General News
26 October, 2025
In good faith
IN GOOD FAITH: In the book of Acts, chapter 17, we read about the apostle Paul's visit to Athens.
Athens, at that time, was arguably the intellectual and cultural center of the world.
It was the place where academics and philosophers would come to debate and discuss, where well known identities such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundations of Western thought, and where figures such as Solon, Cleisthenes and Ephialtes formed the ideas for democracy, the political system used by most of the free world to this day.
It was also a very religious city, with avid and widespread worship of the gods of Greek mythology. As we read in Acts 17, "... the city was wholly given over to idolatry."
As was his usual practice, when Paul reached Athens, he first preached in the Jewish synagogue, then afterwards in the marketplace.
It was there that he encountered a group of philosophers, the intellectual greats of the city.
In the places he passed through previously, he had encountered mostly hostile receptions, but here it was different.
We read, that being of the intellectual classes, the philosophers liked nothing better than "... either to tell, or to hear, some new thing." (v.21) This is how they received Paul, as another philosopher who had a new idea to share.
Paul, when he spoke to them, noted how religious they were and referred to of one of their idols, inscribed "To the Unknown God."
Clearly, they wanted to make sure that they didn't leave any out! Paul uses this, and reveals to them the truth of Jesus Christ, calling them to repent and to receive Him as Lord and savior.
Some simply dismissed him, others responded with an aloof sort of 'ho-hum, you can talk again tomorrow' attitude. But a few, just a very few, believed and were saved.
What happened to Paul in Athens reminds us very much of our own world today. Without doubt, we live in the most academically, intellectually and technically advanced society the world has ever known.
But it is a world in which so many people have turned away from God to follow idols. In the book of Romans, chapter 1, Paul speaks of this in detail. Indeed, reading this chapter is very much like reading any daily newspaper.
Here, he spoke firstly of the way in which the people had ignored the clear evidence of God’s handiwork in creation, and instead turned to idols that worship man, and creation itself, which then led them directly to all sorts of negative consequences.
As he said of the Romans, “... Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”
From the very beginning, God introduced Himself to His people and made Himself known to them.
In the book of Isaiah 41:13, He said to the prophet “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” and in the book of Hebrews, “... for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Even in our modern, intellectual world, God is still present and in control of all things, and He still continues to offer the gift of eternal life to all who would accept Him in faith.
As Paul said to the Athenian philosophers, “... for in Him we live and move and exist, ... For we also are His children.”
By David Young