Read Acts 17:16-34

“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” (Acts 17:25)

The apostle Paul finds himself in a truly unusual situation surrounded by an unusual people — the people of Athens. He’s preaching to a crowd who were philosophers, brainiacs, and superstitions. Not only that, but there seemed to be as many idols as there were people in the city! To cover all their bases, they even had an altar dedicated to “The Unknown God” (Acts 17:23) — talk about being arrogant in your own ignorance!

As you can imagine, this gave Paul a difficult starting point to begin preaching the gospel. How do you preach the one and only, true and living God to a crowd completely desensitized by idolatry?

Yet, Paul’s approach is truly genius — or better yet, Spirit led! He brilliantly cuts to the heart of their sin by using their own ignorance about God.

“The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you!” (Acts 17:23)

Paul in quick fashion preaches God as the Creator, as the Eternal and Sovereign One, and — listen closely — as One who does not need us at all.

"He is not worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." (Acts 17:25)

You see, the people of Athens approached God from a very self-centered perspective. "God is the One who needs us!” was their mantra.

However, Paul makes a key correction. He says, God has appointed all things in this life in order that we should “grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us!”

What an interesting statement, and one that we must take to heart if we are serious about approaching God from the right perspective.

There is a dangerous doctrine in the church today that has been growing for quite some time, and it’s the idea that God needs us, and because God needs us, He sent Christ to die for us so we could be with Him forever because He couldn't stand heaven without us.

This dangerous doctrine is defiling our worship songs, our children’s bible lessons, and even our pulpits. This false teaching not only ruins the beauty of the Gospel, but also makes us as arrogant and self-centered as the people of Athens were.

Instead, the Scriptures proclaim that the wonder and beauty of the Gospel is that God sent His Son to die for us even though He doesn't need us. It speaks of a Love that supernaturally overwhelms us because we are in no position to be pursued by God, let alone given a single thought.

It is in the mystery of God’s love for us (not need of us) that we discover the right and biblical message of the Gospel, and that causes us to seek the Lord... to grope for Him and find Him!

No wonder Paul says to the Philippian church:

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12)

Oh, praise the Lord for His mysterious and wonderful love for us. May we, as Paul did, press on and grope for Him in order that we may find life, and life more abundantly, in Him.

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9–10)

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