[The Proclamation of the Holy Spirit]
Acts 17:23-34
The people of Athens continuously pursued after knowledge, giving sacrifices even to the unknown gods. But they were afraid because they were not aware of that fact. This hidden fear became a religious passion. Ironically, the people who were called the brain power of the world worshipped stones and objects. Paul proclaimed at Areopagus that he would proclaim God. Let us think about the proclamation of the Holy Spirit.
First, the Holy Spirit proclaims what is right. The people of Athens sought the joy of discovering the latest ideas. The problem was that even this joy led them in the wrong direction because of sin. A man is fast and able in discovering a more sensational sin. We also have the desire to always win. We also have the urge to know about the meaning of life on this earth, the purpose of life, and the world after death. But since we do not know what will happen in the future and have fear even though we know what will come in the future, we build something we can depend on. We build idols of money, children, education, beauty, and etc., for the security of our life after retirement and those idols rule over us. The people of Athens built idols, depended on them, and worshipped them because they did not have true knowledge.They were in the midst of sin, and Paul proclaimed the sermon of Areopagus. He did not mean that he would lecture about some knowledge, but he was talking about the true knowledge that would free them from a knowledge that bounded them and the right knowledge that gives peace.
Second, the Holy Spirit proclaims through the work of Trinity. Paul spoke of Gods work in the language that the people of Athens could understand. In verse 24, it says, 'The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.' It does not mean that we can control God according to our greedy hearts. Paul therefore explained that God the Son humbled Himself to the lowest point through phrases of Seneca such as 'appointed times' and 'boundaries of their lands'. The nature of a sinner wants to break the boundaries, but God will proclaim Himself when we keep our boundaries in the midst of troublesome life like Areopagus. The verse 25 quoted Seneca and explained that God the Spirit gives life and helps effectively to proclaim the Trinity. He said that the hidden God was not far from men, but men had to reach out to find Him. Therefore, waiting is necessary, and we cannot find God without any suffering. Paul introduced God through the logic of Stoicism which admitted the existence of gods over Epikouros atheistic philosophy. Pauls purpose was salvation of the soul so he spoke the Gospel by leveling himself with others, humbling himself, and denying himself. It is the proclamation of the Holy Spirit to speak of the Gospel in the language of the lives of others.
Third, we are Gods offspring. The verse 28 also quoted a line from a Greek poem, and it said, 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' Using this verse, Paul explained that they would realize that they are Gods sons and daughters if they keep the boundaries. He let the people know that God was not the object of their discovery but a Being whom they had to depend on even without realizing His existence. The people of Athens covered themselves with knowledge, but they lived in fear, resentment, and sorrow. When we experience the limit in lifes battles, we realize our identity. But the people of Athens did not know of their limits, and the Gospel could not work in them.
Fourth, only repentance is the proclamation of the Holy Spirit. In verse 30, Paul said, 'In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.' This meant that Jesus had paid the price of sin which Paul had committed when he did not know God. In other words, he was saying that he once was a persecutor when he did not know God and that God has given everyone the evidence to believe in God he was the witness. He was proclaiming that they would go to hell if they still do not believe God now that they have heard of Him. The life of Paul after repentance was the proclamation of the Holy Spirit. He spoke of resurrection to those who did not believe in it, and the people who worshipped stones and superstitions perceived Paul as the superstition and mocked him. We have to expect mockery from everyone at the moment we confess ourselves to be Christians. Others told Paul that they would listen to his speech another time, but this was an indirect rejection of faith. They found what was the answer, but they were afraid. So even if they thought the Gospel to be right, they rejected the Gospel evasively. Paul realized that they did not have the heart to listen to him anymore, so he just left them even if they said they would hear his speech more. Still, there were few people who came to Paul after he had gone through a spiritual battle with the worldly philosophies. They were the ones who put the proof, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God, near them.
