“And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein :”
My Notes
What Does Acts 14:15 Mean?
Paul and Barnabas redirect pagan worship in Lystra: and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.
Sirs, why do ye these things? — the crowd in Lystra has just attempted to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas, calling them Jupiter and Mercurius (v.11-13). The question is urgent and distressed: why are you doing this? The apostles do not enjoy the attention. They are horrified — tearing their clothes (v.14) in the Jewish expression of grief at blasphemy.
We also are men of like passions (homoiopathes — of similar nature, experiencing the same things, subject to the same human condition) with you — the first correction: we are not gods. We are human — experiencing the same emotions, the same weaknesses, the same mortality you experience. The divine status the crowd is assigning is refused flatly: we are like you. Same nature. Same limitations. Same humanity.
That ye should turn (epistrepho — to convert, to change direction, to turn around completely) from these vanities (mataion — worthless things, empty things, things that produce nothing) — the preaching has a direction: turn from. The vanities are the pagan gods — Jupiter, Mercury, the entire pantheon of Greco-Roman religion. They are not called competitors or alternatives. They are called vanities — worthless, empty, producing nothing.
Unto the living God — the turn has a destination: the living God (theos zon — God who is alive). The living distinguishes the true God from the vanities: the pagan gods are dead objects. The God Paul preaches is alive — active, present, responsive. The contrast is categorical: dead vanities versus the living God.
Which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein — the credentials of the living God: creation. He made (poieo — fashioned, produced, brought into existence) everything — heaven (the cosmic realm), earth (the terrestrial realm), the sea (the aquatic realm), and all things therein (the totality of created life). The God who made everything is the God worth turning to. The gods who made nothing are the vanities worth turning from.
The sermon is one of the earliest examples of apostolic preaching to pagans — people with no knowledge of the Old Testament. The appeal is not to Scripture (which they do not know) but to creation (which they can observe): the living God who made everything is the God you should worship instead of the statues that made nothing.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Why do Paul and Barnabas first identify themselves as 'men of like passions' — and what does that correction prevent?
- 2.How does calling pagan gods 'vanities' (worthless, empty) describe the object of all false worship?
- 3.What does 'the living God' contrast with — and why is the aliveness of God the essential distinction?
- 4.How does Paul's appeal to creation (rather than Scripture) model preaching to people with no biblical background?
Devotional
Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you. The crowd wants to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods. And the apostles' first response is not theological correction. It is human identification: we are like you. Same nature. Same passions. Same weakness. Same humanity. We are not gods. We are men — and you need to stop treating us as something we are not.
That ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God. The message is directional: turn from and turn to. Turn from — the vanities. The empty gods, the worthless statues, the religious system that promises everything and delivers nothing. The vanities are named: worthless. Not because the worship is casual. Because the objects of worship are empty.
Unto the living God. The destination: not another statue. Not a better version of the same religion. The living God — alive, active, present. The difference between the vanities and the living God is the difference between a corpse and a breathing person. The vanities are dead. The God Paul preaches is alive. And alive changes everything.
Which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein. The proof: creation. Look around. The sky. The ground. The ocean. The life teeming in all of them. The living God made all of this. The vanities you worship made nothing. The credentials of the true God are visible to everyone who opens their eyes: the created world testifies to the creator.
The sermon is for people who have never read the Bible. Paul does not quote Moses. He points to the sky. The appeal is to what every person can observe: someone made this. And the someone who made it is alive. And the alive God is the one worth turning to — away from the dead vanities that cannot create, cannot respond, and cannot save.
What vanities are you turning from? What living God are you turning to? The direction matters. The destination matters. And the God who made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them is alive — and worth every step of the turning.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things?.... That is, bring these oxen and garlands, and attempt to offer sacrifice;…
And saying, Sirs - Greek: Men. Why do ye these things? - This is an expression of solemn remonstrance at the folly of…
We also are men of like passions with you - This saying of the apostles has been most strangely perverted. A pious…
In these verses we have,
I. A miraculous cure wrought by Paul at Lystra upon a cripple that had been lame from his…
and preach unto you Literally, "bring you the good tidings," as the message must be which sets forth to men the living…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture