Acts 17:31

The context

Acts 17 places Paul in Athens, where he disputes in the synagogue and the marketplace and is brought to the Areopagus. The speech that follows begins with an altar to an unknown god, quotes pagan poets, and calls for repentance. Verse 31 is its climax, and the mention of resurrection divides the audience.

What it establishes

The speech asserts a coming judgment that is universal, fixed and personal: a day set, a man appointed, and evidence given publicly. The resurrection is presented as the guarantee of the judge's standing rather than as a private consolation.

What it does not establish

It does not give a date. The day is described as fixed but not disclosed, and the speech supplies no timetable. The verse also does not describe the judgment's procedure or its criteria. The audience's response in the following verses is mixed, which the narrative reports without resolving.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• Atheism is the DEFAULT position. The burden of proof is on the Christian asserting God exists. All we're asking is to see the convincing empirical EVIDENCE.
• If God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving, why does he permit starvation, child molestation, rape, torture and genocide? And don't tell me the victims suffer for Adam and Eve's sin!

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.