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Acts Chapter
Seventeen
I.
Content of the Chapter
Paul Preached in
A. He
preached in the synagogue on the Sabbath and some of them joined Paul and Silas
(v.1-4).
B.
Some of them made use of a name and accused them to the officers because of
jealousy (v.5-9).
II. At
A.
Many of the more fair-minded people at
B.
However, they were forced to depart because of the disturbance from the Jews at
Thessalonica (v.13-15).
III. In
A. His
spirit was provoked within him and he reasoned with men everywhere because the
city was given over to idols (v.16-18).
B. He
was brought to Areopagus (v.19-21).
C. The
message of Paul in the Areopagus:
1. He spoke with THE UNKNOWN GOD (v.22-23).
2. The true God is the dominator who made the world
and everything in it and gives men all (v.24-26).
3. God wants men to seek and know Him (v.27-28).
4. Today God wants men to repent since they
worshiped wrongly because of their ignorance (v.29-30).
5. God appointed a day on which He will judge the
world by Christ (v.31).
D.
When they heard it, some mocked and some were perfunctory and some men believed
(v.32-34).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 17:1 “Now when they had passed
through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a
synagogue of the Jews.”
YLT: “And having passed
through Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was the
synagogue of the Jews,”
Meaning of Words: “Amphipolis”: twin cities; “Apollonia”: the possession of Apollos.
Literal Meaning: “they had passed through
Amphipolis and Apollonia” There was about
fifty kilometers from
“They
came to Thessalonica” “Thessalonica” was the capital town of
When Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica
to open up the new workshop, Luke the author of this book may stay at
Acts. 17:2 “Then Paul, as his custom
was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the
Scriptures,”
YLT: “and according to
the custom of Paul, he went in unto them, and for three sabbaths he was
reasoning with them from the Writings,”
Meaning of Words: “from”: because of,
out of.
Literal Meaning: “Paul, as his custom was,
went in to them” The custom does
not indicate that they had the custom of keeping the Sabbath but that when he
came to one place, he would be used to utilizing the opportunity that the Jews
gathered together in the Synagogue on the Sabbath to hear men explain the Bible
and preaching the gospel to the Jews.
“And for three Sabbaths” does not mean that Paul also kept the
Sabbath because he was fully aware of the spiritual meaning of the Sabbath and
he was not restrained by the law and the regulations (
“For three Sabbaths” In the original it also means
“three seven days”. This sentence does not mean that he only stayed three weeks
in Thessalonica because he received the gifts from the church in Philippi more
than one time (Phil. 4:16) and he needed to work with his hands to support
himself (1Thess. 2:9). And some brothers were gained (See v.6, 10) and a new
church was established (1Thess. 1:1; 3:1-2). And therefore he must have stayed
for a long period of time before in this affair.
“Reasoned with them from the Scriptures” “From the Scriptures” means according to
the Old Testament because there was not the New Testament at that time.
“Reasoning” means arguing. When preaching the gospel, it is unavoidable to
reason with others, however, reasoning has both good points and bad points. The
good points are to make observers know the true and false and be edified and
the bad points are that the other side who reason with us professes to be
convinced at most and he is not persuaded from his heart. Usually we may win
the debate and harden the heart of the other side. Paul reasoned two times in
this chapter (See v.17), however, the excepted good results were not gained in
these two times. And therefore if possible, we should try our best to avoid
reasoning with others.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We should also learn the example of Paul and
never let off the good place (the synagogue) and opportunity (the Sabbath) of
preaching the gospel easily.
2) When we talk about the gospel and preach, we
should always base on the Bible.
3) The faith of Christians fully bases on the Bible
and if it does not base on the Bible, every debate concerning the truth of
faith will be meaningless.
4) The Bible is our supreme principle and we should
walk according to the Bible.
5) Martin Luther once said to those who judged him
that, “if you can point out that what I have said was against the teachings of
the Bible from the Bible, I will admit that I was wrong! Otherwise, I stand
here and may God be with me” (it is translated from the Chinese version).
Acts. 17:3 “explaining and
demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and
saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to
you is the Christ.’”
YLT: “opening and
alleging, `That the Christ it behoved to suffer, and to rise again out of the
dead, and that this is the Christ -- Jesus whom I proclaim to you.'”
Literal Meaning: “explaining and
demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer” “Explaining and demonstrating” is to unfold the prophecies of the prophets of
the Bible and demonstrate the facts that happened recently and fulfilled these
prophecies one by one; “the
Christ had to suffer” is stressing on
the necessity of Christ’s suffering according to the prophecies.
The theme of Paul’s message is that it
had been predicted in the Bible long ago that the Messiah would come, suffer,
die and rise again from the dead; since the life of Jesus fulfilled these
prophecies, He must be the Messiah.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul not only preached the message of Christ’s
suffering but also had communion with the suffering of Christ (
2) Christ is the object and content of the
descriptions and prophecies of the Bible. When reading the Bible, we have to
read out Christ in the Bible (John. 5:39-40).
Acts. 17:4 “And some of them were
persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the
leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”
YLT: “And certain of them
did believe, and attached themselves to Paul and to Silas, also of the
worshipping Greeks a great multitude, of the principal women also not a few.”
Literal Meaning: “joined Paul and Silas” “Joined” means to be separated from the
common positions and turn to stand in the specific position; “joined Paul and Silas” means that they joined Jesus Christ that
Paul and Silas preached.
“And a great multitude of the devout
Greeks” “The devout Greeks” refers to the Gentiles who feared God
(Acts. 10:2).
“And
not a few of the leading women” “The leading
women” may refer to the wives of the leaders of the city, however, they
themselves had high social positions and they were worthy of esteem (Acts.
12:12).
Acts. 17:5 “But the Jews who were not
persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace,
and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of
Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.”
YLT: “And the unbelieving
Jews, having been moved with envy, and having taken to them of the loungers
certain evil men, and having made a crowd, were setting the city in an uproar;
having assailed also the house of Jason, they were seeking them to bring [them]
to the populace,”
Meaning of Words: “take”: receive,
take unto; “the evil men from the marketplace”: those who do wrongful acts in
the public place; “gathering a mob”: gather together; “set in an uproar”: make
ado, disturb.
Literal Meaning: “set all the city in an
uproar and attacked the house of Jason”
“Jason” should be one of those who heard and believed the gospel that Paul had
preached (See v.4) and accommodated them (See v.7). Probably he opened his
house for the church to gather together and therefore there were also some
brethren there (See v.6).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Envy” is the mortal wound of the interpersonal
relationship. Every one is able to do terrible things if he allows a little
envy in his heart.
2) If there is “envy” among fellow-workers, it will
develop into gathering together to send a punitive expedition against each
other and making division in the church.
Acts. 17:6 “But when they did not
find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city,
crying out, ‘These who have turned the
world upside down have come here too.”
YLT: “and not having found
them, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the city rulers, calling aloud
-- `These, having put the world in commotion, are also here present,”
Meaning of Words: “the world”: the
habitable world.
Literal Meaning: “they dragged Jason and some
brethren” It shows that once
they believed in the Lord, they began to meet in the house of Jason (See v.5).
“These who have turned the world upside
down have come here too” “turn the world
upside down” means stirring up the revolution that overturns the government
(See v.7).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The religion always uses the earthly power to
hinder the spreading of Christ’s gospel.
2) The coming of the gospel is to establish the new
relationship and order in our hearts, family and society. It is the earth
shaking change. And therefore from this aspect, believers should fill the role
of “turning the world upside down”.
Acts. 17:7 “Jason has harbored them,
and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is
another king--Jesus.’”
YLT: “whom Jason hath
received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying another to
be king -- Jesus.'”
Literal Meaning: “and these are all acting
contrary to the decrees of Caesar”
It was said that there was edict that the people were forbidden to predict the
king’s alternation.
“Saying there is another king--Jesus” Paul may have mentioned the second coming
of the Lord Jesus in the preaching (1Thess. 1:10) and He will reign at that
time (Rev. 11:15). The unbelieving Jews made use of this and accused Paul of
plotting for overthrowing the Roman Emperor. The sin of the armed rebellion was
the most serious accusation in the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Jesus is the king. To those who receive Him, He
is King of Salem and brings them peace; to those who reject Him, He is the king
of righteousness and makes them be troubled (Matt. 2:2-3, See v.8).
2) The greatest problem of men is that they neither
magnify the Lord (Luke. 1:46) nor let Him reign in their heart.
3) Men do not magnify the Lord and always regard
themselves as the king. When he himself cannot compete with the Lord, they find
a “Caesar” to compete with the Lord. Who is your “Caesar”?------Mammon? Lust
for power? Or Knowledge?
Acts. 17:8 “And they troubled the
crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.”
YLT: “And they troubled
the multitude and the city rulers, hearing these things,”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The worldly men and the earthy power did not
know “another king------Jesus” (v. 7) and were troubled and thought that
Christianity was harmful to them.
2) The testimony of the Lord’s true witnesses has
the power of shaking men’s hearts.
Acts. 17:9 “So when they had taken
security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.”
YLT: “and having taking
security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.”
Literal Meaning: “So when they had taken
security from Jason and the rest”
“Security” refers to the guarantee. The guarantor guaranteed with his life that
he would not give a shelter to Paul and others in order to maintain the safety
of the district. Later Paul mentioned that “Satan hindered us” to believers in
Thessalonica (1Thess. 2:18) and it may refer to this matter.
Acts. 17:10 “Then the brethren
immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to
YLT: “And the brethren
immediately, through the night, sent forth both Paul and Silas to
Literal Meaning: “to
Enlightenment in the Word: Paul met the persecution, however, he did not lose
heart and still advanced bravely and bore witness of the Lord everywhere. The
famous preacher Livingstone once said that, “as long as I am going forward
instead of falling back, I am willing to go everywhere” (It is translated from
the Chinese version).
Acts. 17:11 “These were more fair-minded
than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness,
and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
YLT: “and these were more
noble than those in Thessalonica, they received the word with all readiness of
mind, every day examining the Writings whether those things were so;”
Meaning of Words: “fair-minded”:
noble, high in rank, generous; “search”: ask, seek and find, discern.
Literal Meaning: “These were more fair-minded
than those in Thessalonica” “More fair-minded”
means that they were more opened and did not have partiality. The whole
sentence indicates that the local Jews were more reasonable than that in
Thessalonica.
“And searched the Scriptures daily” “Searching” in the original means making a
thorough search to find out one thing that is lost. When searching the Bible,
we should read the Bible relaxedly, slowly and carefully. We should read the
Bible with the attitude of searching it and it is effective when we comprehend
every word that we read. When we reading the Bible, we should ask that: when
was this sentence written? What’s the aim of this sentence? Who wrote this
sentence? To whom it was written? What feeling do we have? Why does the author
write this sentence? Under what condition did the author write this sentence?
We should ask these questions slowly and carefully search the answers until we
find out the answers.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The fair-minded ones do not adhere stubbornly to
their own ideas. In other words, the stubborn people are the fools.
2) The condition to be praised “fair-minded” in the
words of God is that: a) receive willingly------the longing heart; b) search
daily------pursue diligently; c) find out whether these things were
so------good discernment.
3) Towards the word of the Lord, we should: a)
receive it intentionally; b) pursue it diligently; c) discern it carefully.
4) The prince of the Bible exegetes of
5) If we want to “find out whether these things
were so”, we have to “search the Scriptures daily”. The Bible is the only basis
for distinguishing the truth.
6) If Christians want to elevate their content of
faith, they should begin with reading the Bible.
7) The word of God is the same yesterday and today.
The word of God never changes. The Old Testament and the New Testament are the
consistent revelation and therefore if we want to understand one certain part
of the Bible, we have to search all the Scriptures and then we are able to have
the right knowledge.
8) All ministers of the words rely on the words of
God that He has spoken and no one could receive the revelation without the
Bible. If someone has received the revelation without the Bible, the revelation
is the heresy and we should never believe it.
Acts. 17:12 “Therefore many of them
believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.”
YLT: “many, indeed, therefore,
of them did believe, and of the honourable Greek women and men not a few.”
Enlightenment in the Word: The Bible is able to make you wise unto salvation
(2Tim. 3:15). The more men search the Bible (See v.11), the more they are able
to believe in the Lord.
Acts. 17:13 “But when the Jews from
Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at
YLT: “And when the Jews
from Thessalonica knew that also in
Literal Meaning: “and stirred up the crowds” These Jews repeated the stress in
Thessalonica towards Paul.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Stan would rise the opposition and damage where
the work of the gospel succeeds. And therefore we should not become slack
because of the temporary success.
2) The expansion of the work of the gospel is not
simple or cheerful. Those who preach the gospel should be well prepared that
they may be opposed by men at any time.
Acts. 17:14 “Then immediately the
brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained
there.”
YLT: “and then
immediately the brethren sent forth Paul, to go on as it were to the sea, but
both Silas and Timothy were remaining there.”
Literal Meaning: “Then immediately the
brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea” “The brethren” refer to believers in
Acts. 17:15 “So those who conducted
Paul brought him to
YLT: “And those
conducting Paul, brought him unto
Literal Meaning: “So those who conducted Paul
brought him to
“A command for Silas and Timothy to come
to him with all speed” Timothy may be
sent back to Thessalonica to strengthen believers (1Thess. 3:1-6) and he would
go to
Acts. 17:16 “Now while Paul waited for
them at
YLT: “and Paul waiting
for them in
Meaning of Words: “provoked”: stir,
exasperate.
The
Background: “he saw that the city was
given over to idols” The temples stood
in great numbers in the city of
Literal Meaning: “his
spirit was provoked within him” It indicates that
the spirit of Paul was provoked by the idols of the city and he was full of
burden within himself.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When Paul came to one place, he observed the
surrounding persons and things by the insight of God. May the Lord give us such
insight.
2) Christians should hate from their hearts all
that are of idols, superstition and heresy and are worshiped and respected by
men.
Acts. 17:17 “Therefore he reasoned in
the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the
marketplace daily with those who happened to
be there.”
YLT: “therefore, indeed,
he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the worshipping
persons, and in the market-place every day with those who met with him.”
Literal Meaning: “and in the marketplace
daily with those who happened to be there” “Marketplace” does not refer to streets of
business dealings but the place where residents of the city talked with each
other.
Acts. 17:18 “Then certain Epicurean
and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, ‘What
does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,’ because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.”
YLT: “And certain of the
Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together to see him, and
some were saying, `What would this seed picker wish to say?' and others, `Of
strange demons he doth seem to be an announcer;' because Jesus and the rising
again he did proclaim to them as good news,”
The
Background: “certain Epicurean and Stoic” were the two famous great schools of
philosophy. The school of “Epicurean” was established by the Greek philosopher
Epicurus (B.C. 341-270). It taught men that “joy” was men’s supreme virtue,
however, the joy did not refer to the happiness in a flash or the temporary
satisfaction but the pleasure and satisfaction from loving each other, bravery
and the Doctrine of Mean. However, in the times of Paul, this philosopher had
come down to “Epicureanism” which was ideological system stressing on
satisfying the carnal desires. The school of “Stoic” was established by another philosopher Zeno (B.C.
340-265) during the same period. It taught men that “self-sufficiency” was
men’s supreme virtue and men should live by obeying the rationality and
restrain themselves so that they may not be dominated by their emotions. In the
times of Paul, this philosopher had become “stoicism”, the ideological system
of arrogance and conceit. The above-mentioned two schools of philosopher all
went to extremes and always argued with each other.
Literal Meaning: “Then certain Epicurean and
Stoic philosophers” “Philosophers”
means those who love the wisdom.
“What does this babbler want to say?” “This babbler” in the original means
“seed-picker” and it indicates pecking the seed in the streets as a sparrow.
Later its meaning was transferred to those who lived in idleness and did not
seek to understand things thoroughly. They collected the trite expressions of
others------the piecemeal knowledge and blabbered before they had understood
and digested them. At that time many philosophers made a living by their
mouths.
“Because he preached to them Jesus and
the resurrection” Some Bible
exegetes held that the Athenians may think that Paul was preaching two new and
popular gods------Jesus (the male god) and the resurrection (the female god).
Acts. 17:19 “And they took him and
brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new
doctrine is of which you speak?”
YLT: “having also taken
him, unto the Areopagus they brought [him], saying, `Are we able to know what
[is] this new teaching that is spoken by thee,”
Literal
Meaning: “And they took him and
brought him to the Areopagus” “Areopagus” originally means “Aristotle mountain” and
Aristotle was the Greek god of thunder and of war. Areopagus was in the west of
the uptown of
“May we know what this new doctrine is
of which you speak?” The Athenians
liked to tell and hear new thing (See v.21). When they heard the word of the
Lord at first, they thought it as “this new doctrine” and they were curious to
know more about it.
Enlightenment in the Word: the word of Lord is fresh forever and it has the
power of newborn to those who receive it.
Acts. 17:20 “For you are bringing some
strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.’”
YLT: “for certain strange
things thou dost bring to our ears? we wish, then, to know what these things
would wish to be;'”
Acts. 17:21 “For all the Athenians and
the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to
tell or to hear some new thing.”
YLT: “and all Athenians,
and the strangers sojourning, for nothing else were at leisure but to say
something, and to hear some newer thing.”
Literal Meaning: “either to tell or to hear
some new thing” Until several centuries
ago, there was Athenian politician who still condemned the Athenians that they
liked to hear the latest new thing and did not pay attention to the more urgent
and more important things.
Enlightenment in the Word: the attitude of many believers is just like that of
the Athenians and they regard the truth as “new thing to tell or to hear”. They
do not have the longing and seeking intention. It’s no wonder that they have
heard the word for many years and others still cannot see the spiritual growth from
them.
Acts. 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the
midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive
that in all things you are very religious;”
YLT: “And Paul, having
stood in the midst of the Areopagus, said, `Men, Athenians, in all things I perceive
you as over-religious;”
Literal Meaning: “Then Paul stood in the
midst of the Areopagus” The “Areopagus”
should refer to a group (See v.34) instead of a place (See v.19).
“I perceive that in all things you are
very religious” “You are very
religious” in the original means “superstition”; this word is used to flatter
or criticize men and it is determined by whether the one who uses this word is
included and therefore we could conclude the intention of the speaker after we
have heard all the words.
Enlightenment in the Word: The thoughts of “being religious” are innate and
they are not related to the educational level of men. It is not right that only
the barbarian and uncivilized ones are superstitious. Actually, the actions of
many intellectuals prove that they also have the inclination of “being
religious” in the depths of their hearts.
Acts. 17:23 “for as I was passing
through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with
this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship
without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:”
YLT: “for passing through
and contemplating your objects of worship, I found also an erection on which
had been inscribed: To God -- unknown; whom, therefore -- not knowing -- ye do
worship, this One I announce to you.”
The
Background: in the old times,
the Greek was afraid of offending any god because of their ignorance and
therefore they worshipped the inscription of “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD”, lest one be missed.
Literal Meaning: “with this inscription: TO
THE UNKNOWN GOD” The four words “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” show two facts that: 1) they knew the
existence of God imperceptibly; 2) however, they did not know God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though there were many world-wide famous great philosophers
in
2) The ignorant world does not God, however, they
have the inclination of worshipping God in the depths of their hearts, just as
a stream without orientation and we Christians have the responsibility for
preaching the gospel in order to guide this stream to the right way.
Acts. 17:24 “God, who made the world
and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in
temples made with hands.”
YLT: “`God, who did make
the world, and all things in it, this One, of heaven and of earth being Lord,
in temples made with hands doth not dwell,”
Literal Meaning: “God, who made the world and
everything in it” It shows that the
God is a person and the Creator and it is in contrast to the pantheism, the
Stoic philosophical view.
“Does not dwell in temples made with
hands” Stephen also said
these words (Acts. 7:48).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we want to lead the pagans to know God, we’d
better begin with the creation of God.
2) God is above the universe and all. Though the
world is great, it cannot hold Him------how unlimited He is! And therefore He
“does not dwell in temples made with hands”. He is neither restrained by work
done by men nor fixed in some place or a group of people.
3) “
4) The greatest crisis of those who serve God is
that they usually “close” and “restrain” God in the works of their hands
unconsciously and turn “the Lord of heaven and earth” to the servant of their
works.
Acts. 17:25 “Nor is He worshiped with
men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath,
and all things.”
YLT: “neither by the
hands of men is He served -- needing anything, He giving to all life, and
breath, and all things;”
Literal Meaning: “Nor is He worshiped with
men's hands, as though He needed anything” God did not need men’s provision and this opinion
agreed with the Epicurean opinions.
“Since He gives to all life, breath, and
all things” God is the
fountainhead of all and this opinion agreed with the Stoic opinions.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God does not live by men’s support. He is God
who supports the existence of all human beings. He gives all by which men live
and even life to men.
2) God is the fountainhead of “life, breath, and all
things”. He is not only
abundant but also is willing to give His abundance “to all”. And therefore when
we draw near to God, we won’t suffer lose but we will receive “grace for grace”
(John. 1:16) and receive the provision continuously.
3) When we serve the Lord, it seems that we give
benefits to the Lord, actually we give the Lord chances to reward us.
Acts. 17:26 “And He has made from one
blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has
determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,”
YLT: “He made also of one
blood every nation of men, to dwell upon all the face of the earth -- having
ordained times before appointed, and the bounds of their dwellings --”
Literal Meaning: “And He has made from one
blood every nation of men” “One blood” refers
to one ancestor, lineage, parentage and stock. The words show that every nation
is of one root, i.e. Adam (Gen. 2:7). The statement was against the
superstition of the Athenians who believed that their ancestors came into being
from the soil of
“And has determined their preappointed
times and the boundaries of their dwellings” The rise and decline of various nations and the
dwelling districts of every nation were of God’s plan in advance (Deut. 32:8).
The
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “And He has made from one blood every nation of men” Every nation belongs to God. As
Christians, we should not have the sense of superiority of nation and we cannot
be conceited before God.
2) The Lord has redeemed us to God by His blood out
of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Rev. 5:9). Everyone is
able to draw near to God.
3) For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him (Rom.
10:12).
4) God is directing the history. In the past, He is
the leader of the rise and fall of all kingdoms behind the scenes and today His
hands still control all.
Acts. 17:27 “so that they should seek
the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is
not far from each one of us;”
YLT: “to seek the Lord,
if perhaps they did feel after Him and find, -- though, indeed, He is not far
from each one of us,”
Meaning of Words: “grope”: touch.
Literal Meaning: “in the hope that they might
grope for Him and find Him” “Grope” is just as
men touch things in the dark and know the real situation by the sense of
feeling.
“Though He is not far from each one of
us” It implies that He is the omnipresent
Spirit.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When God creates men, He gives us the instinct
for seeking Him so that we long for God instinctively. We still grope to find
God though in the dark.
2) God’s only demand for us is that we “seek” and
“find” Him, i.e. regarding Him as the most valuable treasure and purpose.
Blessed is the one who seeks God because everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds
(Matt. 7:8).
3) “Though He is not far from each one of us” He is in our mouth and in our heart (
4) Though God is so great that He “does not dwell in temples made with
hands” (See v.24), He is
not far away that men cannot reach. He is always present with believers and
lives and walks about with us together.
Acts. 17:28 “for in Him we live and
move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.'”
YLT: “for in Him we live,
and move, and are; as also certain of your poets have said: For of Him also we
are offspring.”
Meaning of Words: “His offspring”:
kind, race, stock.
Literal Meaning: “for in Him we live and move
and have our being” This sentence was
quoted from the poem
“For we are also His offspring” This sentence was quoted from the
Philomena which was written by the
“His offspring” This word is translated as “kind,
race and kingdom” in the Bible and it is only translated as “His offspring”
here. This word is different from “son” and it is just as the “son”. It is also
a noun. And therefore it is said that the word is the race of God instead of
the spiritual sons of God. According to the contexts, we could understand what
Paul talked about better that it indicates that men are “created” by God.
The listeners of Paul were all the Gentiles who
studied the philosopher and therefore he began with what they could agree with
and then pointed out the differences between the faith of Christ and the heretical ideas.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All of us are either of God or by Him. And
therefore we should respect and love Him, trust Him and rest upon Him.
2) If without this true and living God, we cannot
live in a moment. If we depart from God, we may still exist but we have ceased
to live------just as the walking ghost.
Acts. 17:29 “Therefore, since we are
the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold
or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.”
YLT: “`Being, therefore,
offspring of God, we ought not to think the Godhead to be like to gold, or
silver, or stone, graving of art and device of man;”
Meaning of Words: “Divine”: godlike;
“devising”: imagination, conception.
Literal Meaning: “since we are the offspring
of God” This sentence of
Paul only indicates that men’s life is of God and he did not say that the
unbelievers had the life of God within them. Only believers are truly begotten
of God------being born again------partakers of God’s life and the divine nature
(1John. 5:12; 2Pet. 1:4).
“We ought not to think that the Divine
Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's
devising” In other words, we
should not use the specific dead things represent the living God who gives life
to all.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We always worship things made with hands
unconsciously------if we dedicate all our times, thoughts and energy to
something, we actually worship the man-made thing.
2) We can neither express God with our “thoughts
and devising” nor fully express Him with our words and literature. And
therefore the best way to know God is to worship Him in Spirit, have communion
with Him and experience Him practically.
Acts. 17:30 “Truly, these times of
ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,”
YLT: “the times, indeed,
therefore, of the ignorance God having overlooked, doth now command all men
everywhere to reform,”
Literal Meaning: “Truly, these times of
ignorance God overlooked” It means that
before this God has forgave men’s sins in the past because of their ignorance
(Rom. 3:25).
“But now commands all men everywhere to
repent” “Repent” in the
original means to change one’s mind; it indicates changing one’s views towards
God, men, himself and sins completely and being renewed in the mind. Repentance
cannot exist without faith and the faith that makes men be saved is included.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who repent and believe in the Lord will be
saved. Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the
day of salvation (2Cor. 6:2).
2) The days of men’s groping about and ignorance
has past and now the knowledge of God has been fully revealed in Christ. While
it is called today, we should come to Him quickly.
Acts. 17:31 “because He has appointed
a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has
ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.’”
YLT: “because He did set
a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom
He did ordain, having given assurance to all, having raised him out of the
dead.'”
Literal Meaning: “He will judge the world in
righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained” “The Man whom He has ordained” refers to Jesus Christ. When Christ comes for the
second time, He will judge the world with righteousness (Matt. 25:31-46; Ps.
96:13).
“He has given assurance of this to all
by raising Him from the dead.” “Assurance of
this” refers to the assured proof. The resurrection of Christ gives us an
assured proof that God has admitted the effect of the bleeding and death of
Christ on the cross and has forgiven all our sins so that we could be justified
before God (Rom. 4:25). Christ’s resurrection is the assurance that we are
convicted that He will come for the second time to judge the world.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Father judges no one, but has committed all
judgment to the Son (John. 5:32) because only the “Son of Man” could be the
judge of men (John. 5:27).
2) The Day of Judgment is coming. Our life is the
journey to the judgment-seat of Christ and probably some people have not come
to the end of their life, the Lord of judgment comes when they are still alive.
3) The risen Christ is our assurance. According to
our experience of the resurrection life of the Lord, we have the assurance that
to us God is not THE UNKNOWN GOD (See v.23) but the living and true God
(1Thess. 1:9).
4) If men want to know and believe in God, the only
way is by Christ who “was raised from the dead” because He is our “assurance”.
5) How do we treat Christ who was raised from the
dead? Do we ignore Him or treasure Him and pursuer Him? Our attitude towards
Him is quite important because it is the principle and basis according to which
God judges us in future.
6) God receives the death of Christ and we receive the
resurrection of Christ. We should believe that Christ both died and resurrected
for us.
Acts. 17:32 “And when they heard of
the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’”
YLT: “And having heard of
a rising again of the dead, some, indeed, were mocking, but others said, `We
will hear thee again concerning this;'”
Literal Meaning: “And when they heard of the
resurrection of the dead, some mocked”
According to the Greek philosophical thinking, though they believed that souls
were immortal, they did not believe that the dead was raised from the dead.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Until today the preaching of resurrection is
till the stumbling block of those who consider themselves clever and full of
knowledge, however, it is the nucleus of the faith of Christianity.
2) The reaction of the intellectuals to the gospel
is quite indifferent. It is the same today and in ancient times.
3) For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. The
world through wisdom did not know God. That we believe in the Lord should not
stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1Cor. 1:18, 21; 2:5).
Acts. 17:33 “So Paul departed from
among them.”
YLT: “and so Paul went
forth from the midst of them,”
Acts. 17:34 “However, some men joined
him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris,
and others with them.”
YLT: “and certain men
having cleaved to him, did believe, among whom [is] also Dionysius the
Areopagite, and a woman, by name Damaris, and others with them.”
Literal Meaning: “However, some men joined
him” “Join” in the original means to hold fast
something or some people firmly. Here it indicates that they not only received
the teaching of Paul but also held fast to it.
“Among them Dionysius the Areopagite” “The Areopagite” may be the member of the parliament; it is said
that “Dionysius” became the supervisor of
“A
woman named Damaris” “Damaris”, as a
women, could enter the gathering of Areopagus and she must be a Gentile women
who was well-educated and had quite a social status.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Way of Paul’s Preaching
II. Explaining and
demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead from
the prophecies of the Old Testament (v.3a).
III. Demonstrating
that the Christ had suffered and risen again from the dead from the facts of
the New Testament (v.3b).
IV. Concluding that
Jesus is the Christ (v.3c).
The Way of Paul’s Preaching the Gospel
II. Explaining
(v.3a).
III. Demonstrating
(v.3b).
IV. Publicizing
(v.3c, 13).
V. Preaching (v.18).
The Three Obstruction of Christ’s Gospel
I. The Jewish
religion (v.5, 13)------men are zealous in the religious regulations of the
their ancestors.
II. The Roman
politics (v.6-9)------men are alert that their vested power may be harmed.
III. The Greek
philosopher (v.18-21, 32)------men make light of and are indifferent towards
the new thing.
The Description of Those Who Rejected the
Witness of the Lord
I. The motivation of
the rejection------becoming envious (v.5a).
II. The key figures
who rejected them------taking some of the evil men from the marketplace, and
gathering a mob (v.5b).
III. The periphery
of the rejection------setting all the city in an uproar (v.5c).
IV. The way of the
rejection------dragging to the rulers of the city (v.6a)------with the help of
politics.
V. The handle of the
rejection------these who have turned the world upside down have come here too
(v.6b-7).
The Example of the Preachment towards the
Intellectuals
I. Beginning talking
about what the listeners had known (v.22-23).
II. Correcting the
world’s wrong conception of God (v.24-25, 29).
III. Explaining the
reason why God is God (v.24-28).
IV. Stating the
relation between God and men (v.27-28).
V. Quoting the
philosopher that the listeners knew to prove (v.28-29).
VI. Encouraging all
the people to seize the opportunity to repent (v.30).
VII. Showing that
there will be the judgment of righteousness in future (v.31).
The First Descriptions of THE UNKNOWN GOD
I. He is the Lord of
creation (v.24a).
II. He is the Lord
of heaven and earth (v.24b).
III. He is the Lord
of gifts (v.25).
IV. He is the Lord
life (v.26, 28).
V. He is the Lord
that we could seek (v.27).
VI. He is the Lord
of control (v.30).
VII. He is the Lord
of judge (v.31a).
VIII. He is the Lord
of assurance (v.31b).
The Second Description of THE UNKNOWN GOD
II. The ruler of
heaven and earth (v.24b).
III. The abundant
giver (v.25).
IV. The controller
of men (v.26).
V. The unseen Spirit
(v.27-28a).
VI. The kind Father
(v.28b-30).
VII. The righteous
judger (v.31).
The Relation between the True God and Man
I. He gives men the
universe that men could dwell and He does not dwell in temples made with hands
(v.24).
II. He gives to all
life, breath, and all things and He is not worshiped with men's hands or
provided by men (v.25).
III. He creates men
(v.26a) and He cannot be made by men’s thoughts and devising (v.29).
IV. He has
determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of men’s dwellings
(v.26b) and He lives forever and omnipresent (v.27).
V. He gives men the
instinct of life (v.28) and through which He wants us to seek Him and grope for
Him and find Him (v.27).
VI. Men are living
creatures of His offspring (v.28b-29) and therefore we should not regard Him as
dead thing (v.29b).
VII. The time that
He bears with men has past and now He commands all men to repent while they are
alive (v.30).
VIII. He has
ordained Christ for men and by we are able to pass His righteous judgment
(v.31a).
IX. He has given
assurance of this to men by raising Christ from the dead (v.31b).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren