Acts 17:24-25 (ESV Strong's)
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Truth: God's sovereignty is a good place to start when presenting the gospel to men who have not context for God.
Note what Paul says the Colossians about God's sovereign power:
Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV Strong's)
The Preeminence of Christ
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
When Paul stated those words to the Colossee believers he was doing so because they were being tempted to be drawn away from Christ to worship angels and see other knowledge as a way to their salvation. Paul talks about God's authority to get them back into the context that Jesus is God and therefore worthy of our praise and worship. In Acts 17 Paul arrives at the Areopagus, a place designed as a worship of all things "god." Paul wants them to realize that God sent His Son, who therefore has authority, to save them. He is worthy of worship. What better way to say Jesus is worthy of worship (more worthy of worship than the gods they had set up idols to worship), than to declare Him creator of the universe. The world can't recognize Jesus as creator of the universe because than they would have to worship Him and declare His act of salvation necessary for their repentance. God made the heavens and the earth. Jesus was there at creation. That makes Him, God. That makes Him worthy of worship and ABLE to save. Only the Creator is able to save the created. Only the Creator is worthy of worship.
No comments:
Post a Comment