“ ‘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).

It may seem strange to find two quotations from pagan Greek poets in the New Testament. Paul wasn’t affirming the religious notions of the Athenians at all. He was speaking in Athens and communicating with that culture in a way they could understand him. He was using the poets from their culture to drive home the truth we find in Scripture.

Scripture is the absolutely pure Word of God. It is the basis for everything we believe. Yet, there are truths outside Scripture that reinforce its message. Paul wrote to the Roman believers and explained something we know to be true: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

We are to use every available means to point men and women to God. Jesus used stories about lamps, seeds, and fishing nets to help us understand the truth about God. Indeed, each of us can see God’s handiwork just by looking around us. Truth is truth wherever we find it. The important thing for us is that we measure everything that claims to be true by God’s Word. That never fails and will never pass away.