King James Bible
"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:"
Paul and Barnabas respond with dismay to the crowd's attempt to worship them as gods after healing a lame man in Lystra. Their rhetorical question reveals both urgency and shock at this misguided reverence. The apostles emphatically identify themselves as ordinary humans, subject to the same emotions and limitations as their audience. This declaration directly counters the pagan crowd's assumption that they are Zeus and Hermes in human form. The apostles pivot from correcting mistaken identity to proclaiming their actual mission: calling pagans to abandon worthless idols ('vanities') for the true, active God. This marks Paul's first recorded sermon to a purely Gentile audience, emphasizing conversion from idolatry rather than fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. Paul establishes God's credentials as universal Creator, using language that resonates with both Jewish scripture and pagan cosmology. This comprehensive description of creation's scope distinguishes the living God from local deities limited to specific domains.