Acts 17:28

“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Acts 17:28

Paul has stated that God has ordained the boundaries of the nations so that people should seek the Lord, and in feeling for Him, He might be found. He said this while noting that He is not far from each of us. He now explains that saying, “for in Him.”

The word “in” can have various connotations. One of them is to be inside of something else. It can also mean being the product of, such as “In His act of creating, God displayed infinite wisdom.” Further, it can be used to help define something else. For example, “In seven days, I will finish this job.”

Paul is probably saying this in the sense of being the product of, but because of that, it would be inclusive of the thought of being inside of or surrounded by. We are the product of His hand and thus “we live.”

The word means exactly that. It is experiencing the gift of life given by God. We are the product of His act of creation, but we are also being sustained by Him, as it says in Colossians 1 and Hebrews 1. For example –

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16, 17

God created and He sustains. Further, Paul continues, saying, “and move.” The word signifies the act of moving. It is translated as wagging in Matthew 27:39. In Revelation, Jesus tells the church at Ephesus that He will remove their lampstand unless they repent. However, the word also is used figuratively to indicate the arousal of passions. Ellicott seems to rightly argue that this is the intent here.

This is the only time Paul uses the word. Its other two uses in Acts are by Luke. One is in the sense of provocation and another refers to stirring up sedition. If the first word, live, refers to the physical existence of man, this one would speak of his emotional nature. Remembering that the purpose of Paul’s words is based on the previous verses where man is to seek after God, this makes complete sense.

First, man is created by God and our lives are the product of His hands. Thus, we have a responsibility to search out the One who so fashioned us. Second, our emotions are a part of who we are and they are to be directed to conduct that would support our seeking after Him. Third, Paul continues with, “and have our being.”

The words are an unnecessary paraphrase. It is a single word meaning “are.” Therefore, an equivalent idea is “and exist.” Not only do we have life as a product of His hand, but our continued existence, from moment to moment is fully known to Him and dependent on Him. This is reflected in Jesus’ words –

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31

The existence of the sparrow is known to God, the state of the hair on our heads – which is a part of our existence – is known to God, and the number of our days is known to God –

“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.” Job 14:5

Paul’s words indicate the total dependence of man on God. Thus, man should acknowledge that He is reliant on Him and seek Him out. His nearness makes this possible and it is thus man’s duty to perform. With that noted, Paul next goes outside of Scripture to make his point, saying, “as also some of your own poets have said.”

When he says, “your own poets,” he is not referring to Athenians specifically, but Greek-speaking Gentiles whose work was known and quoted among the people. By quoting such a poet, it would lead the Athenians to know that he wasn’t just a wandering Jew, but an educated man who knew Greek literature.

As for the word “poet,” it is introduced into Scripture here, poiétés. It signifies a doer or a performer. In this case, because Paul will cite poetry, it refers to a doer of poems. As Paul notes poets in the plural, he is indicating that what he will cite is found in more than just one poet. It was a well-known thought used again by another. The poets are Aratus and Cleanthes. Paul cites their words, saying, “For we are also His offspring.”

In other words, these Gentile writers understood that man is the product of a greater being. The being they ascribe their life to may not be the God of the Bible, but the premise of being the product of a divine being was understood by them.

Aratus was from Cilicia where Paul was from. He lived from 315-240 BC. Cleanthes was from Behram, Turkey, living from 331-232 BC. Concerning this line of poetry, Barnes writes –

“This precise expression is found in Aratus (‘Phaenom.,’ v. 5), and in Cleanthus in a hymn to Jupiter. Substantially the same sentiment is found in several other Greek poets. ... Aratus passed much of his time at the court of Antigonus Gonatas, king of Macedonia. His principal work was the ‘Phoenomena,’ which is here quoted, and was so highly esteemed in Greece that many learned men wrote commentaries on it. The sentiment here quoted was directly at variance with the views of the Epicureans; and it is proof of Paul's address and skill, as well as his acquaintance with his auditors and with the Greek poets, that he was able to adduce a sentiment so directly in point, and that had the concurrent testimony of so many of the Greeks themselves. It is one instance among thousands where an acquaintance with profane learning may be of use to a minister of the gospel.”

The specific lines of poetry from Aratus state –

“From Zeus begin; never let us leave
His name unloved. With Him, with Zeus, are filled
All paths we tread, and all the marts of men;
Filled, too, the sea, and every creek and bay;
And all in all things need we help of Zeus,
For we too are his offspring.” Aratus from Phenomena

Cleanthes’ words are almost identical and are in a hymn to Zeus. Paul’s point is that truth can be found in other religions and philosophies and it can be used for the benefit of evangelizing. However, this does not mean that the religion itself is true.

In verse 23 he referred to a Greek altar to show that he was not introducing foreign gods. He does the same here by supporting his knowledge of God with words from Greek writers. They may have been confused about who this God is, but they could not say he was introducing a foreign one. Rather, he is clarifying what was stated by them.

Life application: When evangelizing someone of another religion, asking what that person believes is a good way of helping him process what you are telling him. This is because most people really have no idea about their own religion. They do things because that is what they were taught to do.

This is no different than evangelizing someone who has been in church his whole life but has never been told the simple gospel. Such people go to church and do stuff. But they have no idea as to why they do what they do. It is just a part of their cultural life and so they continue with it.

However, without knowing Jesus, those people cannot have a close and personal relationship with God. Introducing them to what Jesus has done will make this possible. There will no longer be a need to “do” stuff because Jesus has done it all. Be sure to get out and tell people about Jesus – our great Doer!

Lord God, thank You that Jesus has done it all! He has accomplished everything necessary to reconcile us to You. Now, all we need to do is to believe. May we use wisdom in how we spend our time and may we get out and tell others about this good news. To Your glory. Amen.