s #1497 – εἴδωλον [eidolon /i·do·lon/]).²⁴³ This Greek term is used to refer to, “an image…for worship an image, likeness…whatever represents the form of an object, either real or imaginary…used of the shades of the departed, apparitions, spectres, phantoms of the mind, etc.…the image of a heathen god…a false god.”²⁴⁴

Athens was filled overflowing with images, statues, likenesses of perceived gods. All of these images represented alternatives to the one true God. It was this multiplied idolatrous affront to the Holy God that provoked Paul.

Paul did not simply allow the presence of idols to cause him to stew, but he was moved to move on in the Spirit’s reasoning ministry (Acts 17:17). Therefore, he began to reason and witness to anyone and everyone in Athens, trusting the Spirit to lead him to those that were the objects of His attention. What was the subject of his reasoning? It was “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18). This was “strange” to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who took Paul to the Areopagus to have Paul explain his teaching in greater detail. This was an open door for ministry that the Spirit was providing for Paul (Acts 17:19-21).

Athens – City of gods

Athens was the capitol of the Greek state of Attica and the capitol of Greece itself. Athens was the most famous city of the ancient world during its golden age in the fifth century B.C. It was the center of Greek architecture, literature, art, and politics. Athens was also known for its idolatry. It was said that there were more gods in Athens than there were people.

Of the geography of Athens, one commentator says:

Even today the visitor to Athens is impressed by the city’s ancient glory. The Acropolis (the great central hill)—with its Parthenon (the temple dedicated to the virgin Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the arts), its Erechtheion (the unique double sanctuary dedicated to Athena and Neptune), its Propylaea (the magnificent entrance), and its small temple to Wingless Victory (symbolizing the Athenian hope that victory would never leave them)—stand as monuments to the city’s glorious past.²⁴⁵

A. T. Robertson makes the following comment in this regard:

The superstition of this centre of Greek culture was depressing to Paul. One has only to recall how superstitious cults today flourish in the atmosphere of Boston and Los Angeles to understand conditions in Athens. Pausanias says that Athens had more images than all the rest of Greece put together. Pliny states that in the time of Nero, Athens had over 30,000 public statues besides countless private ones in the homes. Petronius sneers that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens. Every gateway or porch had its protecting god. They lined the street from the Piraeus and caught the eye at every place of prominence on wall or in the agora.²⁴⁶

Athens was the center of intellectualism and education, yet it was also a city filled to overflowing with idols. Athens was a place that needed to hear the reasoning of the Spirit, and Paul was just the man to do it.

The Spirit-Led Reasoning Ministry – Encounter with the Philosophers

• Acts 17:17-21 ¹⁷ Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? ²⁰ “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.”

Paul was provoked by the plethora of idols throughout the city of Athens. But he did not leave it at that, he did something about it. It is one thing to be provoked in spirit when we see sin and darkness in the world, but that provocation is useless unless we use it to motivate us to action. That is what we see in Paul. Paul was provoked in his spirit and the Spirit used that provocation to minister to the lost.

The Epicureans and Stoics

It wasn’t long before the philosophers in Athens caught wind of Paul and sought to hear what he had to say (Acts 17:18). We are told that these philosophers were Epicureans. The Epicureans were the followers of Epicurus who lived from 341-270 B.C. Interestingly, this group of philosophers believed that it was hopeless to find truth by reasoning and instead gave themselves over to hedonistic seeking true pleasure by various experiences. One commentator states in this regard, “This pleasure, they believed, is attained by avoiding excesses and the fear of death, by seeking tranquility and freedom from pain, and by loving mankind. They believed that if gods exist they do not become involved in human events.”²⁴⁷ Another commentator states:

The founder, Epicurus, was born in 341 bc on the island of Samos. His early studies under Nausiphanes, a disciple of Democritus, taught him to regard the world as the result of the random motion and combination of atomic particles.…The whole system had a practical end in view, the achievement of happiness by serene detachment. Democritean atomism banished all fear of divine intervention in life or punishment after death; the gods follow to perfection the life of serene detachment and will have nothing to do with human existence, and death brings a final dispersion of our constituent atoms. The Epicureans found contentment in limiting desire and in the joys and solaces of friendship. The pursuit of extravagant pleasure which gives to ‘epicure’ its modern connotation was a late perversion of their quest for happiness. It is easy to see why the Epicureans found Paul’s teaching about the resurrection strange and unpalatable. Jewish rabbis use the word apiqôrôs to mean one who denies life after death, and later as a synonym for ‘infidel’.²⁴⁸

The Epicureans acknowledged the existence of gods in name only and denied such “gods” had any real impact in governing the universe. Without the oversight of gods, the Epicureans reasoned that the purpose and chief good of human existence was pleasure seeking and the gratification of human appetites.

The Stoics were followers of Zeno who lived from 336 to 264 B.C. The Stoic philosophy pointed to human self-sufficiency and austerity. They believed the affairs of people were governed by fate and therefore were fatalistic, what happened, happened, and there was nothing you could do about it. A commentator stated, “Pantheistic in their view, they felt a great “Purpose” was directing history. Man’s responsibility was to fit himself and align himself with this Purpose through tragedy and triumph. Quite obviously this outlook, while it produced certain noble qualities, also resulted in inordinate pride and self-sufficiency.”²⁴⁹ One other commentary adds, “Materialism, pantheism, fatalism, and pride were the leading features of this philosophy.”²⁵⁰ A dictionary states:

They regarded God and the world as power and its manifestation, matter being a passive ground in which dwells the divine energy. Their ethics were a protest against moral indifference, and to live in harmony with nature, conformably with reason and the demands of universal good, and in the utmost indifference to pleasure, pain, and all external good or evil, was their fundamental maxim.—American Cyclopædia.²⁵¹

The Stoics were moral, but proudly moral. Their morality was one by which they elevated themselves above others. Christian morality on the other hand is rooted in humility and a servant’s heart.

Neither the Epicureans nor the Stoics believed in the resurrection of the body or the immortality of the soul.²⁵² Both philosophies led to self-centeredness, which ultimately results in frustration, futility and spiritual failure.

These two groups of philosophers found their reason for living in being entertained by listening to various new or strange things to break their monotony. Paul was therefore seen as an object of curiosity and was brought to the Areopagus, the center of meeting on Mars Hill, west of the Acropolis in Athens (Acts 17:19-21). The Areopagus is located on Mars Hill, which overlooks the city of Athens. Below is the marketplace of Athens. Above on either side of the Areopagus are two large pagan temples, the Parthenon and the temple of Athena. Paul was right in the hotbed of intellectual idolatry, a place filled with idols, altars, and statues all around him. Some of the most exquisite temples, monuments to human ingenuity, towered above Paul.

This could have been very intimidating for Paul to come before all of these highly educated and learned men. But we see him boldly reason and proclaim Jesus to these intellectuals. Paul was fearless in the Spirit. Do you think you would be fearless like Paul if given the chance to be in a similar situation? If the Spirit put you in such a situation, you could trust that He had something to say to the people through you.

The Spirit Reasons from the Foundation of Creationism

• Acts 17:22-34 – ²² “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; ²³ “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: ²⁴ “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. ²⁵ “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶ “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷ “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; ²⁸ “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.’ ²⁹ “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. ³⁰ “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ “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.” ³² And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.”

How does Paul reason with these philosophers? Paul begins by finding an area of common interest, religion, or more accurately, the search for God and truth (Acts 17:22). All the idols in Athens were a kind of shotgun blast at learning the truth about God and the universe. Paul points out their uncertainty about Who God is based in part on their altar inscribed “TO THE UNKNOWN God” (Acts 17:23a). Paul prods their curiosity by telling them that he has information about the God they do not know (Acts 17:23b).

Paul is going to reason with these philosophical seekers in the Spirit. What is the pattern by which Paul is moved by the Spirit to reason with these philosophers? Paul will address these philosophers on the basis of creation evangelism.

In our day we might think reasoning from a position of creation is the last thing for us to do. We may fear being laughed off-stage. But Paul presented God as the Creator of humanity and that Creator as One who desires a saving relationship with His created people.

Five Creative Steps to a Reasonable Presentation of Christ

There are five steps in Paul’s reasoning message to the Athenian philosophers that we can profit from observing.

First, Paul points out (exposes) that they are “very religious” (Acts 17:22). These intellectuals, these philosophers, are interested in discovering insights into “God”, but they are doing it in their own strength and understanding. That is what religion really is. Religion is man’s effort to reach God. Christianity is not a religion in that sense. Christianity is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ in the Spirit. These philosophers were seeking to know God, but they were seeking to discover and know Him in their own limited strength. The Stoics didn’t even believe in a personal “God” and the Epicureans viewed “God” as aloof and far removed, unknowable, and certainly not interested in having a personal relationship with humanity. The big issue and problem for these philosophers was that while they were groping (Acts 17:27) to know Him, (like blind men in the dark feeling around for something) they were doing so on their terms, rather than on God’s terms. Religion never works; it only leads to frustrating failure. Only God can turn on the light to show the way; that way is in His only Son Jesus revealed in His word (Psalm 119:105; John 8:12).

In his various inspired letters, Paul wrote regarding the futility of human philosophies and religious pursuits of this world saying:

• Romans 1:18-23 – ¹⁸ “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all un godliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
• 1 Corinthians 1:18-21, 25-31 – ¹⁸ “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are beingsaved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” ²⁰ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.… ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God —and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
• Colossians 2:6-8 – ⁶ “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. ⁸ 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.”

Human “wisdom” and religious pursuits of God will always fall short of God’s glorious reality (Romans 3:23).

Second, Paul points out that the idols they worship were created (and they all knew that they had created these idols) (Acts 17:23-25). Paul addresses their religious search by telling them that the God they are seeking isn’t limited to dwelling in man-made temples (no matter how glorious) (Acts 17:24). Paul then begins to move on to a discussion of the origins of human existence or creation in an effort to bring these people to their Creator. Paul sees that these philosophers are lost because they are ever searching for answers. The fact that they are perpetually searching for answers via idolatry reveals they have not found what they are looking for. Paul is now going to show them what they are missing (Acts 17:22-23).

Paul is subtly making the point that they have put themselves in the place of “Creator” with regard to their idols. This implies that, that which has design, has a Designer. A book has an author; a building has a builder; and a painting has a painter; an idol has an idol maker. We are not here by chance or the result of an evolutionary process devoid of the influence or participation of God. This opens the door for Paul to present God as the Creator/Designer of this orderly world.

Idols Are not Harmless.

We need to briefly pause and note what the bible says about idolatry. Idolatry is not harmless and God views idolatry as a very serious sin. What is “idolatry”? Idolatry is the use of man-made images in various forms as objects of worship. God describes it in the following way:

• Exodus 20:3-6 – ³ “You shall have no other God s before Me. ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (See also Isaiah 44:9-20)

Notice God totally and absolutely prohibits the use of or practice of idolatry. He prohibits the use of idols in the broadest of terms, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). There is no getting around the fact that God is totally against the use of idols. When we look further on in Exodus 20, we see that God even went so far as to prohibit the use of tools in constructing altars for Himself (Exodus 20:22-26). Why do you think God was so absolutely and totally against the use of idols? Have you ever had someone draw a derogatory picture of you emphasizing a part of your caricature in a very uncomplimentary way? Think of a student who draws a funny picture of the teacher. Well, we are so limited in our understanding of God’s likeness that any image we could come up with would be mere speculation and nothing more than a very unflattering and, ultimately, very limited picture of God. How do you paint a picture of God? How can you make an image of God? Some have tried, even though it goes against God’s command not to. But in reality, no one can make an accurate image or idol of God. Did you ever ask yourself why there are no detailed descriptions of Jesus and how He looked? I believe that is done purposefully by God. He revealed Himself in Christ in ways that communicate His nature, not His bodily makeup, because you can’t make an image of truth, holiness, love, justice, sacrifice and such things. God did not give us anything that would tempt us to make an idol or image of Him. That is because He does not want us to make any images of Him and we in reality cannot do so.

Another reason God prohibits the use of idols is that He wants us to follow in His steps by not looking merely at the outward appearance, but that we should look deeper and value that which is within – the heart of one’s being. God is not like mere men who look at the outward appearance to make decisions; He looks within at the heart of a person (1 Samuel 16:7).

Some people argue for the use of idols by rationalizing that images (which are idols) enhance a person’s ability to visualize or imagine things better and help in worship. This is still against God’s command and is based on the presumption that the human idol maker knows better than God. God said we should not make or use idols. God is all knowing and all wise. He knows what is best and that should settle it for us.

If you are still not completely satisfied as to why you should not use idols or images, then let’s turn to the Bible to see a further explanation of why we should not make use of idolatry.

Idolatry is taking a “God” as an alternative to the One True God (Exodus 20:3). Idolatry is man creating an image or likeness of a “God” being based on a heavenly, earthly or sea imagery (Exodus 20:4). Idolatry involves the worship and service of man-made idols (Exodus 20:5a). God finds such sinful behavior particularly abhorrent because He alone is the true Judge and Savior of all the earth (Exodus 20:5b–6). A person’s “God” is their master passion, the object or person of one’s life; the thing or person which you prioritize and devote your efforts, time, thoughts and attention to. Idolatry is turning from God to a god as one’s master passion. Idolatry is not harmless because it is a sinful insult to Almighty God!

Let me just give a brief summary of the danger and darkness of idolatry. Idolatry is dangerous and not harmless because:

1. Idolatry is a foolish forsaking of the True Almighty God (Psalm 115:1-8; Psalm 135:15-18; Isaiah 45:20; Romans 1:21-25).
2. Idolatry is closely tied to demonic activity (1 Corinthians 10:20-21). What better way for the enemy to distract and get people’s attention off of God than by providing many alternative God s and their idol images?
3. Idolatry is a spiritually unclean practice that no Christian should have anything to do with (2 Corinthians 6:15-18). Idolatry pollutes the soul and heart and causes it to grind to a halt spiritually; like sugar in a gas tank or sand in a watch.
4. Idolatry involves sinful, immoral practices that bring the judgment of God (Ezekiel 23:37, 1 Peter 4:3-5). Idolatry opens the door to all sorts of evil, fleshly, sinful practices.
5. Idolatry is a dead-end because idols made by man are powerless (Isaiah 46:2, 6-7; Isaiah 57:13; Jeremiah 10:5, 15; Jeremiah 16:19-20; Ezekiel 6:13; Habakkuk 2:18-20). Idolatry is vain. Look at Solomon who tried everything under the sun, or who experimented with life apart from God and found that it was all empty vanity. Idolatry falls under this category; don’t waste your time.
6. Idolatry is something Christians are to stay away from (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 1 John 5:21). Idolatry takes many forms, and the believer should guard against anything that would usurp or supplant God from His rightful place on the throne of the heart.

Idolatry is not harmless because it is offensive to God. Idolatry is spiritual adultery and brings the same pain to God that unfaithfulness brings to a betrayed spouse. Idolatry is not harmless because it harms God.

Now you might be tempted to think, “Idolatry is a thing of the past, we don’t worship idols today.” But don’t we worship idols today? I believe we do. The only difference in our day is we don’t make an idol to represent our God or master passion in life. In the first century, for example, people would make the multi-breasted idol of Aphrodite and worship her by engaging in sex. Today, many people bow at the altar of illicit sex in the form of pornography and fornication, but they just don’t make an idol. Today, people are supposedly more advanced and better educated. But who is more deceived? The ones whose master passion is sex with an idol or the ones whose master passion is sex without an idol? I don’t think there’s much difference. In the first century, people would engage in sexual activity as an act of worship to Aphrodite. Today, people sit in front of computers and take in pornography. The idols of today are shaped like cars, houses, and human bodies. The idols of today may also take on the more abstract content of careers, diplomas, fame, and popularity. Whether you worship at the feet of the idol Aphrodite or in front of your computer viewing pornography, both are enslaving sexual sin (John 8:34). What is the difference? In essence, there is none!

Third, Paul points out that God is the Creator and Sustainer of life (Acts 17:26). God created humanity (interestingly, these philosophers do not deny God as Creator as would be done in our day). He points out that God has created all humanity “from one blood”, which points back to the origin of humanity in Adam. In doing this, Paul is cutting the Athenians down to size and beginning to show them they are not superior, but in the same predicament as all humanity, they fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:21-23). When Paul says that God has, “determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings”, he is saying that God has set limits (which would speak to the excesses of Epicureans). God has set the limits of your life (Psalm 39:4-5; Psalm 90:12). Furthermore, it is appointed for people to die once and then be judged by God (Hebrews 9:27). Paul is leading up to this basic truth of reality.

“From One Blood”

One of the major problems of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers was their pride and their pride led them to prejudice. They felt that their high standing and intellect made them better than common folk. Paul’s reference to God making all humanity “from one blood” was aimed at this air and attitude of superiority in these philosophers. Remember, these philosophers had referred to Paul as a “babbler,” hardly a complimentary or polite way to refer to someone. The philosophers believed they were worth more or better than those who were uneducated or below them in status.

The Bible speaks out against prejudice (1 Timothy 5:21). In fact, those who are in Christ are “one,” (Galatians 3:28). Jesus is the great equalizer. Unfortunately, there are those, even in the church, who maintain prejudices against other people for various reasons. Prejudices today are not only white/Caucasian toward other people groups, but prejudice is so ingrained in the flesh that there are prejudices between multiple color groups. Paul’s inspired words to the Athenian philosophers pointing out that God created all humanity “from one blood” is important to note in regard to the problem of prejudice.

The problem of prejudice was exacerbated and inflamed with the rise and acceptance of the theory of evolution. Darwinian evolution teaches that different racial groups evolved at different times and rates, resulting in some groups being more ape-like than others. In their pamphlet, Where did the Races Come From? Ken Ham, Carl Weiland and Don Batten state the following:

Darwinian evolution was (and still is) inherently a racist philosophy, teaching that different groups or ‘races’ of people evolved at different times and rates, so some groups are more like their ape-like ancestors than others. The Australian Aborigines, for instance were considered the missing links between an ape-like ancestor and the rest of mankind. This resulted in terrible prejudices and injustices towards the Australian Aborigines. A leading evolutionary spokesperson, Stephen Jay Gould, stated that ‘biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1850, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory. …Racist attitudes fueled by evolutionary thinking were largely responsible for an African pygmy actually being displayed, along with an orangutan, in a cage in the Bronx Zoo.²⁵³

If only people would heed the truth of God’s word, many would have been spared a great deal of pain from prejudicial sin. What Paul was inspired to say, that we are all “from one blood,” is true. In support of this, the above article goes on to note research done by the ABC News science page where it was stated:

More and more scientists find that the differences that set us apart are cultural, not racial. Some even say that the word ‘race’ should be abandoned because it’s meaningless.”²⁵⁴

That we are all “from one blood” is not true because the ABC science page said it, it is true because God said it! If only we would listen to our Creator! All humanity is descended from the one-man Adam (Genesis 1:26; 1 Corinthians 15:45). There is really only one race, the human race. People groups find their origin in the events of the Tower of Babel and God’s dispersion of people and confusion of languages (Genesis 11). Once dispersed, people developed their differences according to the various environments in which they settled.

“But what about the various differences in people? What about skin color, eye shape, etc.?” In their booklet, Ham, Wieland, and Batten go on to further state:

Scientists have found that if one were to take any two people from anywhere in the world, the basic genetic differences between these two people would typically be around 0.2% – even if they came from the same people group. But these so-called ‘racial’ characteristics that many think are major differences (skin color, eye shape, etc.), account for only 6% of this 0.2% variation, which amounts to a mere 0.012% difference genetically…In other words, the so-called ‘racial’ differences are absolutely trivial. Overall, there is more variation within any group than there is between one group and another. If a white person is looking for a tissue match for an organ transplant, for instance, the best match may come from a black person, and vice versa.…the ABC (USA) news science page stated, ‘What the facts show is that there are differences among us, but they stem from culture, not race.’”^{255 256}

The Bible is proven true, and science seems to lag behind that truth. Again, if only people would follow the Spirit and not the flesh, there would be less enmity between God and people and between people groups, for to follow the Spirit inevitably means to find the Son, Jesus, and salvation through Him.

Fourth,Paul points out that God has created humanity with a desire to have a relationship with Him (Acts 17:27-28). God’s desire is that humanity seeks Him out. Here we see the beginning of a Creation evangelism tact taken by Paul with these philosophers. God has created humanity with eternity in their hearts, or, the inherent desire and craving to have contact with their Creator (Psalm 42; Ecclesiastes 3:11). All humanity is searching to fill a God–shaped void in their heart. The sinner tries to answer that emptiness with idolatry, thoughts, science, creativity, learning, activity, family, accumulation of wealth, fame, glory, sacrifice, and many other things, but the void can only be filled by Jesus. Jesus is the missing Piece of the puzzle of the human heart. Jesus has the living water that will quench the spiritual thirst of the seeking soul (John 4:10-14; John 7:37-39).

In Acts 17:28 it is possible that Paul quoted from a Cretan poet named Epimenides, (whom Paul also possibly quoted later in Titus 1:12). Paul said, “For in Him we live and move, and have our being.” Also Paul quoted the poet Aratus, who was from Paul’s homeland, Cilicia, saying, “We are His offspring.”²⁵⁷ Paul used these references to secular authors in a way to forward His point that was rooted in Scripture (see Psalm 36:9; Psalm 66:9). By using quotes from secular authors Paul would be using material that the philosophers could relate to and perhaps find common ground and credibility with his listeners, (he was unknown to them and therefore he was in the process of establishing credibility with them). By doing this Paul would be getting his foot into the door of credibility with the philosophers.

But more importantly, the point Paul seeks to make here is that God surrounds us; He is not far away, He is near. David said we can’t escape the presence of the Lord (Psalm 139:7-10). Paul is trying to bring these listeners to God by telling them He is here NOW! They can reach out to Him now! In His presence is fullness of joy and these philosophers can have that right now (Psalm 16:11).

Fifth, Paul makes the point that as Creator, God is in authority over humanity and will one day call all people to account on the basis of either accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ, who He has shown to be His means of salvation by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:29-31). Jesus is the revelation of God the Creator and is the focus and pinnacle of decision that determines the eternal destiny of humanity.

Paul says, “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God,” which identifies God as Creator (Acts 17:29a). As Creator, God is in a position of authority. Paul’s argument is that as Creator, God is so far above and not at all limited to something “shaped by art and man’s devising” (Acts 17:29b). In other words, God is not a mere concoction of human imagination, God is real!

As Creator and Authority over His creation, God “overlooked” (Greek HUPEREIDO – Strong’s #5237– hoop-er-i´–do;…“to overlook, i.e., not punish…wink at”) “these times of ignorance” (Acts 17:30). God’s wrath is on unbelievers on the basis of His natural revelation which eliminates excuses (Romans 1:18-21). But God was patient with sinful humanity and passed over sin working His way of salvation through His only Son Jesus (Romans 3:25). Now that Jesus has come, humanity is required to repent (Greek METANOEO Strong’s #3340 – met-an-oá–eh´–o;…“to think differently or afterwards, i.e., reconsider…feel compunction…repent.²⁵⁸) To repent means to turn from your sinful ways to God and His ways. Idolatry is an ignorant way of relating to God and if persisted in will be judged by God. Men need to repent from idolatry (Acts 17:29-30). Paul then moves to identify the standard by which men will be judged, “the Man” Jesus, risen from the dead (Acts 17:31; John 14:6; Acts 4:12). That Jesus rose from the dead confirmed His atoning substitutionary sacrifice for our sin and satisfied completely God’s just requirements. Unfortunately, for many that day, such news was worthy of mocking (compare 1 Corinthians 1 and 1 Corinthians 2).

Today, many people believe the world came to be by a big bang in an evolutionary process. They are looking for a missing link that will show that man is the result of a series of transitional forms. No such missing link has ever been found, (though many have tried to concoct one!) But the truth Paul is stating here speaks not only to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in the Areopagus, but also to the evolutionists of today. Humanity was never descended from animals, humanity was created. There are no transitional forms to link us up to lower life forms. We are separate from lower life forms. But the more important separation is the separation between humanity and God caused by our sin. To that state there is a Missing Link named Jesus. Jesus is the only way to link up with God our Creator.

The mention of the resurrection caused a reaction of mocking and procrastination. It was just too much for some of these pompous intellectuals (Acts 17:32; 1 Corinthians 1:18-23). Jesus said when the seed of the word is preached, some will fall on the wayside and are snatched up by the evil one because of a lack of understanding or receptivity (Matthew 13:18-19). Some seeds fall on stony ground where they can’t take root, like heard cynical hearts (Matthew 13:20-21). Other seeds fall on thorny ground where peer pressure and the cares of the world choke it off (Matthew 13:22). But thankfully, some seed falls on good ground, on seeking searching hearts willing to surrender to the revelation of the gospel of God in Christ delivered by the Spirit through servants like Paul (Matthew 13:23). Even amongst these intellectual elite, there were some, though only a few, who received the word and were saved.

There were mixed results from Paul’s preaching at Athens (Acts 17:33-34). “Dionysius” whose name means, “divinely touched” (Strong’s #1354) was an “Areopagite” meaning he was a “member of the court of Areopagus,” an elite intellectual group of the day (Strong’s #698). Dionysius was an intellectual giant of his day and still managed to heed the call of the Spirit to come to Jesus Christ as Savior. Another convert was “Damaris” whose name means, “a yoke-bearing wife,” (Strong’s #1152). These were the ones mentioned who responded to the Spirit’s reasoning through Paul.²⁵⁹

Creation Evangelism

Paul’s reasoning with the Athenian philosophers has a distinctive creation evangelism theme. Such a theme can be summarized as:

1. God CREATED the universe including humanity (Acts 17:24; Genesis 1; Genesis 2; Psalm 148:1-5; Isaiah 40:21-26; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 45:12,18; Jesus believed in Creationism – Mark 13:19; Ephesians 3:9; Jesus is the Creator – John 1:1-4,10; Colossians 1:14-17; Revelation 4:11; Revelation 10:6), but…
2. Man sinned against God and brought CORRUPTION on God’s creation (Acts 17:25-26; Genesis 3; Romans 3; Romans 5; and Romans 8:19-22), which led to….
3. The CONSEQUENCE OF SPIRITUAL CALOUSNESS, spiritual insensitivity and spiritual dullness because sin estranges and separates sinners from God and His truth (Acts 17:27; Genesis 3-6; Isaiah 59:2), and without God and His truth (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:15-17) humanity is.…
4. CONFUSED about Who God is and the purposeful meaning of life because of sin (Acts 17:16-23, 28-29; Romans 1; Ephesians 1:4; Philippians 1:21; Revelation 4:11 KJV), but God Himself, in grace has made a way out of this, a saving solution to the sin problem in a Man who is….
5. Jesus CHRIST, the only way to be saved from this sinful plight (Acts 17:30-31; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5; Titus 3:4-7), because…
6. Jesus has paid the just and satisfactory (to God’s just requirement) debt for humanity’s sin on the CROSS (Acts 17:31-32; Romans 3; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21). This is important because…
7. A final CONSUMMATION of God’s judgment on sinners awaits all who have rejected Jesus Christ. A final judgment will one day come (Acts 17:31; 1 Corinthians 6:9-12; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).

Effective evangelism begins with the foundational premise that God is the Creator of the universe. At first, this may seem to be an area too complex for the average person to venture into. The truth of the matter is that evolution is based on anti-Christian presumptions that have no basis in fact or measurable evidence. Just ask someone who believes in evolution to show you a transitional form, or a missing link showing that one form of species changed into another. There are no such transitional forms, but there is a universe filled with the fingerprint of God’s design. The 1^st and 2^nd Laws of Thermodynamics refute any notion of evolutionary theory. Evolution just isn’t reasonable.

Conclusion

I would like to close this study with a story which holds an important message for us:

A candidate for church membership was asked, "What part of the Bible do you like best?" He said: "I like the New Testament best. Then he was asked, "What Book in the New Testament is your favorite?" He answered, “the Book of the Parables, Sir." They then asked him to relate one of the parables to the membership committee. And a bit uncertain, he began…

"Once upon a time, a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves; and the thorns grew up and choked the man. And he went on and met the Queen of Sheba, and she gave that man, Sir, a thousand talents of silver, and a hundred changes of raiment. And he got in his chariot and drove furiously, and as he was driving along under a big tree, his hair got caught in a limb and left him hanging there! And he hung there many days and many nights. The ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And one night while he was hanging there asleep, his wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair, and he fell on stony ground. And it began to rain and rained forty days and forty nights. And he hid himself in a cave. Later he went on and met a man who said, "Come in and take supper with me." But he said, "I can't come in, for I have married a wife." And the man went out into the highways and hedges and compelled him to come in! He then came to Jerusalem and saw Queen Jezebel sitting high and lifted up in a window of the wall. When she saw him she laughed, and he said, "Throw her down out of there," and they threw her down. And he said, "Throw her down again," and they threw her down seventy-times-seven. And the fragments which they picked up filled twelve baskets full! NOW, whose wife will she be on the day of the Judgment?" (Author Unknown)

Now this “student” of the Bible knew a lot of parts of the Bible, but certainly he did not follow the “pattern of sound words” such as Paul exhorted Timothy to follow (2 Timothy 1:13-14). You can discredit God and shame yourself by neglecting the study of God’s word. This man needs to go back and study some more!

Oswald Chambers defined “reason” with the following words:

The essence of reason in the saint – what is it? The Holy Ghost in me being obeyed, revealing the things of Jesus.²⁶⁰

The Spirit will give you time to prepare in the word. Maybe it will be by listening to Bible Study audiotapes while driving in your car. Maybe it will be by taking some time each day to prayerfully study and dig into the meat of God’s word. The Spirit will help you to be a diligent worker who labors in the fruitful soil of His word. When you do that, you will bear much fruit.

The Spirit reasons from the Scriptures, not from our intellect of philosophy. That is why the reasoning of the Spirit is powerful, because it is based on God’s powerful word (Hebrews 4:12). I pray we submit to His call to diligently work in the Spirit to study God’s word and that He enables us all to reason from His word in the Spirit with this lost and confused world.

219 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

220 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

221 W. E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell) 1981.

222 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

223 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

224 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

225 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

226 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

227 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

228 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

229 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

230 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

231 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

232 Bits & Pieces, October 1991.

233 W. R. Krusell, in Reader's Digest.

234 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

235 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

236 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

237 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

238 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

239 Jerome H. Smith, editor, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge [computer file], electronic edition of The revised edition of The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1992 by Jerome H. Smith.

240 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

241 https://artsandculture.google.com/story/7–things-the-ancient-greeks-gave-us/xQWhQ_RAcLuUKQ?hl=en

242 https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/18–awesome-things-greece-gave-the-world/

243 James Strong, 1996. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.). Woodside Bible Fellowship.: Ontario

244 Strong, J. 1996. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.). Woodside Bible Fellowship.: Ontario

245 R. F. Youngblood, 1997, ©1995. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary: An authoritative one-volume reference work on the Bible with full color illustrations (F. Bruce, Ed.) (electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.). Thomas Nelson: Nashville

246 A. Robertson, 1997. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Vol. V. c1932, Vol. VI. c1933 by Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Logos Research Systems: Oak Harbor

247 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

248 D. R. W. Wood & I. H. Marshall, 1996. New Bible Dictionary (3rd ed.). InterVarsity Press: Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.

249 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

250 M. Easton, 1996, ©1897. Easton's Bible Dictionary. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA

251 W. Smith, 1997. Smith's Bible Dictionary (electronic ed. of the revised ed.). Thomas Nelson: Nashville

252 Jerome H. Smith, editor, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge [computer file], electronic edition of the revised edition of The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1992 by Jerome H. Smith.

253 Ken Ham, Carl Weiland, and Don Batten, Where Did the ‘Races’ Come From? (Box 6330, Florence, KY 41022-6330, 1999) www, AnswersInGenesis.org. page 2

254 Ibid. page 3

255 Ibid. pages 6, 7

256 The author encourages the reader to read the book One Blood: The Biblical Answer to Racism, (Green Forest, AZ: Master Books) 1999.

257 John R. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

258 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

259 Jerome H. Smith, editor, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge [computer file], electronic edition of the revised edition of The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1992 by Jerome H. Smith.

260 Oswald Chambers, If Thou Wilt Be Perfect, page 75, from Oswald Chambers – The Best From All His Books, Vol. II,1989. Page 251