Acts 17:28
for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Paul isn't just quoting poetry; he's pointing out that even the pagans understood our existence, our very movements and thoughts, are utterly dependent on God. He highlights that recognizing ourselves as God's "offspring" is not a lofty theological insight reserved for believers, but a fundamental truth accessible to all, even those who haven't yet heard the Gospel.
Paul is defending himself against accusations of promoting foreign deities, having just spoken of an altar to an unknown god. He seizes this moment to preach about the true God, explaining that He is the source of all life and being, not a distant deity. To connect with his Athenian audience, he quotes their own poets, highlighting that even they recognized humanity's divine connection.
Ever feel like you're just going through the motions? This verse reminds us that even our basic ability to 'be' comes from Someone else.
Paul, speaking to the Athenians, uses a profound truth found in their own culture to explain who God is. He declares that we don't just live 'near' God, or 'because' of God, but 'in Him.' This isn't just about physical existence, but about the very essence of our being. Our life, our ability to move and act, and our very existence are sustained by God's constant presence and power. He is the very air we breathe, the ground we walk on, the source from which all energy flows.
Paul didn't shy away from the Athenians' culture. Instead, he found a way to connect with them using their own words.
It's fascinating that Paul quotes pagan poets to make his point about God. This wasn't a 'gotcha' moment, but a bridge-building strategy. By referencing Aratus and Cleanthes, he showed the Athenians he understood their worldview and that the truth he was presenting wasn't entirely foreign to them. He used their own poets, who acknowledged a creator and sustainer of life, to gently pivot them toward the true God. This demonstrates that truth can be found, in part, even outside of direct revelation, and that we can use cultural touchpoints to share the Gospel.
The poets of Athens said something powerful about us: 'We are indeed His offspring.' What does that really mean for how we see ourselves?
When Paul quotes 'For we are indeed his offspring,' he's lifting a profound truth from poetic language to a divine reality. It means we are not random accidents, but intentionally created beings, reflecting our Creator in some way. This isn't just about biological lineage; it's about a spiritual connection. We are made in such a way that we bear a resemblance to God, which is why we have reason, morality, and the capacity for relationship. It's a call to recognize our noble origin and not to reduce ourselves to mere material existence, as if God were just some distant, impersonal force or a statue made by human hands.
Understand the original words
genos · Greek Noun
Describes a state of being related by birth or descent; here used to denote human beings as created by God and bearing His image.
By quoting Aratus, a poet from Paul's own region and a writer well-known to educated Greeks, Paul bridges the gap between his message and their philosophical understanding, showing that the idea of humanity being God's offspring was not entirely foreign to them, even if their understanding of God was incomplete.
c. 300 BC
Cleanthes Writes Hymn to Zeus
Cleanthes, a Stoic philosopher, writes his famous Hymn to Zeus, which includes lines stating humanity is God's offspring. This reflects a philosophical current in the Greek world that God is intimately connected to all existence.
c. 272 BC
Aratus Writes Phenomena
Aratus, a poet from Tarsus (like Paul), writes his poem Phenomena. This work, which describes astronomical and meteorological phenomena, begins with lines directly quoting Cleanthes and stating that humans are Zeus's offspring.
c. AD 40-50
Paul's Missionary Journeys
The Apostle Paul travels extensively throughout the Roman Empire, preaching the Gospel. His ministry often involves engaging with pagan audiences in cities like Athens, where he confronts different philosophical and religious views.
c. AD 50-52— this verse
Paul's Ministry in Athens
This passage explores the idea of God's pervasive presence, asking 'Where shall I go from your spirit?' and 'Where shall I flee from your presence?', echoing the sentiment that our very existence and ability to move are encompassed by God.
Colossians 1:17This verse states that in Christ, all things hold together, highlighting the sustaining power of God not just in our initial existence, but in the ongoing coherence of all things, including our own lives.
Ephesians 2:10This verse calls us God's 'workmanship,' created anew in Christ Jesus for good works. It connects to the idea of being 'offspring' or 'creation' of God, emphasizing His creative and redemptive purpose for humanity.
Luke 3:38This verse traces Jesus' lineage back to Adam and then to God, stating Adam 'was a son of God.' This directly supports the idea that humanity, in its origin, is related to God as offspring.
Isaiah 45:18-19Isaiah declares that God 'formed the earth and created it; he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited.' This reinforces the concept that God is the originator and sustainer of life, and that humanity's existence is tied to His design.
ellicottActs 17:28: "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
(28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being. —Better, we live, and are moved, and are. Each of the verbs used has a definite philosophical significance. The first points to our animal life; the second—from which is derived the Greek word used by ethical writers for passions, such as fear, love, hate, and the like—not, as the English verb suggests,…
pooleActs 17:28: "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
In him we live, &c.; he is the God that made us, that preserves us, and not we ourselves; he keeps us as in the hollow of his hand, and compasseth our paths. Our breath is in our nostrils, and when we send it forth we have none to take in again, unless God furnish us with it, as out of his own hand. As certain also of your own poets; Aratus, a Greek poet: n…
Paul isn't just quoting poetry; he's pointing out that even the pagans understood our existence, our very movements and thoughts, are utterly dependent on God. He highlights that recognizing ourselves as God's "offspring" is not a lofty theological insight reserved for believers, but a fundamental truth accessible to all, even those who haven't yet heard the Gospel.
Paul is defending himself against accusations of promoting foreign deities, having just spoken of an altar to an unknown god. He seizes this moment to preach about the true God, explaining that He is the source of all life and being, not a distant deity. To connect with his Athenian audience, he quotes their own poets, highlighting that even they recognized humanity's divine connection.
Paul is defending himself against accusations of promoting foreign deities, having just spoken of an altar to an unknown god. He seizes this moment to preach about the true God, explaining that He is the source of all life and being, not a distant deity. To connect with his Athenian audience, he quotes their own poets, highlighting that even they recognized humanity's divine connection.
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Paul visits Athens and teaches in the synagogue and marketplace. He is eventually brought before the Areopagus, a council of influential Athenians, to explain his teachings about Jesus and the resurrection.
"for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’" — Paul isn't just quoting poetry; he's pointing out that even the pagans understood our existence, our very movements and thoughts, are utterly dependent on God. He highlights that recognizing ourselve…