Acts 17
Paul preached in synagogue in Thessalonica verse 1- 4
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia
they came to Thessalonica – where was a synagogue of the Jews
And Paul – as his manner was – went in to them
and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures
opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered
and risen again from the dead and that this Jesus
WHOM I preach to you is Christ
And some of them believed – and consorted with Paul and Silas
and of the devout Greeks a great multitude
and of the chief women not a few
Jews cause problems for the Christians verse 5- 9
But the Jews – which believed not – moved with envy
took to them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort
and gathered a company – and set all the city on an uproar
and assaulted the house of Jason
and sought to bring them out to the people
And when they found them not
they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city
crying
THESE men have TURNED the world upside down are
come hither also
Whom Jason has received
and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar
saying that there is another king – one Jesus
And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city
when they heard these things
and when they had taken security of Jason – and the other
they let them go
Paul preached in Berea in the synagogue verse 10- 12
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea
who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews
THESE were more noble than those in Thessalonica
in that they received the word with all readiness of MIND
and searched the scriptures DAILY
whether those things were so
THEREFORE, many of them believed
also, of honorable women which were Greeks
and of men – not a few
Jews caused problems in Berea verse 13- 15
BUT when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God
was PREACHED of Paul at Berea – they came thither also
and stirred up the people
AND then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea
BUT Silas and Timothy abode there still
AND they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens
and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy for to come
to him with all speed – they departed
Paul moves on to Athens verse 16- 21
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens – his spirit was stirred in him
when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry
Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews
and with the devout persons
and in the market DAILY with them that met with him
Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans – Stoics – encountered him
and some said – What will this babbler say?
others some – He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods
BECAUSE he PREACHED unto them Jesus
and the resurrection
And they took him – and brought him unto Areopagus – saying
May we know what this new DOCTRINE – whereof you speak is?
FOR you bring certain strange things to our ears
we would know therefore what these things mean
(FOR all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time
in NOTHING else – but either to tell or to hear some new thing)
Paul stands on Mars hill in Athens verse 22- 31
THEN Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill – and said
You men of Athens
I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious
for as I passed by and beheld your devotions
I found an altar with this inscription
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Whom therefore you ignorantly worship HIM declare I to you
God that made the world and all things therein
seeing that HE is Lord of heaven and earth
dwells not in temples made with hands
neither is worshiped with men’s hands
as though HE needed any thing
seeing HE give to all life – breath – all things
and has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell
on all the face of the earth
and has determined the times before APPOINTED
and the bounds of their habitation
that they should seek the Lord
if haply they might feel after HIM – and find HIM
though HE be not far from every one of us
FOR in HIM we live – move and have our being
as certain also of your own poets have said
For we are also HIS offspring
forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God
we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto
gold – silver – stone
graven by art and man’s device
AND the times of this ignorance God winked at
BUT NOW commands all men everywhere TO REPENT
BECAUSE HE hath appointed a day
In the which HE will judge the world in righteousness
by that MAN – WHOM HE has ORDAINED
Whereof HE has given assurance to all men
in that HE has raised HIM from the dead
Reaction to resurrection from the dead verse 32- 34
And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead – some mocked
and others said – We will hear you again of this matter
So Paul departed from among them
howbeit certain men clave unto him – and believed
among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite
and a woman named Damaris
and others with them
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, “These have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” (3625 “world” [oikoumene] means earth, inherited earth, a portion of the earth inhabited by Greeks, universe, empire, Roman world, humankind or globe)
DEVOTION: Paul went into the synagogue for three Sabbaths to teach them about the Messiah who had come in Jesus Christ. He reasoned with them out of the Old Testament Scriptures that the Messiah had to suffer and die and come back from the dead. He spoke of a resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ. Some of the people believed. This group was made up of Jews and Greeks and women.
Now there were Jews that didn’t like his message and they were moved by envy because they didn’t like the fact that people were believing his message over their message.
So they gathered a crowd together of lewd fellows and set the city in an uproar and attacked the house where they thought Paul was staying. Instead of finding Paul they took the owner of the house to the rulers of the city for judgment.
What were they saying that was wrong? It was that they were teaching that Jesus was going to be King in the land and this was against the teachings of the Roman world. Caesar was to be the only ruler they were to follow.
They just didn’t like the message. It was turning their globe upside down. It was causing them to think differently about their universe. They were wrapped up in the thoughts of the day and not in the truth of what God was doing through Jesus Christ.
They couldn’t take new thoughts about what God was doing in their view of mankind. It caused them to become angry that this new truth could be true.
This can happen in our view of man’s responsibility to God. If Jesus is the answer and HE is. Then there has to be a change from an outward worship of God to an inward worship of God. External show was not enough anymore. There had to be a heart change and a new direction for their life.
Our universe needs to be turned right side up at least at the point where we worship Jesus alone. We don’t count on our works to get us into heaven.
We don’t count on our talents to give us a special place in heaven. We count on Christ alone.
CHALLENGE: Turn your world right side up with a good relationship with Jesus Christ. Don’t listen to any other message but the one presented in the Word of God.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (4288 “readiness of mind” [prothumia] means forwardness of mind, willing mind, zeal, eagerness, or a lively interest in someone or something)
DEVOTION: As a believer in Jesus Christ we have the responsibility to check out who we are listening to regarding the Bible. Starting in the early church we find people checking out the Apostles regarding their teaching. They went back to the text of the Old Testament to see if what he was teaching was really in the Bible that they had at the time.
They only had the Old Testament which gave them the prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah. They were seeing if not only Paul’s teachings were right but if Jesus really fulfilled what the Bible said HE would do when HE came.
They found that all the promises were fulfilled in Jesus and that HE was the Messiah. They also confirmed that Paul as a preacher was right.
Too many pastors are not preaching the truth of the Word of God. The problem is that the people don’t check to see if he is telling them the truth. The Bible doesn’t teach that sin is a “mistake.” The Bible doesn’t teach that marriage can be between a man and a man or a woman and a woman. This is sinful activity. God teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman for life. All else is sin. We need pastors who call sin sin.
We are to be open-minded in only the areas that the Bible gives us freedom. Not in areas where the Bible is direct in its teachings. The church needs to concentrate on the winning of souls for the LORD. The social issues need to be plain to all those who are true believers but the issue of salvation has to be in the forefront. The only way an unbelievers can change their thinking is through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their life and that only comes through salvation.
Don’t harp on the social issues. Tell them where you think the Bible stands on the issues if they ask but concentrate on their salvation.
CHALLENGE: Those the LORD puts in your world need salvation FIRST. Tell them about Jesus.
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: 27 That they should seek the LORD, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. (5584 “feel” [pselaphao] means verify by contact, to search for, handle, touch, grope, to handle with a view to investigation or to reach out to touch)
DEVOTION: On this second missionary journey Paul visited many new cities. In each city he found those who would follow Jesus and those who would not. Those that would not were angry at Paul regarding his teachings. These angry people wanted to put him in jail or kill him.
The message of Jesus Christ caused two reactions wherever it was preached. Many believed the message. Some searched the Scripture daily to see if the teachings were true. Paul was preaching the truth. He was an eye witness to some of the things God was doing.
When he arrived in Athens, he saw the idolatry of the city. It bothered him. He started to preach on Mar’s hill. He preached about the inscription on one of the altars “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”
He told them that they worshiped in ignorance. He was going to inform them about this God they didn’t know much about. Why? Because he wanted to present to them the Living and True God of the Universe.
The place of scholars of Paul’s day was here in Athens. They needed to realize the “Unknown God” they were seeking was really the GOD of the Israelites. They were groping around in the darkness of sin. They needed to handle the message of Christ. They needed to verify that HE was real by contact with Paul’s message. Paul taught them about the resurrection from the dead which sent some away. Many believed his message. Finding God requires a search for truth. The Word of God is the Truth. God didn’t want the people of Athens groping about seeking the truth. HE sent Paul to give them the Truth. Many were still groping around in the darkness like blind men because they didn’t believe in the resurrection from the dead. Paul was trying to teach them that God is the creator of the universe and that HE is not far away. The Messiah had come and Christ was HE. Has Christ really touched our lives? Many around us are searching for the truth in all the wrong places. We have the answer – just like Paul. Are we sharing the answer with those around us? They need to find Jesus.
CHALLENGE: Realize that not everyone will accept our message but we still have to share it for those who will. Like Paul, some will mock us. However, others will believe the message unto salvation.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 31 Because HE has appointed a day, in the which HE will judge the world in righteousness by that MAN whom HE has ordained, whereof HE has given assurance to all men, in that HE has raised HIM from the dead. (2476 “appointed” [histemi] means to establish, to authorize, to put into force, to institute, enact, propose, to put forward, make stand, or select)
DEVOTION: God has a plan that HE made up before HIS creation of the world. HE knew that Adam and Eve would sin. HE knew that humans would need a Savior. HE knew that HIS Son was the only appeasing sacrifice that would be acceptable. HE knew that many would reject the message of salvation that came through the death of HIS Son on the cross.
HE also planned for the future. HE has ordained Jesus Christ as the judge of the world. HE is going to judge the world in regard to their right standing with HIM. The only way they could have right standing with HIM is through Jesus Christ. It is because of Christ’s righteous life that we can have righteousness.
The way we know that there is life after death is because HE has stated this fact from the day of Adam’s fall until the final chapter of the book of Revelation. There is life after death in one of two places. Either people will spend eternity in heaven because of their proper relationship to Jesus Christ or they will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels because of their rejection of Jesus Christ. No middle ground. No other place.
Once judgment is made it is final. The LORD has the day picked out. We don’t know it but we wished we did. CHALLENGE: HE wants us to live each day as if it was our last to be a good witness for HIM.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Received the word with readiness of mind verse 11
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Searched the Scriptures verse 11
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Synagogue verse 1, 10, 17
Three Sabbath days verse 2
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Scriptures verse 2, 11
Received the Word verse 11
Search the Scriptures verse 11
Word of God verse 13
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God verse 13, 23, 24, 29, 30
Word of God verse 13
Unknown God verse 23
Creator verse 24- 26
Lord of heaven and earth verse 24
Does need anything from man verse 24
Gives life and breath verse 25- 28
Offspring of God verse 28, 29
Command all men to repent verse 30
Judge the world verse 31
Righteous verse 31
Ordained verse 31
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Christ verse 3
Christ suffering verse 3
Christ resurrection verse 3, 18, 31, 32
Jesus verse 3, 7, 18
King verse 7
Lord verse 27
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Spirit stirred up Paul verse 16
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Godhead verse 29
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Amphipolis verse 1
Apollonia verse 1
Thessalonica verse 1, 11, 13
Devote Greeks verse 4, 12
Rulers of the city verse 6, 8
Caesar verse 7
Berea verse 10, 13
Athens verse 15- 16, 22
Philosophers verse 18
Areopagus verse 19
Athenians and strangers verse 21
Time for nothing else verse 21
Hear new thing verse 21
Mars’ hill verse 22
Superstitious verse 22
Ignorant worship verse 23, 30
Worship with man’s hands verse 25
One blood all nations verse 26
Man lives, moves and have our being verse 28
Greek poets verse 28
Dionysius verse 34
Areopagile verse 34
Damaris a woman verse 34
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Believed not verse 5
Envy verse 5
Lewd verse 5
Baser verse 5
Set city in uproar verse 5
Assaulted verse 5
Troubled verse 8
Stirred up people verse 13
Idolatry verse 16
Philosophers: Epicureans & Stoics verse 18
Calling Paul a babbler verse 18
Superstitious verse 22
Worship unknown god verse 23
Ignorant verse 23, 30
Worship false gods of stone, gold, etc verse 29
Mocked verse 32
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Reasoned verse 2
Alleging verse 3
Preach verse 3, 13, 18
Believed verse 4, 12, 34
Devote verse 4
Noble verse 11
Received the Word verse 11
Readiness of mind verse 11
Searched the Scripture verse 11
New Doctrine verse 19
Seek the LORD verse 27
Find the LORD verse 27
Repent verse 30
Righteousness verse 31
Ordained verse 31
Assurance verse 31
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jews verse 1, 5, 10, 13, 17
Synagogue of the Jews verse 1, 10, 17
Jews had knowledge of Paul’s preaching verse 13
Devout persons verse 17
Church (New Testament people of God)
Paul verse 2, 10, 13-34
Reasoned out the Scriptures verse 2
Preach Christ verse 3, 13
Silas verse 4, 10, 14, 15
Devout Greeks verse 4
Chief women verse 4
Jason verse 5- 9
Certain brethren verse 6, 10, 14
Turned the world upside down verse 6
Received the word with readiness of mind verse 11
Searched the Scripture daily verse 11
Honorable women verse 12
Timotheus verse 14, 15
Paul’s spirit was stirred verse 16
Disputed in market daily in Athens verse 17
Last Things (Future Events)
Judge the world verse 31
Raised man from the dead verse 31, 32
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QUOTES regarding passage
29–31 The climax of the address focuses on the progressive unfolding of divine redemption and the apex of that redemption in Jesus Christ. Being God’s offspring—not in a pantheistic sense but in the biblical sense of being created by God in his image—we should not, Paul insists, think of deity in terms of gold, silver, or stone. All that idolatrous ignorance was overlooked by God in the past (cf. 14:16; Rom 3:25) because God has always been more interested in repentance than judgment (cf: Wisdom 11:23: “But you have mercy on all men, because you have power to do all things, and you overlook the sins of men to the end that they may repent”). Nevertheless, in the person and work of Jesus, God has acted in such a manner as to make idolatry particularly heinous. To reject Jesus, therefore, is to reject the personal and vicarious intervention of God on behalf of man and to open oneself up in the future to divine judgment meted out by the very one rejected in the present. And God himself has authenticated all this by raising Jesus from the dead.
32 While the resurrection of Jesus from the dead was the convincing proof to the early Christians and Paul that “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” (2 Cor 5:19), to the majority of Athenians it was the height of folly. Five hundred years earlier the tragic poet Aeschylus (525–456 b.c.), when describing the institution of the Athenian Council of Ares, made the god Apollo say, “When the dust has soaked up a man’s blood, once he is dead, there is no resurrection” (Eumenides 647–48). If Paul had talked about the immortality of the soul, he would have gained the assent of most of his audience except the Epicureans. But the idea of resurrection was absurd. Outright scorn was the response of some of his hearers. Others, probably with more politeness than curiosity or conviction, suggested that they would like to hear Paul on the subject at another time.
(Longenecker, R. N. (1981). The Acts of the Apostles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts (Vol. 9, p. 477). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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The times of ignorance (τους χρονους της ἀγνοιας [tous chronous tēs agnoias]). The times before full knowledge of God came in Jesus Christ. Paul uses the very word for their ignorance (ἀγνοουντες [agnoountes]) employed in verse 23. Overlooked (ὑπεριδων [huperidōn]). Second aorist active participle of ὑπεροραω [huperoraō] or ὑπερειδω [hupereidō], old verb to see beyond, not to see, to overlook, not “to wink at” of the Authorized Version with the notion of condoning. Here only in the N. T. It occurs in the LXX in the sense of overlooking or neglecting (Psa. 18:15; Psa. 55:1). But it has here only a negative force. God has all the time objected to the polytheism of the heathen, and now he has made it plain. In Wisdom 11:23 we have these words: “Thou overlookest the sins of men to the end they may repent.” But now (τα νυν [ta nun]). Accusative of general reference, “as to the now things or situation.” All is changed now that Christ has come with the full knowledge of God. See also 27:22. All everywhere (παντας πανταχου [pantas pantachou]). No exceptions anywhere. Repent (μετανοειν [metanoein]). Present active infinitive of μετανοεω [metanoeō] in indirect command, a permanent command of perpetual force. See on μετανοεω [metanoeō] Acts 2:38 and the Synoptic Gospels. This word was the message of the Baptist, of Jesus, of Peter, of Paul, this radical change of attitude and life.
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Acts 17:31
Inasmuch as (καθοτι [kathoti]). According as (κατα, ὁτι [kata, hoti]). Old causal conjunction, but in N. T. only used in Luke’s writings (Luke 1:7; 19:9; Acts 2:45; 4:35; 17:31). Hath appointed a day (ἐστησεν ἡμεραν [estēsen hēmeran]) First aorist active indicative of ἱστημι [histēmi], to place, set. God did set the day in his counsel and he will fulfil it in his own time. Will judge (μελλει κρινειν [mellei krinein]). Rather, is going to judge, μελλω [mellō] and the present active infinitive of κρινω [krinō]. Paul here quotes Psa. 9:8 where κρινει [krinei] occurs. By the man whom he hath ordained (ἐν ἀνδρι ᾡ ὡρισεν [en andri hōi hōrisen]). Here he adds to the Psalm the place and function of Jesus Christ, a passage in harmony with Christ’s own words in Matt. 25. ᾡ [Hōi] (whom) is attracted from the accusative, object of ὡρισεν [hōrisen] (first aorist active indicative of ὁριζω [horizō]) to the case of the antecedent ἀνδρι [andri]. It has been said that Paul left the simple gospel in this address to the council of the Areopagus for philosophy. But did he? He skilfully caught their attention by reference to an altar to an Unknown God whom he interprets to be the Creator of all things and all men who overrules the whole world and who now commands repentance of all and has revealed his will about a day of reckoning when Jesus Christ will be Judge. He has preached the unity of God, the one and only God, has proclaimed repentance, a judgment day, Jesus as the Judge as shown by his Resurrection, great fundamental doctrines, and doubtless had much more to say when they interrupted his address. There is no room here for such a charge against Paul. He rose to a great occasion and made a masterful exposition of God’s place and power in human history. Whereof he hath given assurance (πιστιν παρασχων [pistin paraschōn]). Second aorist active participle of παρεχω [parechō], old verb to furnish, used regularly by Demosthenes for bringing forward evidence. Note this old use of πιστις [pistis] as conviction or ground of confidence (Heb. 11:1) like a note or title-deed, a conviction resting on solid basis of fact. All the other uses of πιστις [pistis] grow out of this one from πειθω [peithō], to persuade. In that he hath raised him from the dead (ἀναστησας αὐτον ἐκ νεκρων [anastēsas auton ek nekrōn]). First aorist active participle of ἀνιστημι [anistēmi], causal participle, but literally, “having raised him from the dead.” This Paul knew to be a fact because he himself had seen the Risen Christ. Paul has here come to the heart of his message and could now throw light on their misapprehension about “Jesus and the Resurrection” (verse 18). Here Paul has given the proof of all his claims in the address that seemed new and strange to them. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 17:30–31). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)
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17:30. God overlooked human ignorance revealed in idol-making, that is, He was patient. Though people are under His wrath (Rom. 1:18) and are without excuse because of natural revelation (Rom. 1:19–20), God “in His forbearance (anochē, ‘holding back, delay’) left the sins committed beforehand unpunished” (Rom. 3:25). This parallels Acts 14:16, “In the past, He let all nations go their way” (cf. comments there). All through time the Gentiles were responsible for the general revelation given to them; now with the worldwide proclamation of the gospel, the Gentiles are also responsible to special revelation. That response is to obey God’s command to repent of their sins.
17:31. At this point Paul introduced a distinctively Christian viewpoint. His reference to the Man clearly looks to Daniel 7:13–14 which speaks of the Son of Man. This One, appointed by God the Father, will judge the world with justice (cf. John 5:22). The authentication of Christ’s person and work was His resurrection. Here again the resurrection of Jesus was preached. The idea of resurrection (cf. Acts 17:18, 32) was incompatible with Greek philosophy. The Greeks wanted to get rid of their bodies, not take them on again! A personal judgment was also unpalatable to Greeks. The gospel message struck at the center of the Athenians’ needs.
Interestingly Paul (vv. 30–31) discussed the topics of sin (“to repent”), righteousness (“justice”), and judgment (“He will judge”), the same areas in which Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convict people (John 16:5–11). (Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 404). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The grace of God: He is Saviour (vv. 30–34). As he brought his message to a close, Paul summarized the clear evidences of God’s grace. For centuries, God was patient with man’s sin and ignorance (see Acts 14:16; Rom. 3:25). This does not mean that men were not guilty (Rom. 1:19–20), but only that God held back divine wrath. In due time, God sent a Saviour, and now He commands all men to repent of their foolish ways. This Saviour was killed and then raised from the dead, and one day, He will return to judge the world. The proof that He will judge is that He was raised from the dead.
It was the doctrine of the Resurrection that most of the members of the Council could not accept. To a Greek, the body was only a prison; and the sooner a person left his body, the happier he would be. Why raise a dead body and live in it again? And why would God bother with a personal judgment of each man? This kind of teaching was definitely incompatible with Greek philosophy. They believed in immortality, but not in resurrection.
There were three different responses to the message. Some laughed and mocked and did not take Paul’s message seriously. Others were interested but wanted to hear more. A small group accepted what Paul preached, believed on Jesus Christ, and were saved. We wonder if the others who postponed their decision eventually trusted Christ. We hope they did.
When you contrast the seeming meager results in Athens with the great harvests in Thessalonica and Berea, you are tempted to conclude that Paul’s ministry there was a dismal failure. If you do, you might find yourself drawing a hasty and erroneous conclusion. Paul was not told to leave, so we assume he lingered in Athens and continued to minister to both believers and unbelievers. Proud, sophisticated, wise Athens would not take easily to Paul’s humbling message of the Gospel, especially when he summarized all of Greek history in the phrase “the times of this ignorance.” The soil here was not deep and it contained many weeds, but there was a small harvest.
And, after all, one soul is worth the whole world!
We still need witnesses who will invade the “halls of academe” and present Christ to people who are wise in this world but ignorant of the true wisdom of the world to come. “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called” (1 Cor. 1:26); but some are called, and God may use you to call them.
Take the Gospel to your “Athens.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 473–474). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, &c.] Not that he approved of, or encouraged such blindness and folly, as appeared among the Gentiles, when they worshipped idols of gold, silver, and stone, taking them for deities; but rather the sense is, he despised this, and them for it, and was displeased and angry with them; and as an evidence of such contempt and indignation, he overlooked them, and took no notice of them, and gave them no revelation to direct them, nor prophets to instruct them, and left them to their stupidity and ignorance: but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent; that is, he hath given orders, that the doctrine of repentance, as well as remission of sins, should be preached to all nations, to Gentiles as well as Jews; and that it becomes them to repent of their idolatries, and turn from their idols, and worship the one, only, living and true God: and though for many hundreds of years God had neglected them, and sent no messengers, nor messages to them, to acquaint them with his will, and to shew them their follies and mistakes; yet now he had sent his apostles unto them, to lay before them their sins, and call them to repentance; and to stir them up to this, the apostle informs them of the future judgment in the following verse. Repentance being represented as a command, does not suppose it to be in the power of men, or contradict evangelical repentance, being the free-grace gift of God, but only shews the need men stand in of it, and how necessary and requisite it is; and when it is said to be a command to all, this does not destroy its being a special blessing of the covenant of grace to some; but points out the sad condition that all men are in as sinners, and that without repentance they must perish: and indeed, all men are obliged to natural repentance for sin, though to all men the grace of evangelical repentance is not given: the Jews call repentance מצות התשובה, the command of repentance, though they don’t think it obligatory on men, as the other commands of the law. The law gives no encouragement to repentance, and shews no mercy on account of it; it is a branch of the Gospel ministry, and goes along with the doctrine of the remission of sins; and though in the Gospel, strictly taken, there is no command, yet being largely taken for the whole ministry of the word, it includes this, and every thing else which Christ has commanded, and was taught by him and his apostles; see Matt. 28:20.
Ver. 31. Because he hath appointed a day, &c.] The day of judgment is fixed by God in his eternal purposes, and is sure and certain, and will come, though it is not known by men or angels; and this is a reason why God will have the doctrine of repentance everywhere published, both to Jews and Gentiles, since all must come to judgment: and the day for it is appointed by him, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness; the whole world will be judged, and every individual in it, good and bad, righteous and wicked; and this judgment will be a righteous one; it will proceed according to the strict rules of justice and equity, and upon the foot of the righteousness of Christ, as that has been received or rejected by men, or as men are clothed with, or are without that righteousness: by that man whom he hath ordained; Beza’s ancient copy reads, the man Jesus; not that the apostle means that Christ is a mere man; for then he would not be fit to be a Judge of quick and dead, and to pass and execute the definitive sentence; which requires omniscience and omnipotence: but preaching to mere Heathens, he chose not at once to assert the deity of Christ, though he tacitly suggests it: but intended, by degrees, to open the glories of his nature and office to them, he being the person God had from all eternity ordained, and in time had signified, should have all judgment committed to him, and by whom the last judgment shall be managed and transacted: whereof he hath given assurance to all men; or full proof, both of his being the Judge, and of his fitness to be one, and also of the righteousness, according to which he will judge: in that he hath raised him from the dead; whereby he was declared to be the son of God; and when all power in heaven and in earth was given to him; and which was done for the justification of all those for whose offences he was delivered: and this seems to be the reason why the apostle calls Christ the Judge a man, that he might have the opportunity of mentioning his resurrection from the dead. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 312). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
DON’T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW
by Anne R. C. Neale
If you have Trust in God,
Don’t worry then about tomorrow,
God’s with you all the time you know
In happiness and sorrow.
God performs miracles every day,
He loves to hear from you when you pray,
He wants you to learn to accept what comes your way,
Don’t worry about tomorrow.
God works for you each second of the day,
Don’t worry about tomorrow,
He always answers you when you pray,
Don’t worry about tomorrow,
God is your Creator and Master of your soul
He is your Lord God Almighty, and your All,
God loves you deeply Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall,
Don’t worry about tomorrow
If you are a Believer in God,
Don’t worry about tomorrow,
God’s helping you all the time you know
Don’t worry about tomorrow
God is an awesome God you see,
He prepared a place for your soul for an eternity,
He never fails you in any situation, no, not he,
So don’t worry about tomorrow.
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It is possible for the Scriptures to be “taught” merely as an intellectual exposition, and if the Spirit is not allowed to breathe the life of God into the truth, our teaching can be useless and perhaps harmful. ….
The sacred page is not to be a substitute for God, although it has been made that by millions of people. The sacred page is not meant to be the end, but only the means toward the end, which is knowing God Himself. (p. 570, Tozer Speaks vol. 1, A. W. Tozer)
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WHO DO WE SIN AGAINST?
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.
Psalm 51:4
Step number three when a man comes under conviction is that he realizes and confesses that all this is done against God and before God. “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.”
“Surely,” says someone, “that must be wrong. David ought to have said, ‘Against Bathsheba, against Uriah, against men who were killed in that battle, against Israel and my people have I sinned.’ But he says, ‘Against thee, thee only….’” Ah, David is quite right! He does not deny that he has sinned against the others, but here he is going a step further. He realizes that his actions are not simply actions in and of themselves. He sees that they not only affect and involve other people, but their real essence is that he has sinned against God.
Now that is the essential difference between remorse and repentance. A man who suffers remorse is one who realizes he has done wrong, but he has not repented until he realizes that he has sinned against God.
Why should he feel that? Let me try to answer the question in the following manner. Sin, you see, means a violation of what God has made and of what God intended man to be. Let me put it, in a preliminary fashion, in this form: When a man sins, he is not only doing certain things himself that he should not do; he is sinning against human nature, he is letting it down. He is sinning, therefore, against humanity, and because of that he is sinning against God who made man. God made man perfect, and God intended man to live that perfect life. He gave him the possibility of doing so, and when a man sins he lets God down. “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned.” I have violated what God intended man to be. I am twisting and perverting God’s creation. Every time I sin, I violate God’s holy law.
A Thought to Ponder: I have violated what God intended man to be.
(From Out of the Depths, pp. 28-29, by Dr, Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Revelation 19
John describes Jesus’ return to the earth as the conquering King.
Apocalypse: “The revelation of a violent struggle in which evil will be destroyed” (Webster’s Dictionary). The second coming of Christ will be the apocalypse fulfilled. While the symbolism of the language in Revelation makes it difficult to ascertain exactly how events will unfold, it is clear that when Jesus returns again, it will be to confront evil and destroy it. The heavens will split and Jesus will descend upon the armies of the earth which have gathered in opposition to His return. In contrast to His past role as Savior of man, He will now come as King of creation. Whereas once He made Himself subject to men, now all men will become subject to Him. History will end and eternity will begin.
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Spiritual Hygiene
“But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8)
We are bombarded these days with diet plans, exercise programs, health foods, beauty aids, etc.—all aimed at improving our lives or lifestyles. These may profit a “little” and should not be ignored, but we must never allow a preoccupation with physical things to negate our true priorities.
Spiritual hygiene is much more important than physical hygiene. As infants, we should “desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). For adults, “strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age” (Hebrews 5:14)—those who are no longer “unskillful in the word of righteousness” (v. 13).
We are to be “nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6), and admonished to profess “sound [literally ‘healthy’] doctrine” (Titus 1:9; 2:1) and healthy “faith” (1:13; 2:2), as well as healthy “charity” and “patience” (2:2), and use healthy “speech” (2:8).
Exercise must not be ignored, but it should be “exercise . . . unto godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7), enabling us to “discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). It may take the form of chastisement, which “yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (12:11).
And, of course, cleanliness is important. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). Christ gave Himself “that he might sanctify and cleanse [the church] with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26-27).
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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No matter what you profess, if you show disregard for Christ by giving yourself over to sin – impenitently and habitually – then heaven is not your home. (p. 14)
Many Christians have never been taught that sorcerers and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood will be left outside the gates of heaven (Rev. 22: 15) (The Hole In Our Holiness by Keven DeYoung)
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