Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? Other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. Acts 17:18
If you are like the most of us, you can’t remember the first time you heard the Gospel. I can’t; I was taught at a very early age that I was a sinner in need of salvation and that the Lord Jesus died on the cross because he loved me and paid for my sins. Most children in Christian homes can say the same. And we appreciate that wonderful heritage. But we don’t have to go far to find people who have no concept of the Gospel and are not the least familiar with the central message of the Gospel. Some of the children we went to school with were blind to the Gospel, as are most of the people we encounter throughout our day today, despite the availability of the Bible to anyone with a dollar and six cents or an Internet connection. Paul found in Athens an even deeper ignorance of God, not even a mention of Him in their national anthem, as we have. What seemed to be most strange to them was Paul’s message about One Who had risen from the dead. That is a message many are rejecting and denying around us today. In the case of the folks in Athens, they had simply never heard of it. But at least they listened.
With their great variety of gods, the Athenians were always open to one more. In fact, Paul was later to remind them of the altar they had set up to the Unknown God. One more god would not be a problem for the carefree Epicureans or to the morbid Stoics. But the people around us today tell us they have no room for God at all. They are not interested in hearing about Him or even having anyone around them who believes in Him. If they were to accept the reality of God, they would have to be responsible to Him for their sin. They would have to accept the truth of creation and dispense with the theory of evolution. They would have to abandon the great crimes of abortion and the great sins of immorality and homosexuality, to name a few. We read in Psalm 14:1 that the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. The phrase ‘there is no God’ is more accurately stated ‘no God for me’. It is not speaking of those who simply don’t know about God, but about those who deliberately refuse to allow anything of God to penetrate their lives. Those who speak of Him are seen as merely babblers, as some of the Athenians termed Paul.
Those who saw Paul as one who had a message about a strange new God were at least willing to consider what he had to say. Those are the types of people that we must target with the Gospel. Unlike those who simply close their ears, these folks have an open mind. Some will have an interest in eternal issues, some will have a burden of sin, others will be suffering from guilt. And these are the folks to whom we can present the same message that Paul was delivering in Athens, about Jesus and the resurrection.
Paul encountered a variety of folks when he spoke of the Gospel in Athens. We also encounter a variety of folks when we speak of the Gospel. Some will listen. -Jim MacIntosh