By Bob DeWaay. Paul Proclaims the Truth About God: Acts 17:21-26 

When Paul began to preach to the philosophers in Athens, he uses the inscription “to an unknown God” to proclaim the true Creator who, ironically, is not known through the philosophies of the Greeks or through ignorant polytheism. This God is the non-contingent God who created the whole universe. We cite Isaiah 45:18-21 to show that the truths Paul preaches here were revealed in the OT. The pagans have “gods that do not save” (Isaiah 45:20). Paul similarly preached that the Creator “does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24-25). Mars Hill was filled with various temples for pagan deities. We discuss the fact that the Bible was Holy Spirit inspired and that the Biblical writers determined the meaning and not the readers. The phrase “not made with hands” was also used in Hebrews 9:11 and 9:24 to describe the dwelling place of Christ. Paul preached the truth about God as the true Creator as he confronted the pagan ideas of his day. The end of this class includes a brief discussion about Romans 14:17.