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The Nature of Man
The first area of common ground in this passage is the nature of man. Paul said to the Athenians:
“I observe you are very religious in all respects.” (Acts 17:22)
The theologians call this the Imago Dei. It includes these three things:
- Man’s religious motivation.
In every community and in every era, man is compelled by something deep within himself to seek after a transcendent reality – something bigger than himself.
 In his book, The Quest for God, Paul Johnson illustrates this point by referring to what he considers one of the most remarkable events of the twentieth century: the fact that belief in God survived and even prospered. The scientific discoveries of Darwin and the philosophical writings of Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche had led a large percentage of the intelligentsia to predict the death of religion. However, the opposite occurred.
“The most remarkable thing about the twentieth century was the failure of God to die. The collapse of mass religious belief, especially among the educated and prosperous, had been widely and confidently predicted. It did not take place. Somehow, God survived, flourished even. At the end of the twentieth century, the idea of a personal, living God is as lively and real as ever, in the minds and hearts of countless millions of men and women throughout our planet.” (Paul Johnson, The Quest for God, p. 6)
Even when the philosophical presuppositions of a particular culture predisposes that culture away from a belief in God, the innate motivation that man feels eventually leads him back to belief.
Every human society has a law code and a sense that some things are right and some things are wrong.
“Virtually every human society has some form of myth to explain the origin of morality. In the Louvre in Paris, there is a black Babylonian column with a relief showing the sun god Shamash presenting the code of laws to Hammurabi. In Plato's Protagoras, there is a mythical account of how Zeus took pity on the hapless humans, who, living in small groups and with inadequate teeth, weak claws, and lack of speed, were no match for the other beasts. To make up for these deficiencies, Zeus gave humans a moral sense and the capacity for law and justice, so that they could live in larger communities and cooperate with one another.” (Peter Singer, Ethics, Britannica 2003 Reference Suite)
The impulse in man to create is but a partial reflection of the Divine Creator. When J.R.R. Tolkien first met C.S. Lewis, Lewis was an atheist. Tolkien’s evangelistic approach to Lewis was to prove the existence of an eternal Creator by reflecting on the creative impulse resident in every man. Humphrey Carpenter, in his book, The Inklings, describes Tolkien’s reasoning:
“Therefore, not merely the abstract thoughts of man but also his imaginative inventions must originate with God, and must in consequence reflect something of eternal truth. In making a myth and peopling the world with elves and dragons and goblins, a storyteller, or “subcreator” as Tolkien liked to call such a person, is actually fulfilling God's purpose, and reflecting a splintered fragment of the true light.”
This argument provided the last push Lewis needed to commit his life to Christ.
The Creation
The second area of common ground in this passage is the creation of the universe. Paul said to the Athenians:
“The God who made the world and all things in it…” (Acts 17:24)
This is also known as Natural Theology. Natural Theology is the knowledge about God that may be obtained by human reason alone without the aid of revelation. (The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, p. 1132) There are two main aspects of Natural Theology: the external Creation and the internal Moral Law. The external aspect is best expressed in this verse from Romans:
“For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
God has littered the creation with evidence of Himself. His testimony is written everywhere in nature.
“The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)
That is why C.S. Lewis once said,
“A young atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side.” (C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy)
Paul later referred to the internal aspect of Natural Theology.
“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.” (Romans 2:14, 15)
 God has written His law in the conscience of every man and woman that walks upon the earth. The philosopher Immanuel Kant commented
“The starry heavens above and the moral law within fill the mind with an ever increasing admiration and awe.” (Quoted in, Paul Strathern, Kant in 90 Minutes, p. 50)
Kant was not a Christian and was perhaps more responsible than any other philosopher for the skepticism of the modern age. But he could not avoid the truth written in the heart and the truth written in creation.
Culture
The third area of common ground in this passage is culture. Paul said to the Athenians:
“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” As some of your own poets have said, “We are His offspring.” (Acts 17:28)
Paul quoted two noted Greek poets: Epimenides of Crete and Aratus of Soli, authors that the Areopogites were familiar with and could relate to. Paul does not condemn their views (although they were both pagans), but accords them a certain degree of inspiration. The concept presented here is that all truth is God’s truth – even in the mouth of unredeemed pagans.
Paul had familiarized himself with Athenian culture while he waited for Timothy and Silas.
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city full of idols.” (Acts 17:23)
He also said to the Epicureans and Stoics,
“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship…” (Acts 17:23)
The word beholding comes from the Greek word that is used of one who looks at a thing with interest and for a purpose, usually indicating the careful observation of details. The word examining means to look at attentively, to consider well, to observe accurately. Paul was not merely sightseeing. He was evaluating the spiritual climate of the city and preparing himself for an effective apologetic, one that would get the attention of the philosophers who, “…used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.” And few things are more effective than using a people’s own cultural sources to confirm the truth you are proclaiming.
Conclusion
Western culture has much in common with the first century inhabitants of the Areopagus. We would do well to follow Paul’s lead and examine our culture for the relevant means of presenting the truth, not just from the Bible - a source that many non-believers distrust - but from their own poets.
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