Obviously superstition is the main calling card of pagan religions and we’re seeing its influence take on new levels in American culture.

A lot of people aren’t aware of this, but the Apostle Paul addresses superstition in the Bible.

In Acts 17:21, it’s reported, “For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.”

Paul says to them in the next verse, “Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”

Of the passage, my pastor, Richard Jordan, explains, “Everybody wants to hear someone tell them something new. But they’re all getting their stuff from the same spigot. That’s what the Athenians were like.”

Paul is telling the Athenians they worship more gods and demons than anybody.

He says in Acts 17:23, “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

Jordan explains, “You know what Paul’s saying: ‘You guys are a bunch of ignorant, superstitious nincompoops. You’ve got a lot of human viewpoint; you’ve got a lot of ideas, but I know where you got them from. You really stole them. They’re really of no value and you know what you’re doing—you’re throwing everything you’ve built on a house of cards that’s based on ignorance.’

“You see Paul’s attitude immediately about what religion is, and philosophy, and human viewpoint is. The first thing you learn is that human viewpoint isn’t enough. It leaves you with too little. It leaves you with too much you don’t know yet.

“Paul tells them, ‘You need some revelation.’ Revelation is somebody who’s been there and knows it, telling people who haven’t been there and don’t know it, what was there and what they need to know about what was there.”

Paul goes on to tell the Athenians in Acts 17:24-25, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.”

Jordan explains, “Who is God? He’s the one who made everything. Where did everything come from? Well, it didn’t just float out of some cosmic gas somewhere. God created it and He gave everything you have life and breath and your being—it all comes from Him.”

In verses 28 and 29, Paul continues, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.”

What he’s saying, says Jordan, is, “When you understand there’s a God, you know immediately that He’s got to be more than stone or idols because you’re more than that. He’s got to be able to be at least equal with you to be bigger than you and to be greater than you.

“You know how you know there’s a creator? There’s a creation. How hard is that?

You see a building over there that tells you there had to be someone there to build the thing. This isn't brain surgery.

“You know what proves the existence of God? The options are, No. 1, we don’t exist, or, No. 2, we all just came into existence by accident, which is a mathematically, statistically, demonstrable impossibility. The studies they’re doing with DNA and life science now have demonstrated conclusively, scientifically, without any question, that it is physically, physiologically impossible for life to begin as an accident.

“Medical professionals and biologists who are studying the chemical structure that makes up living organisms have discovered that in those organisms are principles, and there are laws of operation in life that are absolutely impossible to come about as an accident. There had to be a purposeful spark to start it—a creator, a designer.

“You have to have sense enough to recognize there are people out there with prejudice and bias and bigotry against the Creator. Why would anybody want to be bigoted against God? Maybe they want to be their own God? If you wanted to be your own God, who would you have to bump off? The one sitting on the throne. Did you ever hear anybody say, ‘Who died and made you God?’ That’s what has to happen for you to be your own God.

“It’s scientifically, demonstrable by replicatable experiments that you can’t be God. You step out there on the street corner and do it every day of the week, from now until three years from now, and you’ll never be able to create your own universe. So you know what you’ve got to do? You’ve got to steal the universe that’s there, created by somebody else, and make like you’re God.”

In Romans 1:20, Paul summarizes, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

Jordan says, “Every person that’s ever been born knows there’s a God and that they’re going to face Him in Judgment. You come to an age of accountability; the accountability you come to is you know there’s a God and you know you’re going to face Him in Judgment so you’re without excuse. It is the nature of who you are as a creature that you have this innate knowledge.”

Paul summarizes in Romans 1:21-25, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

Jordan explains, “The problem with these Athenians is when they knew God they glorified him not as God. They became empty and worthless in their thinking. They began to have dreams and ideas that were worthless. If the entrance of that Word gives light, what does the absence of the Word give? Darkness.

“Paul says they’re ignoramuses because they willfully rejected the information of God and changed the glory of God ‘into an image made like corruptible men.’ They changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature. They’re going to make the creature God.

“What’s the middle letter of word ‘lie’? What’s the middle letter of the name ‘Lucifer’?

“The great definition of sin in the Bible is, ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.’ That’s it. To do it, you’ve got to say the truth of God is a lie. Man is groping around and can’t find God. Why? Because he’s rejected the truth.”