{"id":56388,"date":"2019-04-18T09:41:13","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T06:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=56388"},"modified":"2025-09-25T07:15:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T04:15:57","slug":"to-the-unknown-god-a-message-for-our-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/04\/18\/to-the-unknown-god-a-message-for-our-time\/","title":{"rendered":"TO THE UNKNOWN GOD: A Message for Our Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Acts 17:16\u201334)<\/em><\/h3>\n

In Acts 17, we read about the Apostle Paul\u2019s missionary journey to Athens<\/strong>, the intellectual and philosophical hub of the ancient Greek world. This was not just any city it was the birthplace of many of the world\u2019s greatest thinkers and philosophers, including Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras, Xenophon, and Ptolemy<\/strong>. These were men of deep thought, rigorous reasoning, and passionate inquiry.<\/p>\n

The Athenians were not easily swayed by myths or hearsay. They were seekers of truth, always eager to understand the deeper meaning of things. The Bible says:<\/p>\n

\u201cNow all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.\u201dActs 17:21, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is in this context that Paul arrives and begins observing the city, noting its religious landscape. Amidst his explorations, he comes across a remarkable altar an altar inscribed with the words: \u201cTO THE UNKNOWN GOD.\u201d<\/strong> (Acts 17:23)<\/p>\n

This deeply impacted Paul.<\/p>\n

The Greek Dilemma: Seeking but Not Finding<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unlike other pagan cultures, the Greeks were not content with blind worship. They were thinkers. Their inscription, \u201cTo the Unknown God,\u201d was not mere superstition it was the humble admission<\/strong> that amidst all their idols, philosophies, and scientific pursuits, there remained a supreme being<\/strong> beyond their comprehension.<\/p>\n

They had come to a conclusion many modern thinkers also reach: that there must be a transcendent cause behind the order of the universe <\/strong>one not made by human hands, nor confined to temples or religious rituals.<\/p>\n

Paul seizes this moment to speak truth into their spiritual curiosity.<\/p>\n

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Paul\u2019s Message on Mars Hill<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cMen of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, \u2018To the unknown god.\u2019
\nWhat therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.\u201dActs 17:22\u201323, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Paul boldly declared that this “Unknown God”<\/strong> was none other than the Creator of the heavens and the earth<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man.\u201dActs 17:24, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He goes further to say this God is not served by human hands, nor is He distant or detached:<\/p>\n

\u201c…He is actually not far from each one of us, for \u2018In Him we live and move and have our being\u2019… For we are indeed His offspring.\u201dActs 17:27\u201328, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Paul then points them toward Jesus Christ<\/strong>, the only way to truly know this unknowable God:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.\u201dActs 17:30, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201c…Because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.\u201dActs 17:31, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Modern Echoes of Ancient Athens<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Just like in Athens, our generation is filled with seekers, scientists, and skeptics. Many believe in a Supreme Power<\/strong>, but they call it by other names \u201cNature<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cthe Universe<\/strong>,\u201d or \u201cEnergy<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Famous physicist Albert Einstein<\/strong> once said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in God, but not in a personal God who is concerned with the fates and actions of human beings\u2026 I believe in the God of Spinoza, who reveals Himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns Himself with the fates and actions of human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, many Muslims believe in Allah<\/strong> as utterly transcendent not a father, not a man, not to be called \u201cFather\u201d or to have any relationship with human beings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All these beliefs like the Athenian altar reflect a limited knowledge<\/strong> of the one true God. They recognize His greatness, but not His accessibility<\/strong> through Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey worship what they do not know\u2026\u201d
\n(cf. John 4:22)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Jesus: The Visible Image of the Invisible God<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The mystery of the “Unknown God” was fully revealed in Jesus Christ<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.\u201dColossians 2:9, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHe is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.\u201dColossians 1:15, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWhoever has seen me has seen the Father.\u201dJohn 14:9, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God made Himself knowable<\/strong> in Christ. Without Him, no one can understand or relate to God. Jesus is the “interface” through whom finite man can engage with an infinite God.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s use a modern analogy.<\/p>\n

\n

Analogy: Jesus is the Screen of the Phone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Imagine your smartphone. The internal components (motherboard, processor, circuits) make it work, but you can’t communicate through it unless there’s a screen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That screen translates the complex technology into simple icons, apps, and touch commands that you can interact with. Jesus is that interface.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without Jesus, trying to reach God is like opening the phone and touching the chips and wires directly you won\u2019t make a call. Jesus bridges the infinite and the finite.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo one comes to the Father except through me.\u201dJohn 14:6, ESV<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Why Knowing God Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Worshipping a God you do not know has consequences.<\/p>\n