Paul’s Tolerance
The Apostle Paul effectively used varying methods to tell people about Jesus. In Acts Chapter 17, he addressed the Greek scholars on Mars Hill by referencing their altar to The Unknown God. But Paul was not condoning their worship or teaching of multiple gods. In Chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas are mistaken for Hermes and Zeus upon healing a cripple in Lystra. We generally focus in on their response against being worshiped and considered gods, but Paul also makes a profound statement in verse 15. “We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.” (NL)
While Paul was willing to use the idea of an unknown god to tell the people of Athens about the living God, he was quick to tell the people of Lystra that there is only one God, the living God. He was not tolerant of their belief in multiple gods or any god other than the one he knew to be the true God.
We must make sure not to compromise that fact in order to reach the lost. Paul and Barnabas did not travel around healing and helping people and telling them about Jesus while at the same time telling them it’s okay if they don’t believe the same thing, and neither should we.
from my notebook 