Acts 17:22-34

Paul's Sermon on Mars Hill

The apostle began his sermon by noting that they were very religious, worshipping idols devoted to all types of gods, even an unknown God. Paul seized upon their recognition of their own potentially limited knowledge and began to tell them about the true God. Rather than there being a series of gods, each over some small element of the universe, there is one God who created and rules over all! The Creator is not confined to some building made by men, nor did He need men's worship. In fact, Paul stated that all beings and all things are sustained by His power.

Paul further declared that the God of heaven had made all the various nationalities. He worked within them in precisely the way and at precisely the time He planned. The apostle to the Gentiles explained that this Divinely controlled ebb and flow of history was used by God to encourage men to seek him. Yet, the supreme God is always near since we live in him, move in him and depend upon him for our very existence. Paul noted that one of their own poets said men are God's offspring, so God cannot be stone but must be alive just as his children are alive.

Paul then boldly stated that God would no longer overlook the ignorant worship of men. Instead, He demanded that they turn from their ignorance and serve him. Paul saw such repentance as especially important since a day of judgment had been set aside by the Divine Planner. In that day, the resurrected Lord will rightly judge all men, which fact is confirmed by his resurrection from the dead. While some of Paul's listeners mocked his words, others wanted to hear more. A few actually were moved to obey the gospel (Acts 17:22-34).