Acts 17:29

“God’s Offspring”? Paul, Pagan Poetry, and the Danger of Making God in Our Image

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image formed by human design and skill.”

At first glance, Acts 17:29 sounds almost startling—“we are God’s offspring.” For some readers, that phrase feels dangerously close to blurring the line between Creator and creation. Has Paul slipped into Greek philosophy? Is he hinting at divinity within humanity? Or worse, does this verse open the door to pantheism, self-deification, or a softening of God’s transcendence? Over the centuries, this single line has been misunderstood, stretched, and occasionally co-opted to say far more than Paul ever intended.

But this statement doesn’t arise in a vacuum. Paul is standing in Athens, surrounded by statues, altars, and temples—human attempts to pin God down in gold, stone, and artistic skill. By calling humans God’s “offspring,” Paul isn’t elevating humanity to godhood; he’s dismantling idolatry from the inside. His logic is sharp: if we come from God, then God cannot possibly be reduced to something we manufacture. The verse isn’t about human divinity—it’s about divine otherness and human responsibility.

This passage invites us to confront a timeless temptation: reshaping God into something manageable, familiar, and controllable. Whether through ancient idols or modern ideologies, the impulse is the same. Acts 17:29 challenges us to rethink not only how we imagine God, but how that imagination shapes our ethics, our worship, and our understanding of human dignity. To read it well is to let it unsettle both cheap spirituality and shallow views of God—and to discover a vision of faith that is both humbling and deeply dignifying.

1) Why is this verse controversial, misunderstood, or debated?

•Controversy:

oSuggests a unique ontological connection between humans and God.

oModern debates: Is this figurative or literal? Does it imply pantheism?

oChallenges traditional views of God’s transcendence vs human similarity.

•Historical debate:

oEarly Christians used this verse to distinguish Christianity from pagan idol worship.

oMisinterpretations occur when “offspring of God” is taken literally, implying equality with God.

2) What does it really mean in the bigger picture?

•Part of Paul’s address against idolatry.

•Emphasizes God’s transcendence and humanity’s origin from God.

•Connects creation, divine image, and moral responsibility: humans reflect God and should honour Him rightly.

3) How do we understand and apply it today?

•Principle: Humans are made in God’s image and should avoid false representations of the divine.

•Application:

oReject idolatry in any form—objects, money, power, or ideology.

oRecognize human dignity and responsibility as God’s children.

oAlign life with God’s character, not cultural constructs of divinity.

4) Why is this verse in the Bible?

•To teach that God is transcendent and incomparable.

•To show humans’ relationship to God and ethical obligations arising from that connection.

•To counter idolatry and cultural misconceptions of divinity.

5) What do we learn about God, Christianity, and life?

God:

•Transcendent, creative, and beyond human-crafted images.

Christianity:

•Faith requires recognizing God’s uniqueness and our dependence.

Life:

•Ethical living flows from acknowledging our divine origin and honouring God rightly.

6) How would it have been understood originally?

•Greek philosophers: Paul used familiar terms like “offspring of God” to connect with their worldview.

•Jews: Reinforced the teaching that humans are God’s image-bearers.

•Pagan Athenians: Encouraged turning from idols toward the living, creator God.

7) Is it as controversial as it looks?

•In context, Paul is persuasively using cultural language to point to God’s transcendence.

•Controversy arises only if the phrase “offspring of God” is misinterpreted as literal divine equality.

8) How does this fit a loving God?

•God calls humans to recognize their origin and purpose.

•By reflecting God’s image, humans participate in ethical and loving behaviour.

•Shows God’s love in creating humans with dignity and responsibility.

9) Cultural, historical, linguistic factors

•“Offspring of God” (tekna theou) resonates with Greek ideas of divine progeny.

•Paul redefines the term in a monotheistic and moral context.

•The focus is ethical and theological, not ontological equality.

10) Parallel passages

•Genesis 1:27 — Humans made in God’s image.

•Psalm 8:4–6 — Humans crowned with glory, created for stewardship.

•John 1:12 — Believers become children of God through faith.

11) Literary context

•Part of Paul’s Mars Hill sermon (Acts 17:16–34).

•Context: Confronting pagan idol worship and introducing the living God.

•Genre: Apologetic narrative.

12) Underlying principle

•Humans have dignity, moral responsibility, and a call to honour God.

•Reject human-made distortions of God in thought or practice.

13) Jewish and Christian interpretation

Jewish:

•Affirms humanity as image-bearers with ethical obligations.

Christian:

•Emphasizes moral and spiritual accountability, calling humans away from idols.

14) Practical guidance today

•Avoid worship of money, status, power, or ideology as idols.

•Recognize and act on God-given dignity and responsibility.

•Live ethically, reflecting God’s character in life and decisions.

15) Common misconceptions

❌ Humans are literally God’s children in a divine sense.

❌ Paul promotes pantheism or human divinity.

❌ Idolatry is only about physical statues.

✅ Correct understanding: Humans are God’s image-bearers, ethically accountable, and called to honour the living God.

16) What does this reveal about human nature?

•Humans naturally create idols and false representations.

•There is a God-shaped longing for truth and meaning.

•Humans are capable of ethical responsibility when acknowledging their divine origin.

Bottom Line

Acts 17:29 teaches: Humans are God’s creation, called to live ethically and honour God, rejecting idolatry and human-made distortions of the divine. Our origin in God establishes dignity, responsibility, and a moral framework for life.