Claiming the Promises (3)

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’” Acts 17.26-28

The truth is out there
The popular science-fiction program of some years back, The X-Files, ended every program with the claim, “The truth is out there.” Two detectives sought the truth, one the more scientific, the other more open to alternative paths. But each was persuaded that truth could be found “out there” in the larger world of people and things.

They were right, of course, for we know that God is continually revealing Himself and His will through the things He has made “out there.” Part of our calling as believers, and our privilege as royal sons and daughters of the eternal King, is to discern God’s truth and glory, wherever it is being revealed, to claim it as His truth, and then to use it for His glory.

My dad used to have a saying he would revert to whenever one of his sons would do something remarkable in a ball game – such as actually catching the ball, or getting a base hit. He would smile and say, “Oh well, a blind hog’ll find a ripe acorn every now and then.”

This was his way of encouraging us and keeping us humble at the same time. We can see Paul doing something like this with the Athenian philosophers assembled before him at the Areopagus. As a good and careful communicator, Paul began his address on a positive and complementary note, commending their interest in matters religious and philosophical. From this bit of common ground he led them to higher ground and the more glorious truths of the Gospel. En route to this, however, he led his audience through two familiar thinkers, men who had discerned the truth “out there” and whom Paul affirmed as having done so. Those pagan philosophers might have been “blind hogs,” but they had stumbled upon acorns of truth, which Paul laid claim to as the very truth of God, and which he used as platforms and starting-points for a fruitful presentation of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Common grace
Frankly, the truth is out there, to some degree or another, in every worldview, no matter how secular or pagan. In his book, A Christian Introduction to the History of Philosophy, South African theologian Francis Nigel Lee remarked the varying degrees of God’s common grace, granted to the various philosophers and thinkers throughout the ages. The early Christians, such as Augustine, recognized certain valuable insights from the philosopher Plato, and took those ideas captive within the framework of a Christian worldview. So also medieval scholastic thinkers, such as Thomas Aquinas, employed the insights of Aristotle to capture and convey Christian truth. In every age, Christians have discerned the good work of God in the ideas and culture of their surroundings, and have taken those ideas and cultures captive for the work of the Church.

God has given all things to His people, and He is putting all things under the feet of Jesus, as He distributes His precious and very great promises to all who seek Him. This includes whatever truth is “out there” to be discerned, discovered, and deployed for the cause of Christ among the unbelieving worldviews and cultures of our day.

Recovering God’s truth
This is what Paul did in Athens. He did not commend or endorse any particular philosophical school; rather, he demonstrated that God’s truth could be found in many different quarters. People are made in the image of God, and even though they may try to suppress that knowledge of God, they can never completely escape it. They are made to live God’s way in God’s world for God’s glory, and so they will, whether consciously or unconsciously, borrow from God’s truth to make their way in the world.

We should expect to come across many ways in which the truth of God is out there in the world of unbelief, and we must prepare ourselves to take that truth captive and make it obedient to the cause and Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But will we be ready to remark those acorns of truth when they come into view? Or will we, by failing to prepare and to practice vigilance (Eph. 5.15-17), miss the opportunities to show the truth that is out there, and thus fail to reclaim that truth for the Lord and His Kingdom, and use that truth to know and share the blessings of God with others?

Peter’s exhortation to the churches in Asia Minor is pertinent here: We must get our minds in gear for action (1 Pet. 1.13-16; cf. 1 Chron. 12.32). Otherwise, by our lack of preparation and failure of vigilance, our inaction will lead to missed opportunities for claiming the promises of God.

For reflection
1.  What are some ways you can see that the truth of God is “out there” in unbelieving worldviews or culture?

2.  How might you better prepare yourself to discern the truth of God “out there”?

3.  According to Ephesians 5.15-17, what are the consequences of our failing to make the most of opportunities to point out God’s truth?

Next steps – Preparation: Talk with a pastor or church leader about how you might better prepare yourself to discern the Lord’s truth “out there” in the world and culture of our day.

T. M. Moore

This is part 4 of a 5-part series, Living toward the Promises. You can download this week’s study as a free PDF, suitable for personal or group use, by clicking here. You can learn more about living toward the promises of God by ordering a copy of the book, I Will Be Your God, from our online store (click here).

We invite you to register for the free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview. In this course we provide a sweeping panorama of how life in the Kingdom of God unfolds in an age in flight from God such as ours. Set your own schedule and study at your own pace. Learn more, and register for One in Twelve, by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.