Neville Goddard on Acts 17:22-31 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 17 in context

Scripture Focus

22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

23For 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.

24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28For 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.

29Forasmuch 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.

30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Acts 17:22-31

Biblical Context

Paul tells the Athenians that the true God is not found in temples or idols but near; we are all His offspring, and the unknown God is closer than they think, calling for a turning of consciousness.

Neville's Inner Vision

Paul’s speech invites a psychology of reality: the true God is not confined to temples or idols but is the living I AM within you. The 'unknown God' is the living Life you already possess—your awareness that gives breath, thought, and direction. The Godhead is not metal or stone, but the one Life animating all forms; 'one blood' is the unity of your inner being, the shared life of thoughts, feelings, and deeds under one Self. God has set the seasons and the bounds of your habitation in consciousness, so that you may seek, feel after, and find Him right where you are. He is not far; He is the present I AM you name as your own. In Him we live, move, and have our being; this is the inner order behind every event. To repent is not sorrow for sins but a turning of inner state, a choice to revise assumptions about lack, separation, and time. The resurrection is the renewal of your sense of self as the offspring of God, waking to truth within.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Close your eyes and revise your self-image to 'I AM within me the God of life.' Feel the breath and steady awareness shift to that truth for a few minutes.