THE LIVING CHURCH
Meditations in the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 17:29-31

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HAVING TAUGHT the people concerning God as he has revealed himself and the relation humanity has to God, Paul then applies this teaching to the people. Application is very necessary in preaching. Christianity is not an interest we may or may not take up, it is a matter of life and death; and not just in terms of this world, but in terms of eternity, Our eternal destiny is bound up with it. The Gospel is the only means of life eternal, and without embracing the Gospel we are lost and subject to eternal death, with all that that means.

Paul commences his application with the words "Therefore since we are God's offspring". It is a fact of life that not only are we created by God, and dependent upon God for life, but we belong to God. We are his offspring. We are owned by God. When we make something for our pleasure, glory and use, it belongs to us and we have total right over it. It is our possession. In the same way, and much more, we are the possession of God and he has rights of possession over us. We were made to glorify God, and so we are obligated to live as God intended. However it is not all one sided. God made us also to enjoy him, and when we do live for him, we find the blessedness of enjoyment of God - of his love and presence.

To live without God and in rebellion with God is the grand theft. We take our life, which rightfully belongs to God, and use it for our own ends. In other words we steal it. It is a grand theft, much more evil and awful than any human crime. Human crimes against humanity are so vile because in the end they are crimes against God, for it is taking his treasured possession and mutilating it or destroying it.

This ownership of God is something we find so hard to accept. We live in a culture which is bred on the human right of freedom, and this is carried through to any idea of God. We talk glibly of freedom of choice to choose God or not. However this is evil. We have no choice. We belong to God as his offspring. It is evil to seek to chose to steal ourselves away from him. This is the truth, however we may want to reject it and refuse to accept it.

Then Paul speaks of unworthy views of God. We may accept God, and then make him in our own image. The ancients made Gods out of metal, wood or stone. We don't do anything like this which we would class a silly. Instead we make up thoughts and ideas of God which fit what we would prefer to have. We then reject out of hand the revelation God has given us of himself in the Bible. All through the Bible it is made clear that such idolatry, for that is what it is, is highly offensive to God and dishonours him.

Paul continues his application by saying that the fact that God seemed to disregard such unworthy views of himself in the past does not mean that he will do so in the future. In fact now God commands everyone to repent. The fact is that God will not overlook such offence, as idolatry is to him, whatever form it takes. Nor will he disregard our neglect of him. The fact is that God has appointed the judge, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the day of judgement. The day of judgement is not known to anyone but God, but it has been appointed and will come. No one will be able to escape that day, and all will have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ.

The proof of all this is to be found in the resurrection of Christ and his exaltation to sit at the right hand of God. The Lord reigns sovereign over heaven and earth. This truth concerning the judgement would be awful unless there was the certain redemption in Jesus Christ. God calls us to repent so that we may turn to Christ now and receive him as our Saviour. In this way we will escape his judgement on the last day. The call to repent is a gracious act on the part of God, for it is a call to receive his grace of unmerited, though free, forgiveness through the death of Christ for us.

On the day of judgement people will be condemned, not so much for their sins which can be forgiven in Christ, but for the great sin, the sin against the Holy Ghost, of refusing the call of God to receive the free salvation he offers in Jesus. Come, let us repent and surrender our lives in faith and obedience to Jesus.