“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; (Acts 17:23–24)

Christian apologetics is the discipline of defending what we believe to show that it will stand up against other belief systems. A polemic is the term given to the effort of taking the offensive in showing that those other belief systems are wrong. Basically these are two sides of one coin, and the apostle Paul used both on Mars Hill in Athens as he engages the philosophers. It was different with those who had a Judaic understanding of the world and of God. With them the text characterizes him as “reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present” (Acts 17:17). Paul had much common ground from which to reason.

With the intellects of the Athenian academy, things were different. Their orientation to the world and life were completely different. Paul went in search of common ground on which to build his reasoning with them. How do you do that with people who are described like this: “[A]ll the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new” (Acts 17:21)? To them theological/philosophical debates were nothing more than a pastime with which to entertain themselves. The chance to hear Paul would be amusing—so Paul got his audience.

The apostle found something good about them to compliment them: that they were “very religious in all respects” (Acts 17:22). Religiousness was certainly commendable. It’s always good to start on the positive! He pointed out their own acknowledged limitations in their beliefs—in this case, an altar “to an unknown God.” He filled in the blanks: they needed to know the Creator God who is “Lord of heaven and earth.” That is their unknown God. He is not just one of a pantheon of the Greek or Roman deities, one among many to choose from. He is the ultimate God over all. There is none greater than He. Everything is under His Lordship. If the Greeks believed Zeus was the most powerful of the gods, then Paul’s God is greater. Christians have one God, who is supreme over all who live in heaven or on earth. This is the one who will judge us all, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Acts 17:31).

Lord, help me to remember in my evangelism not to shy away from talking about the Creator God who is the supreme authority over all.