²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live  and move and have our being.’^[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ – Acts 17

This text comes from a sermon Paul preached to the Greeks. I admire the Greeks for their pursuit of wisdom. I especially admire the Greeks for fostering a culture of discussion. The book of Acts contains many stories of community leaders attempting to push down the message of Jesus. The Greeks though listened intently to Paul, and Paul’s message did not disappoint.

The Greeks believed their Gods depended on their worship. This is why the temples in ancient Greece were so busy and loud aesthetically. They were creating a place for their God’s to attend. Paul radically shifts this view by not only teaching there is one true God. He also says that God is not dependent or bound to us. God does not need us.

God’s lack of dependence on us showed the Greeks that God loves us out of choice, not obligation. Zeus needed the Greeks, but God needs nothing. He pursues us because he loves us not because he is obligated. I would imagine that many Greeks were drawn to this message. I would imagine that you yourself are drawn to this message. Living this message out means we live with freedom. We are free to be ourselves. We are free to receive God’s love as a gift and not a transaction.