As bold as the statement may be, I say … the only true God is the Christian God who manifests Himself on the pages of the Bible. Every other religion has a god or gods … and in total these add up to in excess of a million. Under inspiration Paul refers to an altar dedicated to “AN UNKNOWN GOD”. In reversing the scales, the True God sees all these so called gods people have as unknown gods … because they are not real. Some may see this as a pronouncing judgment … but what does God say?
(i)
Am 2:4 This is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed.
See Amos speaking of “false gods’?
(ii)
1Co 8:4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Paul speaks of “an idol as nothing”, “no God but one” and “so-called gods”.
Gal 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
Here he speaks of “are not gods”. So although Paul speaks of “an unknown god” to capture the right to evangelize, from God’s perspective He speaks of all the other so called gods and unknown … because they do not exist! Please read:
Ac 17:23 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. Now what you worship as something unknown 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 hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each 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 man’s 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 all men by raising him from the dead.”
1) Worshipping the unknown.
Ac 17:23 Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
He did not say all the gods worshipped were unknown, only the unnamed one. Literally he is saying … you worship a god you don’t know the name of … well, I’ll tell you his name! Amazing! They had been passing this altar and even offering to it for many years and Paul comes along and instantly says he knows the name of this god. Naturally the God he would speak about is not symbolized by an altar or statue or even a temple.
2) This is the God you have no name for!
(1) He is the Creator God.
Ac 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it.
The word “world” Paul uses here actually means “universe” in the Greek. Even in that world they understood so much about the vastness of the universe. From a biblical perspective we have Genesis 1 informing us that everything that exists, God created. Consider:
(a)
Dt 4:19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array.
(b)
Am 5:8 he who made the Pleiades and Orion.
(c)
Job 9:9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
This is from the Bible, yet modern science tell us even more. Paul’s God (and ours) created everything that exists whilst these men in the Meeting of the Areopagus know that their so called gods’ images (idols) and statues are made from elements coming from the earth. Paul is saying … my God made those elements! Never forget that the God of the Bible is the Creator and that out of absolutely nothing, He created everything. He spoke and it came into existence. And more … He sustains everything by His powerful Word. What Paul was saying to these people is true today of the many religions of the world and their idols and statues. What is so splendid is that the God of Creation created you and me. Because of this He seeks to reconcile us to Him through Jesus Christ, His Son.
(2) He is the Lord of Heaven and earth … is the Lord of heaven and earth. Not only is Paul’s God Creator of everything that exists, He is Lord of both heaven and earth. Heaven and earth refers to our planet and the vast expanse (skies, heavens), everything visible and invisible. What is significant is that Paul says that this God of creation is rightfully Lord over all His creation. The word “Lord” here means master, possessor, owner, sovereign and chief. In other words, he made everything, owns everything and is thereby owner of all things. We must not confuse the name Lord here with God’s real name LORD (Yahweh, Jehovah). But there is more …
(3) He does not live in manmade structures … and does not live in temples built by hands. Paul’s God is too huge, too almighty … too great to live in a temple or in a statue. Is Paul hinting that God is omnipresent (present everywhere) … meaning that He is everywhere by His Spirit all the time. He is the ever present God … everywhere. No manmade creation can contain the God of all Creation, who is Lord of all! Beloved, we need to have a right view of God and we need to have a high view of God. Apart from our morals, ethics and behavior, not understanding whom God is shall affect our relationship with Him, our assurance or lack of assurance of salvation as well as our general performance throughout the day. Consider this … God is doubly Lord of His people.
(i) He is Lord of us in a general way because he made all humans and sustains us as such. He is Master and Owners of us in a general way.
(ii) He is Lord of us in a specific way. By this I mean, those of us who have surrendered to Jesus Christ through faith by confessing sin leading to repentance having Jesus as Lord of our hearts and souls. In this way God is specifically Master and Owner of all His Blood washed people.
Father, thank You that we are doubly Yours through creation and the new creation in the Lord Jesus. Thank You that You are our Lord, Master and Owner through Your Blood purchase of our souls. Help us to live lives worthy of whom we are in Jesus. Amen.