Acts 17:23 “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”
The Romans had many gods – Jupiter, Apollo, Mercury, Mars. etc. although they had a god for just about every circumstance, they still had an “unknown God” of whom Paul was about to teach.
24 “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;”
25 “Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;”
God is everywhere and made all things. He does not need churches, temples, statues, crucifixes, rosaries, fish, paintings, or any of the myriad of things that man makes with their hands in order to “worship” Christ – and I would argue that many of these objects become idols much too quickly.
26 “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;”
Racism is not Christian. God made all people as one human race. Differences between us are national, not biological. He also foresaw also the things happening around us. 2020 might have caught us off guard, but the “Unknown God” always knew it was coming.
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:”
28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”
God is everywhere. He is in the world, the grass, the trees, the mountains, the sheep, the cattle, the bricks and mortar, the moon, sun, and stars, between spaces, in the midst of subatomic particles – everywhere.
He sees all. He is near us; ready to comfort, console, and exhort us any moment.
We were made in His image and are children of God. He only wants us to be saved and come back to Him so we can spend eternity with Him in heaven.
29 “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”
As I said before, we need not craft idols for the Lord. We are His children. We are royalty, and as such, our wealth extends far beyond the price of precious metals and jewels.
30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
31 “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
God has mercy on the ignorant, but once someone hears about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they become accountable. They must make the decision to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
The final judgment of this world is fast approaching. If you’re reading this, then you are accountable. Do you want to know the “unknown God” better? Be sure to read about Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and learn about salvation in the book of Romans (specifically Romans 10:9-13).
Of course you can reach out to me personally if you have any additional questions. I’m easy to find on social media.
Know God today, and be blessed.
Simmons' Opinions 