In 17:26 Paul goes on to say, “And He made from one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, determining their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their dwelling.” The “one” here is Adam. God made from Adam every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth.
In verse 26 Paul points out that God has determined the appointed seasons and the boundaries of dwelling of all nations. Here we see God’s sovereign authority. God is sovereign over the entire earth. Not only did He create all nations out of one, Adam, but He determined the times and places of the nations. The migrations to America in its times and boundaries is a strong proof of this word and also of the first part of verse 27. Apparently Columbus opened the way from Europe to America; actually it was God who opened the way, for He determined the seasons for the discovery of the new land. Furthermore, it is He who draws the boundaries of all nations.
Paul’s preaching here in chapter seventeen is very philosophical. From the creation of the heavens and the earth and God’s provision for all of mankind, Paul goes on to speak of the existence of mankind. We need to learn of Paul in preaching the gospel. We may begin with creation, but we should not remain there. Rather, we should go on from creation to speak concerning man’s life. When we do this, we touch the very point of man’s need. In 17:26 Paul in his preaching came to man’s life on earth.
According to verse 27, God formed the nations, determining their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their dwellings, “that they might seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is surely not far from each one of us.” Because God is the omnipresent Spirit, He is not far from each one of us. This involves the Trinity. The divine Spirit is triune. Do you think that this Spirit is only the Spirit and not the Father and the Son as well? The God who is not far from us is surely the omnipresent Spirit, and this Spirit is the Triune God. The Spirit is the entire God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
In the first part of verse 28 Paul explains, “For in Him we live and move and are.” This indicates that man’s life and existence and even his actions are of God. This does not mean that man has God’s life and lives, exists, and acts in God as do the believers in Christ, who are born of God, possess His divine life and nature, and live, exist, and act in God’s Person. Rather, here Paul is pointing out that all human beings, including the Epicureans and all other unbelievers, live, move, and exist in God.
In verse 28 Paul also says, “As even some poets among you have said, For we also are His offspring.” These poets were probably Aratus (about 270 B.C.) and Cleanthes (about 300 B.C.) both of whom uttered the same words in their poems to Zeus (Jupiter), whom they considered the supreme God. In the writings of these two poets “His” refers to Zeus as the supreme God.
According to the poets to whom Paul refers in verse 28, we are God’s offspring. Mankind is God’s offspring just as Adam was supposed to be the son of God (Luke 3:38). To say that Adam was a son of God does not mean that he was born of God and possessed the life of God. Adam was created by God (Gen. 5:1-2), and God was his origin. Based upon this, he was supposed to be the son of God, even as the heathen poets considered all mankind to be the offspring of God. They were only created by God, not regenerated of Him. This is absolutely and intrinsically different from the believers in Christ being the sons of God. The believers have been born, regenerated, of God and possess God’s life and nature (John 1:12-13; 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:4). Since God is the Creator, the source, of all men, He is the Father of them all (Mal. 2:10) in a natural sense, not in the spiritual sense as He is the Father of all the believers (Gal. 4:6), who are regenerated by Him in their spirit (1 Pet. 1:3; John 3:5-6).