There's an interesting passage in Acts 17. Paul is addressing a group of people in Athens, telling them about Jesus. He starts off his speech by stating that he knows that the men he is speaking to are very religious...and then goes on to say that they are off the mark. They are giving mere objects their affection and worship, when it should be going to God.
A common comment about Christians is that they are very religious people. But that is a tricky thing. It is obvious here that "religion" is not what matters to Paul. Jesus, in fact reserved His harshest criticism for the religious people of His day - the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the like.
The men of Athens had gold and silver and stone images for all kinds of gods - they even had an altar to an unknown god! Nowadays, too, we often see altars erected. Not the silver and gold kind - modern altars are much more subtle than that. But I still see altars every day - altars worshiping money, lust, drugs, selfishness, appearance, pride...the list goes on and on.
But God has called us to more than just religion. He has called us to a relationship. In Him we live and move and have our being. A relationship takes alot more work and commitment than simply going through the motions. But in the end, it's also infinitely more rewarding.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
A common comment about Christians is that they are very religious people. But that is a tricky thing. It is obvious here that "religion" is not what matters to Paul. Jesus, in fact reserved His harshest criticism for the religious people of His day - the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the like.
The men of Athens had gold and silver and stone images for all kinds of gods - they even had an altar to an unknown god! Nowadays, too, we often see altars erected. Not the silver and gold kind - modern altars are much more subtle than that. But I still see altars every day - altars worshiping money, lust, drugs, selfishness, appearance, pride...the list goes on and on.
But God has called us to more than just religion. He has called us to a relationship. In Him we live and move and have our being. A relationship takes alot more work and commitment than simply going through the motions. But in the end, it's also infinitely more rewarding.
Acts 17:22-31
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
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