Acts 14:14-15

The context

Acts 14 narrates the mission in Lystra, where a man lame from birth is healed. The crowd concludes that the gods have come down, and the priest of Zeus brings sacrifices. Barnabas and Paul tear their garments and rush into the crowd, and verses 14 and 15 give their protest and the opening of a short speech.

What it establishes

It establishes that the missionaries refused divine honours in the strongest available gesture, and that they described themselves as human with the same nature as their hearers. The alternative they offer is a turn to a living God.

What it does not establish

It does not give a full theology of pagan religion. The speech appeals to creation and providence and to the witness of seasons, and Luke summarises rather than transcribes. The passage does not say what pagans knew or how God judged their ignorance.

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

Cited in these answers

• Did Jesus really claim to be God, or did His followers just say that about Him? Might not Dan Brown have been on to something?

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