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Commentaries
English
Acts
  
30“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,31because He has appointed a day 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.”32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again in this matter.”33So Paul departed from among them.34However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.


Paul showed the philosophers the greatness of God, the Creator, and explained to them the meaning of man, who, as His offspring, reflects the divine image. He who destroys this image in himself falls into judgment. God has fixed a day in which He will judge everyone. Every conscience, every perception of truth, and all religions of this world teach that God will judge every person. The just judgment of God is unavoidable, and the measure in this divine court is God Himself, who, in His holiness said: “Be holy, for I am holy.” This judgment was the fourth main thought Paul presented to his hearers.
In view of the truth of this judgment to come Paul called upon all men to turn, be converted, and to renew their minds. We do not live to pursue idealistic goals, or to participate in superstitions about gods and spirits. We all hurry toward the Day of Judgment, the end of humanity. Life´s meaning does not lie in dreams, atheistic thoughts, or in the enjoying of arts, but in preparedness for the judgment. God did not leave to man the choice of whether to prepare himself for the Day of Judgment or not. Instead, He orders all men everywhere, on all continents, to turn to Him, to leave the folly of their atheistic philosophy, and not build themselves up on the gods of their dead technological sciences. God alone is the truth. There is no religion without the Day of Judgment. Thus the call to repentance was the fifth subject Paul spoke of in his discourse to the Athenians.
After this long, deep introduction, Paul began the second part of his sermon, saying that God would exercise His judgment by means of one man, Jesus Christ, who is holy and blameless, over whom death has no power. This Man, Jesus, is the only one whom God raised from the dead. He lives, and has overcome sin, death, and all temptations. He experienced all troubles and devilish insinuations and triumphed over them. Therefore, he has both the right and the authority to judge all men. All authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth. Presenting Christ as man´s Judge was the sixth import of Paul´s sermon on the Hill of Areopagus.
Christ’s design is not to destroy or consume sinners, but to establish the kingdom of peace, and to carry out salvation to all men. Admittance into the expanses of God does not come by trusting in philosophical notions, but through faith, the absolute submitting of oneself to God. Christ helps us come to this faith, and gives us a new covenant. We, thereby, have the possibility to escape the coming judgment. Christ did not ask us to repent on our own accord, or to be converted by the power of our own minds. He helps us in regard to repentance, conversion, and faith, which involves not just belief, but a personal relationship with the living Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us the power which confirms us in faith and pure conduct. Faith in Christ renews us in our inner man. This is why we cannot believe in gods, spirits, and philosophies and follow Christ at the same time. Our complete submission to our Savior changes us into His image. Did you observe the seventh point in Paul’s sermon? It is that Christ, and not philosophy, gives us faith as the way to everlasting salvation.
The most important thing to reflect on in the life of Christ is His glorious resurrection, where the power, holiness, and wisdom of God were crystallized. He has broken death entirely. All sadness and tears were overcome by His resurrection. The goal of man´s history is not pessimism, regarding the coming judgment, or the viewing of life as meaningless. We must not follow ascetic stoicism, but seek everlasting life, which shines purity, glory, and joy into the horizon of our future. In the eighth and principle point of Paul´s message he called on the philosophers to believe in the living Christ, the Giver of life. In Him is everlasting life through the power of His resurrection. With this final principle he gave His hearers a view of historical progression, along with foundational understanding to help them accept the Christian life.
Paul´s message on the resurrection caused the thinkers to begin laughing, for human philosophy can only end with death, and all human perception ends at the door leading to eternity. The true thinker confesses he can only think within the limits of that which is reasonable and possible. Christ’s resurrection is impossible, incredible to human understanding. The Athenians took offense at the open tomb of Christ. Their philosophies circled around the imaginations and limitations of the mind. Their understanding was clouded with doubt about what is beyond death, trapped in absolute unbelief. Paul frankly stated in his epistles that no one can recognize the divinity of Christ without the Holy Spirit. Thus he who takes hold of his own spirit is not prepared for God´s Spirit to dwell in him.
It was a bitter blow for Paul to see Athen´s choice philosophers and their disciples all around the world ridicule him publicly. They had turned their backs on him, saying mockingly: “We want to hear you speak about this again.” In fact, they did not hear the word of God a single time again, for Paul silently and sorrowfully left the city. The pride of the philosophers prejudiced them against the salvation of Christ. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians (1: 12- 2: 15) Paul clarifies to us with decisive sharpness the difference between philosophy and faith. You cannot understand Paul’s experiences at Athens unless you have deep understanding into the above mentioned passage of his First Epistle to the Corinthians.
The testimony to the unity of God, the great Creator, the call to repentance before the judgment of God, as well as the charge to believe on the resurrected Christ did not, however, remain without fruit. Some joined Paul and confessed faith in Christ. Their minds were transformed through Him and they received everlasting life. One believer was a member of the Areopagus itself, another was a respectable woman. But overall, there were few converts in Athens. Thus at Athens, amidst the pride of blind philosophers, there was formed a small, lowly church. It lived from the fullness of the life of Christ, the One who had risen from the dead.

Prayer
O holy God, we worship You, for Your kingdom rests not upon keeping the law, or on understanding the different philosophies, but on faith in Your Son Jesus Christ, who delivered us from the fear of judgment, and filled us with the joy of everlasting life.
Question
What is the only way to escape the judgment of God on the Last Day?