Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Acts
Chapter 14: We Must Through Much Tribulation Enter Into the Kingdom of God
Acts 14 continues the first missionary journey through opposition, wonder, and suffering. At Iconium Paul and Barnabas speak boldly, and 'a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed,' though the city is divided and an assault drives them out. At Lystra Paul heals a man 'a cripple from his mother's womb,' and the crowd, thinking the gods have come down, tries to sacrifice to them; but the apostles tear their clothes and cry, 'We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God.' Then, when hostile Jews arrive, they stone Paul and drag him out for dead, yet he rises and goes on to preach at Derbe. Returning through the cities, the apostles strengthen the disciples, 'exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God,' ordain elders, and report to Antioch 'how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.' The chapter shows us the boldness that faces opposition, the servants who refuse the worship due to God alone, and the sober truth that the path to the kingdom runs through tribulation.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Acts chapter 14. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here the apostles preach and heal at Iconium and Lystra, refuse worship, endure the stoning of Paul, and strengthen the young churches. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Speaking Boldly in the Lord
A great multitude believes; the city is divided.
We Also Are Men
The apostles refuse the worship due to the living God alone.
He Rose Up
Left for dead, Paul rises and presses on with the gospel.
Through Much Tribulation
The path to the kingdom runs through much tribulation.
Turn From These Vanities Unto the Living God (Acts 14:1-18)
The apostles preach boldly at Iconium, heal a cripple at Lystra, and refuse the worship the crowd would give them.
We Also Are Men of Like Passions With You
"And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: And there they preached the gospel. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, 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: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them."
Word Study
"of like passions," Greek homoiopathes (ὁμοιοπαθής). The word means having the same nature and feelings, subject to the same experiences; it is used of Elijah, that he "was a man subject to like passions as we are" (James 5:17). When the crowd at Lystra tries to worship them, Paul and Barnabas protest, "We also are men of like passions with you." They insist on their true nature: mere men, sharing the same weaknesses and mortality as those before them, in no way divine. This is the constant response of the true servant of God to any offer of worship, as with Peter before Cornelius. It sets in the sharpest possible relief the response of Jesus, who, being God in flesh, rightly received worship. Men and angels say, "We also are men"; only Christ, the one God manifest, receives the worship due to God alone.
Explanation
At Iconium and Lystra the pattern continues -- bold preaching, many believing, and fierce opposition. When Paul heals a man lame from birth, the pagan crowd concludes the gods have come down, calling Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercury, and prepares to sacrifice to them. The apostles are horrified, tearing their clothes: "we also are men of like passions with you," and turn the moment into a sermon on the living God who made heaven and earth and witnessed to Himself in rain and harvest. They will not steal the worship due to God -- unlike Herod (12:22-23) -- but redirect it to the Creator. The gospel confronts idolatry even when idolatry flatters its messengers.
Gospel Focus
At Iconium the pattern repeats: bold preaching, a great harvest of Jews and Greeks, and then opposition from unbelieving Jews who poison the minds of the Gentiles. Yet the apostles stay "a long time... speaking boldly in the Lord," and God confirms His word with "signs and wonders." The city divides, and when an assault threatens to stone them, they flee to Lystra and Derbe and keep preaching, undeterred by danger. At Lystra Paul sees a man crippled from birth who "had faith to be healed," and commands, "Stand upright on thy feet," and the man leaps and walks, a miracle echoing Peter's healing of the lame man at the temple, and a sign of the same power of the risen Christ. But the response is dangerously misguided. The pagan crowd, seeing the miracle, cries, "The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men," and hails Barnabas as Jupiter and Paul as Mercurius, and the priest of Jupiter prepares to sacrifice to them. Here the apostles' horror is instructive: they "rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out," desperate to stop the blasphemy. "We also are men of like passions with you," they insist, refusing the worship due to God alone. And they turn the moment into a sermon to pagans who had no Scripture, appealing to the witness of creation: "turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein." The idols are "vanities", empty nothings, and the true God is the living Creator. Though God had "suffered all nations to walk in their own ways," He "left not himself without witness," giving "rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." The goodness of God in nature testifies to all men that there is a living God who made and sustains them, and calls them to turn from empty idols to Him. Even so, the apostles "scarce restrained" the crowd from sacrificing. The contrast is total: the servants of God flee from worship in horror; only the living God, and Jesus in whom He is manifest, is to be worshipped.
Continue in the Faith (Acts 14:19-28)
Stoned and left for dead, Paul rises and, with Barnabas, strengthens the young churches for the tribulations ahead.
He Had Opened the Door of Faith Unto the Gentiles
"And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples."
Word Study
"tribulation," Greek thlipsis (θλῖψις). The word means pressure, affliction, distress, a pressing together as of grapes crushed in the press. "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Paul, freshly risen from a stoning, does not hide the cost of following Christ but teaches it plainly: the way into the kingdom passes "through much tribulation." This is no rare exception but the normal path of the disciple in a hostile world, "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." The word does not mean tribulation earns the kingdom, for we enter by grace through faith; rather, the road to glory runs through affliction, and the true disciple must be prepared to suffer. Paul's own scarred body was the sermon; having just been left for dead, he strengthens the churches for the suffering they too would face, that they might "continue in the faith."
Explanation
The same crowd that would have worshipped Paul is turned by hostile Jews to stone him and drag him out for dead -- yet he rises and re-enters the city, undeterred. The missionaries retrace their steps, "confirming the souls of the disciples" with the sober word that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God," and appoint elders in every church, commending them to the Lord. Then they return to Antioch and report "how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." The first journey ends having planted churches, established leadership, and proven that suffering is the normal road of gospel advance.
Gospel Focus
The fickleness of the crowd is stunning. The same people who wanted to worship Paul are turned by hostile Jews from Antioch and Iconium, and now they stone him and drag him out of the city, "supposing he had been dead." The adoration of one day becomes the violence of the next; the praise of men is worthless. But God is not finished with Paul: "as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city." Whether by miracle or by remarkable recovery, the man left for dead rises and, incredibly, walks back into the very city that stoned him, and the next day sets out to preach at Derbe. Here is the courage born of the Spirit: no stoning could stop the mission. After preaching at Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas do a remarkable thing, they retrace their steps back through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, the very cities where they had been persecuted, to strengthen the young believers. This is the pastoral heart of missions: not merely to win converts but to establish them. They were "confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith," and telling them plainly "that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." They did not promise an easy road but prepared the disciples for suffering, that their faith might endure. They also put the churches in order, ordaining "elders in every church," and, "having prayed with fasting," commended them "to the Lord, on whom they believed." The new churches were left with leadership and entrusted to the keeping of the Lord. Then the apostles complete the circuit and sail back to Antioch, from which they had been sent, and gather the church to report "all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." Notice the humility: they rehearse what God had done through them, giving Him the glory, and they rejoice that God had "opened the door of faith" to the Gentiles, a door no man could shut. The first missionary journey ends with the gospel planted in city after city, churches established with elders, believers strengthened for tribulation, and the door of faith flung open to the nations. Through much tribulation the kingdom advances, and the door stands open for all who will believe.
Chapter 14 in Review
Acts 14 completes the first missionary journey through opposition and suffering. At Iconium bold preaching brings a great harvest and a divided city, and an assault drives the apostles to Lystra, where Paul heals a man crippled from birth. The pagan crowd tries to worship them as gods, but they tear their clothes and cry, "We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God." Then hostile Jews stone Paul and leave him for dead, yet he rises and presses on to Derbe. Returning through the cities, the apostles strengthen the disciples, "exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God," ordain elders, and report to Antioch "how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter models the missionary life and its costs. It shows bold, persevering preaching that does not flee at the first opposition, confirmed by the signs and wonders of the risen Christ. It shows the true servant of God refusing worship in horror, "We also are men," pointing all glory away from himself to the living God, the Creator who has never left Himself without witness even among the nations. It shows the fickleness of human praise, adored one day and stoned the next, and the Spirit-given courage that rises from a stoning to preach again. And it shows the pastoral wisdom that does not merely win converts but establishes them, retracing dangerous ground to strengthen young believers, ordaining elders, committing churches to the Lord, and teaching plainly that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." The road to glory runs through affliction; the disciple is not promised ease but is prepared to endure. Yet through it all God had "opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles," a door no persecution could shut. So preach boldly, refuse the glory that belongs to God, expect and endure tribulation, strengthen one another to continue in the faith, and rejoice that the door of faith stands open for all the nations, and for you.
- Bold, persevering preaching, confirmed by God, brings a great harvest (14:1-3).
- True servants refuse worship: "We also are men of like passions" (14:15).
- The living God has never left Himself without witness, even among the nations (14:17).
- Human praise is fickle: adored one day, stoned the next (14:11-19).
- "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (14:22).
- God opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, a door none can shut (14:27).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you preach and stand boldly for Christ despite opposition?
- Do you point all glory to the living God rather than to yourself?
- Are you prepared to enter the kingdom through much tribulation?
- Do you strengthen fellow believers to continue in the faith?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Signs and wonders confirming the word: Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4; Acts 4:29-30. Refusing the worship due to God: Acts 10:26; Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9. The living God, Creator, witnessing in nature: Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:19-20; Acts 17:24-28. The idols as vanities: Jeremiah 10:1-16; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Isaiah 44:9-20. Tribulation on the way to the kingdom: John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12; Romans 8:17-18. Ordaining elders and establishing churches: Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3. The open door of faith: 1 Corinthians 16:9; Colossians 4:3; Revelation 3:8. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Iconium and the healing at Lystra: Acts 14:1-18; Romans 1:19-20; Acts 10:26.
- The stoning of Paul and the strengthening of the churches: Acts 14:19-28; John 16:33; Titus 1:5.