Acts 17:28 – “…in Him we live and move and have our being…”  NKJV

When the apostle Paul came to the philosophers in Athens, Greece he challenged their belief in a myriad of gods by proclaiming to them the “Unknown God”, who is the One True God!  As he gave his discourse and presented line upon line identifying this “Unknown God” he came to the words I highlighted for a text.

It is in this God that we LIVE!  He is Life, for Jesus, Himself declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”  He is the source of life, and apart from Him there can be no true life only existence and even that is realized through Him.  As the old gospel hymn, “Because He lives, I can live also…”  Paul passionately proclaims that LIFE is through the work of this God they identify as the “Unknown God”.  Paul identifies this God as being the creator of all things and the sustainer of life.

It is in this God that we MOVE!  That is an interesting word to use.  It is the Greek [kinoumetha] and Doddridge translates it, “And are moved”.  Many Bible scholars believe that it is in the middle voice and the rendering of “and move” is correct.  Regardless of which you accept it is clear that it is from this God that we derive our strength and are in a constant state of dependence upon Him.  It is from Him that we are able to move forward in life.  We can perform no motion physically or spiritually without Him.  He is the giver and sustainer of life.

It is in this God we have our BEING!  Our continued existence is totally dependent upon Him.  Life is a gift from God and as James warned in 4:14, “…For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  There is not being without this God the Greeks identified as the “Unknown God” who to those who believe the “Only True and Living God”. 

Sadly, many do not know or recognize this God, the Living God, Creator of Heaven and Earth.  In our day of excessive tolerance and acceptance of anything and everything, we miss the imperative the Holy Spirit through Paul issued.  Paul addressed the ignorance and even unbelief that created the altar to the Unknown God and said, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a don on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” [Vv.30-31]

The source of life naturally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually is God!  Without Him, we could do and would be nothing.  Through Him, we are “more than conquerors”.  We can do all things through His strength.  I pray that each of us realizes more and more each passing moment of our total dependence upon Him.

May God bless you richly as you go through your day!