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NASB | Acts 17:23 "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 17:23 "Now as I was going along and carefully looking at your objects of worship, I came to an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you already worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. |
Bible Question: That I know! But, for example, the American Indian knew that there was an "unknown god" and worshiped. Is there any scripture that points to such a person as being saved? Suppose Paul had not made it to those people. What was their destiny? Hell? Any scripture on this? |
Bible Answer: Ok. Here's my two cents. Romans 2:18-32 talks about the wrath of God. And how God reveals Himself to people, since the beginning, through creation and His invisible qualities so that no one has an excuse to not believe in God and worship Him. Then it goes on to say that though God has revealed Himself to men, that men become fools because they tried to fit The Creator into a created object. Verse 25 says "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen." Psalm 19:1 says "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Because of these verses, we see that God reveals Himself to all humanity. When men accepted His revelation and worship Him as creator, it's ok. When they tried "squishing" Him into a created object God says "THAT'S ENOUGH!" (my paraphrasing). In light of Paul talking to the people of Athens. I believe that, in light of these scriptures, these people were subject to God's judgement. They were trying to be religious, but they didn't just believe in ONE TRUE GOD. Verse 23, "For I walked around and looked carefully at your OBJECTS OF WORSHIP." (emphasis mine). They didn't want to upset any god by not worshipping him, so they set up an alter to an unknown god. They were far off track. THey had taken what had been revealed to them and squashed The Creator into a created image. That's why, I believe, Paul goes on to talk about how God is creator and men are His created and therefore men have to repent and worship Him and not an image. Paul even goes on to talk about Jesus. And how the world will be judged with justice by Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. Paul needs to help these people understand (if only a little, since we know that God cannot be comprehended) that God is creator and He will judge by what has been revealed to us. In light of what has been revealed to us, I believe, this is how we are judged. In this day though, there are few with an excuse, and are truthfully able to say "...but I didn't know!" on the day of judgement. |