How does Acts 17:28 support the existence of God? Immediate Literary Context (Acts 17:22-31) Paul’s address on the Areopagus culminates with v. 28: “For ‘In Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’” Luke records the speech to show that the God whom Athens called “Unknown” (v. 23) is both Creator (v. 24) and Judge (v. 31). Verse 28 sits at the hinge of that argument, grounding human existence itself in God’s sustaining presence. Paul’s Citation of Pagan Poets Paul quotes Epimenides of Crete (6th c. BC, Cretica fr. 1) and Aratus of Cilicia (3rd c. BC, Phaenomena 5). Both poems addressed Zeus; Paul reapplies the language to the true Creator. By doing so he demonstrates that even pagan intuition strains toward the biblical God, fulfilling Romans 1:19-20. Philosophical Force: Contingency and Upholding 1. Contingency: Everything that lives, moves, or “is” does so dependently. Dependent beings require an Independent Ground—Yahweh. 2. Continuous creation: Classical theism holds God not merely as a first cause but as present cause. Acts 17:28 mirrors Colossians 1:17, “in Him all things hold together.” Ongoing conservation of the universe supports a personal, sustaining Deity rather than an impersonal force. Cosmological Corroboration Modern astrophysics affirms a universe with a beginning (standard Big Bang cosmology) and finely tuned constants (strong nuclear force, cosmological constant, etc.). Such precision aligns with Isaiah 45:18, “He did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited.” Fine-tuning data (e.g., Martin Rees’s “Just Six Numbers,” 1999) fits the description that life exists “in Him,” not by happenstance. Teleological Echoes in Biology Irreducible complexity in molecular machines (e.g., bacterial flagellum, ATP synthase) showcases specified information analogous to software, pointing to a Mind. Paul’s triad—live, move, be—matches the integrated systems of life discovered by modern biochemistry. Information theory (Shannon; Meyer, Signature in the Cell, 2009) affirms that coded information (DNA) always arises from intelligence. Archaeological Verification of Luke’s Setting Excavations (1890-1938, Kavvadias & Judeich) uncovered inscriptions designating the “Areopagites,” matching Luke’s title “Areopagus” (v. 19). A 2nd-century AD altar inscription partially reading “ΑΓΝΩΣΤΩ ΘΕΩ” (“To an unknown god”) found near the foot of the Acropolis corroborates the cultural backdrop of v. 23. Luke’s precision in civic titles (e.g., “polytarchs” in Acts 17:6, verified by Thessalonian inscriptions) adds credibility to the entire narrative. Moral and Existential Implications Because we “have our being” in God, moral accountability follows. Paul moves from ontology (v. 28) to ethics (v. 30, “He commands all people everywhere to repent”) and eschatology (v. 31, judgment through the resurrected Man). Being itself carries a moral demand; estrangement from the Creator warrants repentance. Validation through the Resurrection Verse 31 anchors God’s existence in a public miracle: “He has given assurance to all men by raising Him from the dead.” The minimal-facts approach (empty tomb, post-mortem appearances, transformation of skeptics) is best explained by actual resurrection, not hallucination or legend. A God who can raise the dead is fully capable of being the ontological ground in v. 28. Corroborative Scripture • Job 12:10, “The life of every creature and the breath of all mankind are in His hand.” • Psalm 104:29-30, “When You hide Your face, they are terrified…When You send Your Spirit, they are created.” • Hebrews 1:3, “He upholds all things by His powerful word.” Together these passages form a canonical chorus declaring continuous divine sustenance. Contemporary Witness of Miracles Documented healings at Lourdes (Zucchi, Miraculous Cures, 2007) and verified cases in Craig Keener’s Miracles (2011) give modern-day experiential evidence that the God “in whom we live” still intervenes. Logical Flow of Paul’s Argument 1. Creator of all (v. 24). 2. Sustainer of life (v. 28). 3. Sovereign over history (v. 26). 4. Seeker of relationship (v. 27). 5. Judge by resurrected Christ (v. 31). Remove any link and the sequence collapses; keep them, and the existence of God is the inescapable conclusion. Conclusion Acts 17:28 supports God’s existence by asserting that every facet of human existence—biological, kinetic, and ontological—depends on Him. The claim is textually secure, philosophically compelling, scientifically coherent, archaeologically corroborated, and existentially satisfying. It stands as the linchpin in Paul’s appeal, calling every listener, ancient or modern, to acknowledge the God in whom they already live, move, and have their being. |
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