The Unknown God

What if the people in your life who seem furthest from Christ are actually reaching toward Him in ways they don't yet recognize?

Christ is risen!

The famous French philosopher Voltaire once said, “A hundred years from my death, the Bible will be a museum piece.” But a hundred years after his death in 1778, the French Bible Society set up its headquarters in Voltaire’s old house.

Now society is tearing itself apart after seeing the unintended consequences of “de-enchanting” the world through mere materialism. Two World Wars, a Holocaust, a Depression, endless conflicts, the breakdown of the family, an unprecedented rise in mental illness, and even the mutilation of human bodies to somehow appease the internal madness of our lost age. All of it screams the failure of the so-called Enlightenment to “cure” humanity.

“What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”

So what’s the answer? It certainly isn’t simply being “religious.” Religion alone, even passionate religion, can leave a soul as empty as the most thoroughgoing materialism. The answer is a Person.

Today is Tuesday of the Sixth Week after Pascha. As we approach Pentecost, we continue to see the consequences of the Resurrection unfolding through the missionary work of St. Paul. Today, he stands at the very heart of pagan Greek philosophy and proclaims the Risen Christ in a way that turns their religious longing toward the One who has been there all along.

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Today’s Lesson: Acts 17:19-28

In those days, the Athenians took hold of Paul and brought him to the Areopagos, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is which you present? For you bring some strange things to our ears; we wish to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagos, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’”

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At this time, Athens was still a pagan Greek city. The gods of the Greeks had temples throughout the city, with the towering Parthenon dedicated to Athena, the patroness of the city. Just a short walk from the Parthenon is a raised area called Mars Hill, the Areopagus.

This is where St. Paul preaches his first evangelical sermon to the pagan citizens of Athens. And the way he does it is a master class in faithful evangelism.

What Can We Take From This?

First, religious longing is everywhere, but it cannot save until it finds its true Object.

Notice how Paul begins. “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.” He’s not being sarcastic. He sees genuine religious longing in these pagans. They have temples. Altars. Rituals. Festivals. They have even erected an altar “To an Unknown God” just to make sure they don’t accidentally offend any deity they may have overlooked.

This is a sincere religious effort. And it is also completely insufficient.

Our age is not as secular as it sometimes pretends to be. Religious longing is everywhere. It just gets channeled in countless directions. Career as ultimate identity. Politics as ultimate meaning. Relationships as ultimate fulfillment. Self-improvement as ultimate redemption. Wellness as ultimate salvation.

These are not random pursuits. They are the religious longings of human hearts seeking something they were created for.

The Apostle’s brilliance is that he doesn’t dismiss the longing. He directs it.

The neighbor who pours their soul into political activism may be looking for the Kingdom they don’t yet know exists. The friend who keeps trying new spiritual practices may be reaching for the one Practice they have not yet encountered. The family member who seems lost in distractions may be running from a hunger only Christ can satisfy.

Religious longing is real. It just has to find its true Object before it can become salvation rather than slavery.

Next, faithful evangelism builds bridges from where people are to where Christ is.

This is where Paul does something remarkable. He quotes a pagan hymn. Right there at the end of his speech, the words “in him we live and move and have our being” are taken from a hymn to Zeus. Paul knows these Athenians will recognize the line. So he uses their own religious heritage as a bridge to introduce them to the Risen Christ.

This is faithful evangelism at its finest. Not compromising the Gospel. Not pretending all religions say the same thing. But humbly recognizing that even in the most distant religious longings, there are echoes of the truth that human hearts cannot help reaching toward.

Most of us are not very good at this. We tend toward two opposite mistakes. Either we dismiss everything in a person’s life that doesn’t already match the Faith, treating them as if they have nothing to offer the conversation. Or we soften the Gospel until it sounds like just another option among many, indistinguishable from what they already believe.

Paul shows us a third way. Engage genuinely with what people already love. Honor the truth they have already glimpsed. Then gently invite them deeper, into the fullness only Christ can give.

When you are talking with the seeker who has been reading Eastern philosophy. When the family member who left the Faith starts mentioning beauty or transcendence. When the coworker who claims to be spiritual but not religious describes their longing for meaning. When anyone you love expresses an honest hunger for something more. Don’t throw that away or miss a chance to draw them to Christ!

In each of these moments, you can either dismiss what they are reaching toward or, like Paul, use the very thing they have already loved as a bridge to lead them home.

Finally, the difference between religion and the Resurrection is the difference between slavery and freedom.

Look at what Paul actually says about the True God. “He himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.” This is not a god who needs to be appeased. This is not a god who must be managed through endless sacrifices. This is the God who gives freely and without being asked. He is not far from any of us. We live and move and have our being in Him. Reality is a Person!

The pagan religious system was exhausting. You could never be sure you had pleased enough gods. You could never be certain you had performed the right ritual. There was no end to the appeasement.

The Risen Christ ends that exhausting cycle. He gives. He does not need anything from us. He invites us into a relationship of love rather than a transaction of fear. He calls us by name and walks with us through every season of life.

This is what Normal Orthodoxy offers a religious world that is desperately weary. Not another set of rituals to perform for a distant deity. A real relationship with the Risen Lord who is closer than our own breath.

Return to Paul’s gentle declaration. The God you have been searching for is not unknown. He has come to find you. He is closer than you realize. He has already given you everything you need. Receive Him.

St. Patrick the Hieromartyr, Bishop of Proussa

Today we commemorate St. Patrick the Hieromartyr, Bishop of Proussa, who was martyred in the late third century. When the Roman Consul Julius demanded that he offer thanks to the pagan gods for the local hot springs, Patrick boldly declared that Christ alone, as Creator of fire and water, was worthy of thanksgiving. Cast into the boiling springs to be killed, Patrick was unharmed while the soldiers leading him perished. He was eventually beheaded along with several Christian priests for refusing to abandon the True God.

St. Patrick teaches us that knowing the True God is worth any earthly cost. He could have offered a small token of pagan worship and saved his life. Instead, like Paul on Mars Hill, he proclaimed the Risen Christ even in the place where the unknown gods were honored. Religion is not enough. Christ alone is the One who saves.

Your Response Today

Here is one practice for today. When you encounter someone reaching for meaning in places that fall short of Christ, pause and ask yourself this question:

“What truth in their longing can I honor as I gently point them toward the Risen Lord?”

Then pray simply:

“Lord Jesus Christ, You are not far from any of us. Help me build bridges that lead others home to You.”

The Risen Lord is closer than we realize, even for those who have not yet found Him. Our task is to point past every unknown god to the One who has made Himself known.

Being Orthodox on Purpose means moving beyond mere religion into a real relationship with the Risen Christ, and helping others find the bridge from where they are to where He is!

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A note from Fr. Barnabas: This devotional uses our refined format. If you find these changes helpful, or if you have suggestions, please let me know. Your feedback shapes this ministry.

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P.S. Holy Hieromartyr Patrick, Bishop of Proussa, you proclaimed the Creator of fire and water even unto martyrdom, refusing to bow to the unknown gods of your age. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls may be saved.

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Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV