The Unknown God

At this point, we need to look at a fascinating but longer passage that illustrates how superstitious mankind will worship almost anything, including worship of many gods at the same time to avoid possible offence to whatever god they may have overlooked. This account paints an astounding picture. Take careful note of the last sentence. The story from Acts involves Paul in Athens:

“Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions [gods], I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He gives to all life, and breath, and all things; and has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent” (Ac 17:22-30).

Notice Paul’s reference “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (also found in capital letters in the King James Bible). God had to reveal Himself to the superstitious Greeks through Paul. They had devised a “catch-all” inscription designed to include any other god missed in their “devotions.” Paul took note of how they had covered themselves in their determination to leave no stone unturned in the worship of every deity. But they had not tried to “seek, feel after” and “find Him.”

King Solomon recorded that there is “no new thing under the sun” (Ec. 1:9). Truly, the God of the Bible has been unknown to countless millions who have been content to worship a god selected for them by men. Theologians and religionists have sought the opinions of philosophers, scholars and supposed experts, instead of the only important opinion—that of God, found in His Word. We will see that, centuries ago, these religious leaders reported their findings to the masses who were only too willing to swallow what was presented to them without proof.

The God Who Is Alive

Ultimately, we ask, What is the difference between the God of the Bible and all other gods? How does God Himself differentiate who and what He is from all others?

Throughout Scripture, God describes Himself over and over again as “the living God”—the “Eternal”—“I AM THAT I AM” (the name in Exodus 3:14 that Moses was instructed by God to use when representing Him to Pharaoh). In other words, the God of the Bible establishes who He is and separates Himself from all other gods by declaring Himself to be alive!—LIVING!—meaning all other gods are non-existent or, in a sense, “dead.” In effect, put another way, the true God states, “I AM,” meaning other gods “ARE NOT”—period.

It is vital that the reader continually ask throughout the book whether he or she is worshipping the one true God—the God who is alive—or something non-existent, inert and “dead,” a god who is not! This question towers over all others presented in this volume.

The Heart of the Problem

Let’s momentarily return to both ancient Israel and to modern theologians, educators and evolutionists. The prophet Hosea summarized Israel’s problem then and that of religionists and supposed “rationalists” of the modern age:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to Me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children” (Hos 4:6). This is the problem that every reader of this book must squarely face. Will you reject vital knowledge offered here about God? Then, will you “seek” and “feel after” the true God?

Paul, in the New Testament, is inspired to further record God’s view of those who have consciously, willingly rejected the truth of Who and What He is, so plainly visible throughout His Creation:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress [Greek: hold back] the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:18-22, NASB).

This passage so fittingly describes the intellectually vain, but foolish, originators of the evolutionary theory, who found the existence of God, as presented by the Bible and theologians, to be so much superstition that they could neither understand nor accept. Yet, God thunders that the facts—the evidence seen throughout His Creation, on earth and in the heavens—leave them “without excuse.” The ancients knowingly rejected clearly evident knowledge that unmistakably pointed to the existence of a God—and that He was the God of Creation. The same is true today. Why? Because so many will not “honour”—they refuse to obey—Him, when His existence and identity can be known!

A little later in context, Rom 1:28 of Romans 1:1-32 describes how God dealt with mankind collectively because it would not admit the Creation proved His existence. Notice: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind.” The word “reprobate” means “void of judgement.”

Humanity has been void of judgement on virtually all important matters. This is why the problems and troubles of all nations have only multiplied. But has all this led humanity to search out the true God from the false? Later in Romans, Paul answers the question and adds much to the picture of basic human nature when it comes to whether human beings will seek God: “There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way” (Rom 3:11-12). These verses reveal that there have been no exceptions in who chooses to seek God and stay in “the way”—His Way.

In his letter to Timothy, the inspired Paul described mankind collectively as “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Tim. 3:7). This has certainly included the knowledge—the truth—of God Himself. God must reveal Himself to individuals or they cannot know Him (John 6:44, 65).

What is written here is spiritual knowledge, unknown to all but a very few, and knowledge that you could not discover on your own. Ask yourself these questions: “Is the true God revealing Himself to me?”—and “Will I treasure this special, all-important knowledge?”