Acts 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.”
Addressing the Athenians at Mars’ Hill, Paul proclaimed the God they did not know: the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth. Unlike their idols, He neither inhabits man-made temples nor depends on human service. Rather, “he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (v. 25).
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being” explains humanity’s dependence on this God. His power sustains every breath, movement, and moment of existence. Paul does not identify creation with God; he distinguishes the sovereign Creator from the creatures whose lives He continually upholds.
Paul then cites their poets: “For we are also his offspring”. He draws on a familiar statement for his hearers and applies it to the true God. Humanity owes its existence to Him and bears His image. This creaturely relationship does not imply that everyone possesses the saving adoption granted through faith in Christ.
The following verse exposes the folly of idolatry. Since human beings derive their existence from God, they should not imagine that His nature resembles gold, silver, or stone shaped by human skill. The living Creator cannot be adequately represented by lifeless objects.
Dependence also entails accountability. Paul then announces God’s command for all people to repent and His appointed judgment through the risen Christ (vv. 30–31).
Your life is neither self-originating nor self-sustaining. Receive every ability with gratitude, reject pride and false worship, and acknowledge your Creator’s rightful authority. Seek reconciliation with God through Christ, and devote the life God sustains to His glory.
