Paul quotes pagan poets to the Athenians: 'In him we live and move and have our being.' This is Paul finding common ground with philosophers who'd never heard the gospel. He's not dismissing their search for truth. He's showing them that their deepest questions point to God.
I'm a scientist who became a Christian in graduate school. I spent years believing science and faith were enemies. But this verse—and Paul's approach to the Athenians—changed how I think. Paul doesn't mock their philosophy. He engages it. He shows that the deepest truth they're seeking is found in Jesus.
Now I see my scientific work as an extension of faith. I'm studying how the world actually works, and discovering God's fingerprints in the mechanisms of creation. When I research cellular biology, I'm seeing the complexity of God's design. When I think about cosmology, I'm contemplating the vastness of God's knowledge. Science isn't opposed to this verse. It's an exploration of how he sustains all things.
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