Paul at the Altar in Athens
Month 5: What About Other Religions? · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 17:22-31
22 Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. 25 Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination. 30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
Memory Verse
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”— John 14:6 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Numbers 19-21
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Israel grumbles, and God provides; even the bronze serpent points ahead to the cross.)The Heart of It
Athens was the smartest, most religious city Paul had ever walked through. There were statues of gods on every corner. There were temples up every street. There were philosophers arguing all day long. Paul could have gotten angry. Instead, he walked carefully. He looked, and he listened. He even found an altar marked "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD." The Athenians had so many gods they were afraid they might have missed one! But Paul didn't mock them. He basically said, "That God you don't know? Let me introduce Him to you." Then he told them about the one true God. This God made heaven and earth. He doesn't live in temples made by hands. He gives life to everyone. And He raised Jesus from the dead.
Notice how Paul did it. He was respectful and warm, but he didn't water down the truth. He found something they already believed. They sensed there was something bigger than us. And he built a bridge from that straight to Jesus. That's how we talk to people who believe differently than we do. We don't shout them down. And we don't pretend all gods are the same. Instead, we kindly point to the one God who is really there. He is really there, and we can really know Him through Jesus. Other religions are full of sincere people who are genuinely searching. Our job is to introduce them to the God they're searching for.
Around the Table
The people in Athens worshiped lots of pretend gods. But Paul told them about the ONE real God. That God made everything, and He loves them.
Let's do it: Pretend you're Paul. Smile and say to someone, "I know the real God. Can I tell you about Him?"
Paul was kind to people who believed differently. But he still told them the truth about Jesus. Why is it important to do both?
Let's talk: What's a kind way to start a conversation about God with a friend?
Paul found common ground. It was the altar to the Unknown God. Then he built a bridge to the gospel. He respected the people without agreeing that all gods are equal.
Let's go deeper: How can you tell the difference between being respectful of someone and agreeing with everything they believe?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you visited a city full of statues of made-up gods, what's the first thing you'd want to tell people about the real one?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Sometimes someone will say, "All religions basically teach the same thing." You can kindly point out that they actually make opposite claims. So they can't all be true at once. Like Paul in Athens, we listen first. Then we gently introduce the God who is really there. We do it "with gentleness and respect" ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Paul models something many of us miss. He showed cultural awareness without compromise. He quoted their own poets, not to flatter them, but to find the truest thing they already sensed and steer it toward Christ. That takes a man who actually knows people, not just arguments. Your kids will meet a hundred "altars to unknown gods." They'll hear vague spirituality, "just be a good person," and "your truth and my truth." Train them to ask one quiet question: who is this God, and how do you know? Most belief systems crumble gently under genuine, kind curiosity. So lead by being a dad who can disagree without being disagreeable.
Draws on: Sean McDowell, A New Kind of Apologist.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for being the one true God. You made everything, and we can know You through Jesus. Help us love people who believe differently. Help us listen well. And help us kindly point them to You. In Jesus' name, amen."
There's only one real God. And like Paul, I can kindly introduce Him to people who are searching.