What the Bible Says About Other Religions – Acts 17:23

I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. I was grabbing coffee with a good friend from work, a man I deeply respect who happens to practice Hinduism. We were just talking about life, family, and what it all means when he hit me with a simple, direct question: “As a Christian, what do you believe about my faith? Do you think I’m just… wrong?”

A knot twisted in my stomach.

How do you even begin to answer that honestly without sounding arrogant? How do you say what you believe without blowing up a friendship you value? It’s a tension so many Christians feel. We’re called to love our neighbors, but we also hold a deep conviction about the unique truth of Jesus. To navigate that, you need grace, wisdom, and a real understanding of the Bible. And when we look into what the Bible says about other religions, we find a powerful and surprisingly relevant guide in a dusty, idol-filled marketplace in ancient Athens.

The Apostle Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill, recorded in Acts 17, is basically a masterclass in how to connect with a culture that believes differently. He doesn’t start by tearing them down. Not at all. Instead, he starts with an observation, building a bridge of connection centered on a strange altar he found inscribed “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” His whole approach shows that the Bible doesn’t offer a simple, one-size-fits-all dismissal of other faiths. It gives us a way to see them as a genuine, human search for the divine—a search that finds its final, complete answer in Jesus Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• The Bible, particularly through Paul’s example in Acts 17, encourages finding common ground and acknowledging the spiritual sincerity in others as a bridge for conversation.
• Paul identifies a universal human longing for God, symbolized by the Athenian altar “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD,” suggesting that all religious impulses are, at their root, a search for the one true Creator.
• While acknowledging this search, the Bible is clear that this Creator has revealed Himself uniquely and definitively through Jesus Christ.
• The Christian message, as presented by Paul, pivots from this common ground to the exclusive claims of the Gospel: the command for all to repent and the reality of future judgment through Jesus, validated by His resurrection.
• The ultimate Christian response to other religions should be a blend of profound respect for people and an unwavering conviction about the truth of Christ, shared with love and humility.

Have You Ever Wondered How to Talk About Your Faith Without Starting a Fight?

It’s a feeling I know well. You’re talking with a coworker, a neighbor, maybe even a family member with different spiritual beliefs. You want to be true to your faith, but the last thing you want is to sound like you’re judging them. You can almost feel the walls going up, the conversation freezing over. That’s exactly where I was with my Hindu friend. For a split second, I had no idea what to say, worried that any answer would be the wrong one.

This is where Paul’s example is so helpful. He walks right into Athens, the intellectual and cultural hub of the ancient world. This was no friendly crowd. The city was packed with idols and altars to countless gods. Philosophies were debated like a sport. He could have started by listing all the ways they were wrong, how every idol was an insult to the one true God. But he didn’t. His first words weren’t about condemnation.

They were about connection. “People of Athens!” he says, “I see that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22). He starts with something they can agree on. He sees their spiritual devotion. That’s the first step. Before we can ever share what we believe, we have to show that we see and respect the person right in front of us. Paul shows us how to engage with a culture not by attacking it, but by trying to understand it and find an open door.

Who Was This “Unknown God” the Athenians Worshiped?

Try to imagine walking through Athens with Paul. Statues are on every corner. Huge temples to Athena, Zeus, Apollo, and dozens of other gods dominate the skyline. The air is thick with the smell of incense from sacrifices. It’s a very religious place. And in the middle of this forest of idols, Paul finds something odd: an altar with the inscription, “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23). What was that about?

Historians tell us altars like this weren’t so strange in the ancient world. They might have been put up out of fear—a fear of accidentally offending some god they didn’t know by name. It was like a spiritual insurance plan. Others think it pointed to something deeper, a philosophical idea that there was some divine power out there beyond all the names and statues, a source they just couldn’t quite define.

Whatever their reason, Paul saw his opening. He didn’t make fun of their superstition or pick apart their theology. He just brilliantly reframed their altar as proof of a real spiritual search. He basically said, “You’ve built an altar to a God you admit you don’t know. You have a sense there’s someone greater out there, and you’re reaching for him. Well, I’m here to introduce you. The very one you worship without knowing is the one I’m here to tell you about.” He took their question mark and made it the headline of his message.

Was Paul Endorsing Their Religion?

This is a really important question. By starting this way, was Paul saying their whole system of gods was okay? Was he saying, “Your path is good, my path is good, we’re all just climbing the same mountain”? No. Absolutely not. What he did was much smarter, and much more loving. He wasn’t endorsing their religion; he was acknowledging the universal human need that makes us religious in the first place.

Think of it this way. If you see someone stumbling around in a dark room, desperately trying to find the light switch, you don’t start by yelling at them for their bad technique. You first say, “Hey, I see you’re trying to find the light.” Paul saw the Athenians fumbling in spiritual darkness. He affirmed their search before he pointed them to the actual source of all light. He met them where they were. He used their own culture to build a bridge. But that bridge wasn’t the final destination. It was meant to lead them from the unknown to the known, from a vague idea to a personal relationship with God.

So, Does God See All Religions as Just Different Paths to the Same Mountain?

This idea is incredibly popular today. The “all paths lead to the same peak” analogy sounds so inclusive and tolerant. It gets rid of all the messy disagreements between faiths. But it’s not what Paul, or the rest of the Bible, teaches. Paul’s message on Mars Hill starts on common ground, but it definitely doesn’t stay there.

Right after connecting their “unknown God” to the true God, Paul starts to explain who this God really is. He says God is the one “who made the world and everything in it.” And because He is Lord of heaven and earth, He “does not live in temples built by human hands” (Acts 17:24). With that one sentence, he gently pulls the rug out from under their entire religious system.

Their gods lived in temples and were often pictured as having very human-like needs. Paul’s God is transcendent, the creator of everything, who needs nothing from us. In fact, He’s the one who “gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25). The whole flow is reversed. We don’t prop God up; He holds us up. This was a completely radical idea in Athens.

How Can One God Be the Source of All Humanity?

Paul keeps building on this idea of one Creator God. His next point would have been a shock to his Greek audience, who were very proud of their own culture and tended to look down on everyone else as “barbarians.” Paul says, “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands” (Acts 17:26).

That verse is just loaded with meaning. First, it means we’re all one family. There’s no place for racial or national pride, because we all come from the same source and have the same Creator. Second, it says God is in complete control of human history. The rise and fall of kingdoms, the borders on a map—none of it is an accident. A purposeful God is watching over it all. That thought alone can be an anchor in a world that feels so chaotic. There’s an author behind the story of humanity, and He’s involved.

Why Would God Want People to “Reach Out for Him”?

This brings us to the big “why.” Why did God set up history this way? Paul’s answer reveals God’s heart. He did it so people “would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27).

Right there, the Bible validates the religious search. The seeking, the wondering, the building of altars—it’s all a response to a desire God himself planted in us. There’s a sense inside us that there has to be something more. God isn’t some distant being, hiding and hoping we don’t find him. He has arranged the world and our very lives so that we would look for him. And the amazing promise is that He’s not hard to find. He’s incredibly close. This paints a picture of a God who actually wants to be found, a Father waiting for his kids to turn toward home.

If God is Close, Why is Jesus Necessary?

So if God isn’t far away, and we can sense him in the world around us, what’s the point of Jesus? This is the pivot point. This is where Christianity makes its most unique and challenging claim. After building all this common ground, Paul doesn’t wrap up with a vague, feel-good message. He brilliantly uses their own culture one last time to drive his point home, quoting one of their poets: “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’” (Acts 17:28).

Once he establishes that we’re all God’s children, created by Him, he exposes how illogical their idols are. If we are his living children, why on earth would we think He is like a lifeless statue of “gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill?” (Acts 17:29). The point is sharp. The living God can’t be represented by a dead object.

Then comes the turn. Paul delivers the heart of the Christian message. In the past, he says, God overlooked this kind of ignorance. But not anymore. Now, “he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). This is the bombshell. The general search for God now has to deal with the specific person of Jesus. Repentance is necessary because a judgment is coming. And the judge isn’t some abstract force; it’s a person, Jesus Christ. The ultimate proof of his authority? The resurrection.

Isn’t It Intolerant to Claim There’s Only One Way?

I’ll never forget a world religions class I took in college. The professor, a brilliant and kind man, laid out every faith system as a beautiful cultural tapestry, a different but equally good path up the mountain. The moment I tried to explain the Christian view of Jesus as the only way, the temperature in the room dropped. Suddenly, I wasn’t a fellow student; I was a narrow-minded bigot. The pressure to just go along, to agree that “all truth is relative,” was intense.

That feeling is real, but Paul shows us that the claim of Christ’s uniqueness isn’t about arrogance; it’s about a historical event. For Paul, the resurrection wasn’t a nice story; it was a public fact. It was the “proof” that set Jesus apart from every other teacher or prophet who ever lived. If Jesus really did beat death, then we have to take everything He said about Himself seriously.

That’s why the New Testament writers could say things like, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), and it’s why Jesus Himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). In the Bible’s view, this isn’t an intolerant opinion. It’s the logical conclusion of the most important event in history.

How Did People Actually React to This Message?

Paul’s sermon, which had been so respectful and engaging, got a very mixed reaction. The moment he brought up the resurrection, the crowd split. Acts 17:32-34 shows us three different responses:

• Some sneered. The idea of a body coming back to life was just plain stupid to many Greek thinkers. They believed the body was a prison for the soul. They openly laughed at him.
• Others were curious. They said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” The door wasn’t slammed shut. A seed of interest had been planted.
• A few believed. The Bible tells us a man named Dionysius, a respected member of the court, a woman named Damaris, and some others became followers.

This is such a real and encouraging outcome. Paul, one of the greatest communicators ever, didn’t convert the whole city. He wasn’t met with a massive revival. He faced ridicule, postponement, and a little bit of success. That takes the pressure off us. Our job isn’t to force anyoneres believe. It’s simply to present the truthsure of results respectfully. How people respond is between them and God.

What’s the Big Picture from the Rest of the Bible?

Acts 17 is a great case study, but it helps to see how it connectscture what fro rest of the Bible says about God and other forms of worship. The Bible is consistent about God’s exclusive right to be worshiped, but it looks at other religions from a few different angles.

If you look at the Old Testament, one theme is hammered home again and again: there is only one God. be worshiped, but it addresses the reality of other religions from several angles.

The Old Testament, for instance, is relentlessly monotheistic. The very first of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The prophets, like Isaiah, repeatedly mock idolatry, pointing out the absurdity of carving a god from a block of wood that can’t speak, see, or save (Isaiah 44:9-20). The primary concern is fidelity. God has revealed Himself to His people, and they are not to turn to other deities.

The New Testament builds on this foundation. In his letter to the Romans, Paul makes an argument that parallels his sermon in Athens. He writes that God’s essential nature is “clearly seen” in the created world, so people are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). However, instead of honoring this Creator, humanity “exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).

This explains the origin of all other religions and idolatrous practices—not as innocent searching, but as a suppression of the truth that is already available. This adds a more sobering dimension to the “seeking” mentioned in Acts 17. It is a seeking that takes place in the context of a fallen humanity that is predisposed to run from the true God.

Here’s a quick summary of the different biblical perspectives:

• Theological Exclusivity: From beginning to end, the Bible claims there is only one true God, and He alone is worthy of worship.
• Spiritual Reality: The New Testament acknowledges that behind the “nothingness” of an idol, there can be real, malevolent spiritual forces at work (1 Corinthians 10:20). This is not just a battle of ideas, but a spiritual conflict.
• Universal Revelation: God has not left Himself without a witness. Creation itself, as well as the human conscience, points to the existence of a Creator (Romans 1-2).
• Human Culpability: While people may be sincerely seeking, the Bible also teaches that our natural inclination is to suppress the truth and create gods in our own image.

So, How Should I View My Neighbor Who Follows a Different Religion?

Bringing it all back down to earth, how do we apply these truths in our relationships? How do I have that coffee conversation with my Hindu friend? The Bible, through Paul’s example and its overarching theology, gives us a clear and compassionate path forward. It’s a path that balances truth and love, conviction and kindness.

First, we must view our neighbors with genuine respect and love. They are not projects to be fixed or arguments to be won. They are people created in the image of God, the very “offspring” Paul talked about. We should listen to them, learn about their beliefs, and affirm the good we see in their lives and values. Paul began by affirming the Athenians’ religiosity. We can begin by affirming our neighbor’s kindness, devotion to family, or desire for peace. More information on constructive interfaith dialogue can be found through academic institutions that study these dynamics, such as those discussed by the Harvard Divinity School.

Second, we should look for the “altar to the unknown god.” Where do we see them asking life’s big questions? Where do they express a longing for purpose, for forgiveness, for hope beyond the grave? These are the points of connection. These are the conversations where we can say, “You know that desire you have for true peace? Let me tell you about the one who is called the Prince of Peace.”

Finally, we must, with humility and courage, make the introduction. We must talk about Jesus. We must share the news that the God who seems unknown has made Himself known. We have to tell the story of the cross and the empty tomb, which is the ultimate proof of God’s love and His power to save. Our lives should back this up. Our actions, our grace, our integrity, and our love are often the most compelling evidence for the truth we proclaim.

Putting it into practice looks like this:

• Listen More, Talk Less: Genuinely seek to understand their worldview before you try to explain your own.
• Build a Real Friendship: Earn the right to be heard. Let them see Christ’s love in you long before they hear about it from you.
• Ask Good Questions: Inquire about their beliefs in a way that is curious, not accusatory.
• Share Your Story: Talk about what Jesus means to you personally, not just as a set of doctrines.
• Pray for Them: The most loving thing you can do is bring your friend before the God who created them and loves them deeply.

When we look at what the Bible says about other religions, it doesn’t give us a license for arrogance or a script for condemnation. It gives us a model of respectful, intelligent, and bold engagement. The message of Acts 17 is that every human heart is searching for something, building altars to gods they hope can save them. Our incredible privilege is to walk into their lives, not as destroyers of those altars, but as guides, pointing to the one “unknown God” who has now been fully and finally revealed—the one who is not far from any one of us.

FAQ – What the Bible Says About Other Religions