Coming to Paul’s speech or sermon, once again we are not given the full details of everything he said. Even so, we have enough information to get the general picture of Paul’s argument.
Verse 15: He wants the crowd to turn from worshipping idols to serve the living God who made heaven and earth. That is to say, he wants to stop the people from bringing any kind of offering at their temple. He wants to stop them from thinking that he and Barnabas are gods.
Verse 16: God has previously limited the scope of special revelation to the descendants of Abraham and those who were part of the old covenant community. He called Abram out of Ur, Israel out of Egypt. He did not let them go their own way, but when it comes to other nations, he did. The implication being that with special revelation now available to the people of Lystra, they must let go of their former ways and rejoice in God’s grace to them.
And then finally, verse 17: God has not left himself without a witness. He has provided order instead of chaos; he sent the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. This is not his first revelation to them; they already know who he is.
It is especially in this final verse where we should see that God has not left himself without a witness. God has provided order instead of chaos. In the Book of Romans, Paul will expand further on what he says here. He will talk about how God’s invisible qualities are clear for all to see (Romans 1:19–20). Psalm 19:1–14 also makes it clear that the heavens declare the glory of God. Still, in verse 17, Paul confirms the essence of what he will develop in his letter. Simply put, the created world testifies to the fact that there is a Creator who is powerful and divine. A Creator who does not have a beginning but stands outside of time. A Creator who made everything we see around us. A Creator who provides order.
If there were a number of different gods fighting for control of this world, there would not be predictable seasons for harvest and crops. There would not be regular patterns to discover and enjoy. The very fact that such patterns exist confirm that there is but one God who rules over everything. It is an argument from effect back to cause.
As a result of this, because God has not left himself without a witness; because his existence is known to all, all people can be held responsible for their reaction to God’s revelation. The person living in the deep forests of the Amazon, the inhabitants on North Sentinel Island or those living in the darkness of North Korea. Every single person in this world is exposed to Creation. Every person receives God’s witness, so to speak. As moral beings we have his law written on our hearts even if we do not have it on paper (see Romans 2:14–15). We know there is a right and wrong; we know there is a standard we have to live up to and a barrier that exists between us and God. Even if we know these things imperfectly, the witness is still there and it serves to explain why every culture and people group has sought to bridge the gap to God in some way with priests and sacrifices.
And we will all be judged for our response to revelation. Some receive more revelation than others. Some receive general and special revelation. But there is no one who receives nothing. There is no one who does not know that God is the Creator, no one who is not subject to the requirements of his law.
This is why it is so necessary for the feet of Paul and Barnabas to travel to the ends of the earth, because without the good news of what Jesus has done, there cannot be salvation. No matter how sincere a person might be, no matter how often they might pray to God or to their idea of God, faith comes through hearing the good news about Jesus. Special revelation in the Word of God is needed for there to be faith (Romans 10:17). Without special revelation there can be no salvation.
Let us thank and praise God for those feet who go to places where they are not wanted. It is because of those feet that we have the Bible in our hands today. It is because of those feet that many of us have had the privilege of growing up in Christian homes. It is because of those feet that we have come to know of Christ and what he has done for his Church.
We praise God for the feet he has sent our way. We praise him for the individuals whom he has used as instruments in our lives and the lives of those who came before us. We did not deserve to receive this revelation—there was nothing in us to make us better than other people. If general revelation were the only revelation open to us, then idolatry and unbelief would have been our only response. But wonderfully, unfathomably, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life to make us part of God’s people. He died the death that we deserve for our failure to glorify God and give him thanks for his care and provision. The death which all people deserve for their moral shortcomings and transgressions. He also lived the perfect life in our place—fully obedient to the law of God. He is the one man who always responded to God’s revelation with thanksgiving and obedience.
And now by his Spirit, he calls us to do the same. To respond to God’s revelation with thanksgiving and obedience. A new response which he works in us. When we see the beauty of creation. When we enjoy the privileges of marriage and the warmth of friendship. When there is food on our plates, health, family and a home to live in, order instead of chaos – let us thank God our Father for these things. He is the one who gives them to us, the ultimate cause for all that we are and have. Praise him for the world that he has given us to enjoy. Praise him for the blessings he bestows on you day by day. Let the beauty and the good things of this world remind you of God’s greatness and your duty to glorify and give thanks to him.
That brings us to special revelation, the truths we find in the Bible. The good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ. His godly character. The wonder of his love. Let us thank and praise God for him and for the truth we know about him. He did not have to make us part of his church. He did not have to let us grow up in a country or a family where we could hear of Christ. He did not have to appoint you or any one of us to eternal life and give us the privileges of special revelation (see Ephesians 1:3–14). But he chose to do so. In his grace and mercy, he chose to make us part of his people.
Let us respond to these privileges therefore with faith. The message of his grace is the message that inspires our obedience. It is the message which is used by the Spirit to change us day by day. It is the message which encourages us to go through hardships for the sake of the kingdom, and to support others as they do so. Especially those who go to places where they are not welcome. The world may think we are foolish, that it is a waste of time and money to share the gospel elsewhere. Every religion is the same, every path to God is equally valid.
By God’s grace we know better. We know that peace comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. And so, we praise God for his special revelation in his Word, and for the feet of all those who share it with others. Pray that he would raise up more workers for the harvest field, pray that he would help us by his Spirit to be bold and courageous witnesses in the places where he has placed us.
15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.