Matt Damon’s new film ‘The Odyssey’ has brought the world of Greek mythology onto our cinema screens. The Odessey depicts Homer’s famous story of Odysseus and his long, eventful journey home after the siege of Troy. At three hours in length, you may prefer to read the book instead – I’m currently working my way through Stephen Fry’s re-telling of this ancient tale.
The Odessey is a story in which Greek gods such as Athena, Poseidon and Zeus stand behind events affecting Odysseus and other mere mortals. Yet the gods of Greek mythology are very different to the deity we meet in Romans 11 this morning.
The Greek pantheon is very different to the true God praised by the apostle Paul in our passage today. For example:
- The goddess Athena may possess great wisdom; but Paul speaks of a God whose wisdom is beyond all comprehension.
- Poseidon was believed to control the sea; but the true God created the oceans & everything else.
- And Zeus may rule on Mount Olympus; but the God of the Bible is sovereign over the whole Universe.
So with the apostle Paul as our guide, let’s explore these differences a little more.
God is beyond our comprehension (v.33-34)
Greek mythology gives us gods whose personalities and actions are often all too human. Zeus’s behaviour, for instance, can be understood in terms of human jealousy, lust, anger and ambition. But the biblical God is fundamentally different. God isn’t simply a supersized human being. He is the transcendent Creator whose nature, intentions and intellect are all beyond human comprehension.
As Paul exclaims in verses 33 and 34 today: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?’
The Christian God is, strictly speaking, incomprehensible. As finite, fallen human beings we can never fully grasp God’s gracious plans and redemptive purposes. We try in vain too to remove all the mysteries that surround God’s essence and nature – not least his triune being.
A healthy awe, a respectful reverence, an intellectual humility is required from all of us who think and talk about God. Confronted with the wisdom and knowledge of God, trust, obedience and worship is surely the right response. Like little children of a loving parent, we don’t always understand our Heavenly Father’s actions – but we can always have confidence in his good intentions for us.
But God’s incomprehensibility doesn’t mean he is totally unknowable. On the contrary, Christianity says that God has graciously revealed himself. So we are not totally ignorant of God’s character. We are not reduced to sheer speculation about God’s plans and purposes for us. For in Scripture – and supremely in the person of Jesus – God has disclosed to us all we need to know.
Not all we may want to know, note – or all we may be curious to learn – but all we need to know. Its what theologians call the ‘sufficiency’ of Scripture. And its what Paul was referring to when he told Timothy that the inspired Scriptures makes us ‘wise for salvation’ and ‘equip us for every good work’ (2 Tim 3:15-16).
As I said earlier, the Greek goddess Athena was said to possess great wisdom – but Paul reminds us that the true and living God possesses wisdom and knowledge beyond all comprehension.
God is the creator of the cosmos (v.36a)
The Greek gods were seen as characters within the universe. Even the most powerful Greek deities inhabited this world, they too were confined to creation, limited by its laws just like we are.
But the biblical God is not simply one powerful being within creation – He is the source of creation. Or to put it another way, God is not merely a character within the story of the universe, he is its author! Paul puts it this way in verse 36: “For from [God] and through him and for him are all things.”
The Christian God is not confined or constrained by the universe. He is above it and outside it – he ‘transcends’ it. He is the ultimate source of its existence, the one who sustains it in being from moment to moment. And all creation exists to glorify him, to declare his power and majesty. The heavens “declare the glory of God” says Psalm 19. God’s “eternal power” is disclosed in what he has made, says Paul in Romans chapter 1.
We are to stand in awe of the world that God has made, from the stars and swirling galaxies, to the complex microorganisms that can only be appreciated with the aid of a microscope. Zeus & co cannot compete with the Creator of Heaven & Earth.
God gives us all we need (v.35)
The various Greek gods were approached through offerings, sacrifices and rituals, often with the expectation that they would respond favourably. There was, you see, an assumption in Ancient Greece that the gods occasionally needed things, a belief that their gods could have unfulfilled desires. Desires that human beings could help to satisfy, putting the Greek deities in their debt.
But Paul turns that whole idea upside down. The one true God is never indebted to us. He is entirely self-sufficient. He needs no food or water to sustain himself. He doesn’t even need our worship to massage his ego! On the contrary, the whole world relies entirely on him. As Paul puts it in verse 35 today: ‘Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?’
Everything we enjoy in life, including our life itself, ultimately comes from God. Gratitude and thanksgiving is the right response. Gratitude and thanksgiving should be the permanent ‘posture’ of our hearts and minds. Everything we possess is really on loan from God, things we are called to care for, share and steward. Whether its our time, our money, our possessions or our planet, we are to view them as God-given gifts – as divine loans – to be managed responsibly and used for the good of others.
But God’s greatest gift to us, of course, is his Son. As Paul has explained in the previous ten chapters of Romans, we should be thankful for the astonishing grace of God in sending Christ to live and die for our salvation. If we should be thankful to God for our daily bread, how much more grateful we should be for Jesus!
The Greek gods were believed to bless the humans who served them. But while we were still sinners, the one true God gave us his Son!
Conclusion (v.36b)
As I finish, we’re had a whirlwind tour of the attributes of God. Paul’s hymn of praise in our passage today has reminded us of God’s creative power, his immense knowledge, his unfathomable wisdom and his lavish generosity. No wonder Paul concludes by saying; “To him be the glory for ever! Amen.”
The glory of God should be our inspiration and motivation too. A desire to honour the God who has made us and saved us should shape our lives. It should set the priorities for how we use our time, money and talents. A God as great as Paul describes is worthy of our worship, trust and obedience.
A God as magnificent as today’s passage portrays is also worth telling others all about. The greatness of God is a great motivation for mission. For we live in a world in many people feel lost, lonely, unloved or insignificant. Such people need to be introduced to the awesome God who made them, sustains them and knows them. A God who has wise plans and purposes for them. A God who loves them so much he sent his Son to save them.
So let’s make this glorious God well known! But for now, let’s pray…