One Standard For All

Acts 17:26-31

“And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:26-28)

A common excuse we’ve heard over the years has been that that’s the white man’s God. Paul makes it clear that there is no difference between the races. All human beings have a common ancestry, both in Adam, and again in Noah. Blood from one race can be transfused from one race into another without any problems as a s result. God did not just create the Jews or whites, but all of humanity. He is God of all.

While it is easy to blame other races for one groups ascendancy or decline, God has maintained control at all times, limiting each groups power and domination. He has done so because he wants them to recognize him as God. He makes himself readily available to all who will serve him. Romans 1: 20 declares, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” All that is required to know about him is a willingness to look, and the very religions of mankind indicate the awareness of his existence.

Like almost every culture in the world, the Greeks considered themselves children of God. It only makes sense that if we are God’s children, and he provides everything we need, he must be superior to us, at least in some regards.

“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” (Acts 17:29)

It ought to be fairly obvious that the God who made us cannot be something man carved out of stone or cast in metal, and such a figure could not adequately represent him. The use of such figures is a deliberate attempt to deny his authority, as Romans 1:21-23 states. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

No one but Christ himself has ever lived up to the standard God had set, according to Romans 3:23. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Before Christ came, there was no effective means of rectifying that sin. The old Testament law only provided for remembering prior sins and acknowledging them every year, as Hebrews 10:1-3 declares. “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.”

Because there was no way to correct their sin, even those who tried to seek the Lord could not meet God’s standard. As a result, God did not fully enforce his standard until a satisfactory means of recompense was available. Those who were repentant of their sin were held in what Jesus called “Abrahams Bosom” until the way of atonement was complete.

Once Jesus died on the cross, and sin had been atoned for it became necessary for man to deal with it while he was alive. Those in Abraham’s Bosom were given the opportunity to receive his sacrifice for their sins, because Jesus went and made it available to them according to I Peter 3:18-19. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;”


Both those who died before Christ’s coming and those who died after will be judged by what they have done with Christ. As John 3:18 states, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” There is no alternative.

That Jesus was literally raised from the dead is the best evidence that he has the power to raise us. If he could not raise himself, there would be no hope for us, and Christianity is a total waste of time, as Paul pointed out in I Corinthians 15:14-18. “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished."