Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Mims Chapel Church

Week 10, May 3, 2026

LESSON 10

The Speech at Mars Hill

Lesson Text:

Acts 17:22-34

Memory Verse
"For in him we /ive, and move, and have our being; as certain a/so of your own poets have said, For we are a/so his offspring."
Acts 17:28

Key Terms
Cultural Accommodation • The process by which individuals take on or align themselves to values and beliefs of the host culture.
Immanence • The doctrine or theory that the divine or a spiritual principle is manifested in the material world.

Self-Sufficient • Needing no outside help in satisfying one's basic needs.

Suggested Emphasis

When Paul visited Athens, he made his usual appeal to the Jewish community first by visiting the synagogues and presenting the evidence of Jesus' messiahship from the Holy Scriptures. However, observing how pervasive idolatry was throughout the Gentile population, the evangelist was stirred to also declare the Gospel in the markets and other open spaces. Paul chose to mimic what he saw of Athenian public life: how there were "soapbox orators" making impassioned speeches to the passing throngs. "Certain it is that some of the leaders of public opinion, philosophers, teachers and no doubt politicians, thought it would be a fine thing to give him the supreme opportunity that the city afforded to tell about his 'strange gods' and so they conducted him to Mars Hill, near the Acropolis, apparently with every mark of consideration and respect" (Clarke, 1922). The Areopagus, or Mars Hill, was a craggy plateau on a marble hilltop. It was common for wandering philosophers to be invited there to make presentations to the city elders. "Paul's message must have been a truly 'new thing' to those critical Athenians; some scoffed; others were indifferent; but a considerable group at least were profoundly stirred. The philosophy of the Christian faith was new then, not merely in Athens but generally throughout the known world. But that philosophy has shaped the course of history and transformed mankind, while most of the fads that seemed so important to the news-eager and disputatious Athenians have long since been forgotten" (Clarke, 1922).

Emphasis 1:

A Philosophical Argument

Paul opened his speech with a reference to an inscription to the "unknown god" that he had encountered in Athens. He showed that this deity the Athenians worshipped "ignorantly" was the One True God of the universe. Paul explained that God was the source of all life, and he even borrowed a phrase from a Greek poet to do so: "in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:29). In presentation style, in subject matter, and through literary references, the apostle used that with which his audience was familiar to make a connection. For that short while he became an Athenian to win the Athenians. This was a practical example of the principle outlined in 1 Corinthians 9:22: "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." Paul engaged in cultural accommodation as an appeal to an ethos that would earn him a hearing. It is particularly striking that Paul crafted a philosophical argument for his Mars Hill audience. There were no allusions to Scripture, like the messages he delivered in the synagogues. He wanted to be accepted by the crowd as a fellow philosopher presenting a reasoned argument.

Emphasis 2:

The Dependency of Humanity

Paul went on to explain some of the divine attributes and character of the One True God. "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; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:24,25). The apostle appeared to address a pagan concept that gods were reliant upon the worship human beings rendered. Early in the biblical record of God's interaction with humanity, He described himself to Father Abraham as "El Shaddai"—prop-erly translated "the self-sufficient one" (Gen. 17:1). There is nothing that the Creator needs His creatures to provide for Him; conversely, though, our existence is entirely dependent upon His consent and provision. Paul then laid out a radical equivalence for all of humanity. He spoke of the common origin of all the families of the earth; we all descended from Adam, and that the seasons and habitations of human beings had been providentially determined. God "divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam" (Deut. 32:8a); afterward, He allowed empires and people groups to rise to and fall from prominence (Dan. 2:21). All of human history ultimately worked toward God's plan of redemption. There has been divine purpose in His guidance of the nations; He has enticed them to pursue the knowledge of Himself.

Emphasis 3:

God Is Not Far From Us

The central theme of the speech then appears in verse 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." This is the only rational response to the revelation of the One True God. His nurture and guidance over the human race was intended to inspire people to grope after Him—as if they were feeling their way through a dark room—until they find Him. God deposited a longing for Him deep within us, as the psalmists and prophets have articulated (e.g., Ps. 63:1; Isa. 26:9). This would be pure frustration for humanity if it wasn't also easy to approach Him. He has given us proof of His existence (Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:20). His presence fills the heavens and the earth (1 Kings 8:27). He is with us, and sees all (Jer. 23:23,24); the righteous will always have His protection (Zeph. 3:17); the guilty cannot escape His punishment (Amos 9:2-4). Paul then summarizes his sentiment about the Immanence of God in a manner he believes the Greeks will appreciate: "For in him we live, and move, and have our being." He even throws in a line from the Greek poet Aratus (c. 315-240 BC) as a coda: "for we are also his offspring."

The apostle says it is precisely because we are the offspring of God that we should be more careful in the worship we offer Him. He takes direct aim at the Athenians idolatrous images and monuments. Until this time God had overlooked their "ignorance," but He was now calling them to account. It was time to repent of idolatry and worship God as He prescribed. Divine judgment was coming, and only those who were submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ would survive. This was the entire point of Paul's message: Athenians, Jesus is your only hope for salvation!

Missions Application Questions

To whom did Paul attribute the monument dedicated to "the unknown god"?
What are some divine attributes that Paul highlights in the sermon?
Have you ever been extremely aware of the immanence of God? Describe the experience.

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray for opportunities to engage with the larger secular society, and share the Gospel.
Let us meditate on the self-sufficiency of our God, and on our own complete dependence on Him.
Let us pray to remember that we are the offspring of our Heavenly Father.