Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

 

In Athens, Paul came up against the great philosophies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. He found himself in the midst of very educated people. However, their education and knowledge was all based on superstition and philosophy.

 

Paul stood before them and preached about Jesus and the Resurrection but they were not at all receptive to his Message. They called him a babbler which was a horrible insult. The Greek word for babbler is spermologos which means seed picker or chatterer. A seed picker was a small bird that survived by picking seeds from the ground. In those days, this term was used for one given to gossip.

 

They gave no credence to Paul’s Message considering it to be babble and gossip. To them, Paul had no philosophy or education at all and they discounted everything he said. What they didn’t know is that Paul was probably more educated than most of them having studied at the university in Tarsus and sat under the great Gamaliel.

 

What these people were lacking was faith in the Truth which we know to be the Word of God and Jesus. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me. (John 14:6) Because they had to concept of the Truth, they held fast to whichever philosophy they preferred. Out of these beliefs came the worship of many gods and much witchcraft and superstition.

 

Christians are up against the same thing today. All the religions of the world are no more than empty philosophies. The people who buy into them worship false gods and they too practice witchcraft and are guided by superstition.

 

Like the philosophies of old, religions of today lack faith in Jesus Christ. They provide no answers to the questions of life and offer no solutions to problems. Biblical Christianity is the Truth as found in the Holy Word of God. It answers all the questions of life and the afterlife. Peter wrote According as His Divine Power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who has called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these we might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

 

The writings of the philosophers have all but faded away in the annals of history but the Word of God remains and will never pass away. Heaven and earth will pass away but My Words will by no means pass away. (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33)

 

The Word of God will……….turn the tide……….in this world!

 

Holding fast to the Word,         Doreen

 

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