An Unmade God

In Acts 17, the people of Athens wanted to hear about the new God that the apostle Paul proclaimed. They worshipped many gods already. So why not one more? At least, that’s what they were thinking.

Paul began his reasoning with them in a way they would understand. He used nature and an altar they had built to an “unknown God.” Paul explained to them that the God Who was unknown to them created everything and lives outside of creation.

Acts 17:24-25 records Paul saying, “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; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things” (NASB).

With these words, Paul explained that his God was too great to live in a temple and did not need any help from men to exist. The God Who Paul proclaimed was a sharp contrast to the finite gods of the Greeks.

Why Did Paul Use Nature?

 When people see nature, they see the hand of God. In our heart of hearts, we cannot look at the majesty of nature and not see God’s hand.

The Bible is only available to those who have it, but everyone can look at nature and know that somebody had to create it. But still, people deny the existence of a Creator based on their own presuppositions and/or moral desires. But when we look at nature without any presuppositions, we see it as a creation of a great and powerful God, the God of the Bible.

God, Nature and You

When you consider the wonders of nature, think about how great God is. How amazing does He have to be to create all that is in creation? From the tiniest bug to the greatest star, God made them all.

A Closing Prayer

Dear God, when I look at creation, may it show me how great You are. For You have created wonders both tiny and great. I praise You!

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Excerpt taken from Drawing Near: Meeting God in His Creation by Pasquale Mingarelli

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