Acts 13.48 - As Many As Were Ordained to Eternal Life Believed

"As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13.48).

If you are ordained to eternal life, of course you will believe, but how you came about being ordained is the question. Are you ordained/predestinated by God foreknowing your free-choice to believe, or are you chosen without regard for your choice?

If God offers salvation to everyone and Jesus died on the cross for everyone's sins, then God ordains by foreknowing your free-choice since, obviously, not everyone receives this offering and responds to His pleading for our salvation.

How could initial repentance come after regeneration when John's baptism came before Jesus' death on the cross? "Before his coming John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No. But after me one is coming...." (Acts 13.24,25).

The clue to how to read the Acts 13.48 passage correctly is in its context. McGarvey, comments that "the context has no allusion to appointment...but the writer draws a line of distinction between the conduct of certain Gentiles and that of the Jews addressed by Paul.... Luke says, many of the Gentiles 'were determined' for everlasting life. It is an act of the mind to which Paul objects on the part of the Jews, and it is clearly an act of the mind in the Gentiles which Luke puts in contrast with it..."

Several authorities trace the KJV's "ordained" to the corrupt Latin Vulgate. Cook's Commentary reads, "The A.V. [KJV] has followed the Vulgate. Rather, [it should read] were...disposed for eternal life..." Dean Alford translated it, "as many as were disposed to eternal life believed." The "Redactive Hebrew" version, based on word-for-word Greek-Hebrew equivalents, would render Acts 13.48 "as many as submitted to, needed, or wanted salvation, were saved." If "ordained" were the correct meaning, these Greeks still would have had to believe the gospel and accept Christ by an act of their own faith and will, as all of Scripture testifies.

Other uses for "ordained" (tasso): "...into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them" (Matt. 28.16); "For I also am a man set under authority" (Luke 7.8); "...they determined that Paul and Barnabas...should go up to Jerusalem" (Acts 15.2); "...all things which are appointed for thee to do" (Acts 22.10); "they had appointed him a day" (Acts 28.23); "...the powers that be are ordained of God" (Rom. 13.1); "...they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints" (1 Cor. 16.15).

There is no support that a sovereign decree was the sole reason. The Expositor's Greek Testament says, "There is no countenance here for the absolute decretum." A. T. Robertson likewise says: "The word ordained is not the best translation here.... There is no evidence that Luke had in mind an absolutum decretum...of personal salvation." Robertson writes, "This verse does not solve the vexed problem of divine sovereignty and human free agency."

Foreknowledge is always given as the reason for predestination, decree and ordain. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate.... Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (Rom. 8.29; 1 Peter 1.2). Never is there a hint of God's predestining certain ones to heaven whom He will sovereignly regenerate and irresistibly cause to believe the gospel while withholding grace from others.

It is further stated through Acts chapter 13 after Paul convinces the Jews and the Gentiles that Jesus is the one in fulfillment of prophecy in the second psalm (Acts 13.33; cf. Ps. 2.7), Isaiah (Acts 13.34; cf. Is. 55.3), Psalm 16 (Acts 13.35, cf. Ps. 16.10). "Through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" (v.38). "Everyone that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses" (v.39). Forgiveness in regeneration and the new birth follows believing. You ought to "Beware, therefore, lest there come upon you what is said in the prophets..." (v.40). Heed this warning, obviously, because you have a choice. God has supplied them and you with sufficient grace to have the choice to be able to choose.

The judgment upon the Calvinist, like the unbelieving, is this: "'Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I do a deed in your days, a deed you will never believe, if one declares it to you'." (v.41) What did Jesus do? He died on the cross for the sins of all men.

The peoples' repentance was seen in that they "begged" (v.42) to hear more on the next sabbath and some even "followed" (v.43b) already. So Paul and Barnabas continued to "urge them" to continue in the sufficient "grace of God" freely given to all (v.43c).

Like many Jews, the Calvinists "saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted what was spoken by Paul, and reviled him" (v.45).

The Jews received immense grace, so they are without excuse; just like the Gentiles were given sufficient grace... "I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth" (Acts 13.47).

When the Gentiles "heard this [about salvation offered to them too], they were glad and glorified the word of God" (v.48a) as it was their choice by their own free-will to do so. This is why God "ordained" them to "eternal life" in foreknowing their free-choice to have "believed" (v.48b).

Calvinists jealous of born-again believers of "multitudes, they were filled with jealousy" (v.45a). So they "stirred up persecution against Paul" (v.50) and other Apostles, even today, and "drove them out of their district" (v.50) like John Calvin did, the Protestant Pope of Geneva. "But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and went" elsewhere (v.51). "And the disciples were were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (v.52).

Based on Paul's urging and pleading with the Jews and Gentiles, it would not make much sense if not everyone was provided sufficient grace to have the choice.

Acts 13.48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

The first part of v.48 says they were thankful. What are they thankful for? They are thankful for their salvation because they accept the good news they realize is for them too.

The question is how were they appointed? Does God appoint by just selecting without consideration of their choice (to be able to receive the cross by faith)? The statement that they "believed" after acknowledgment of their appointment is not an indication they didn't believe until after they were regenerated, for they believed but it is a reflection back upon their salvation and in relation to the Jews who were a light to the Gentiles (v.47), so Paul said "since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life--well, we will offer it to Gentiles" (v.46). That is the original meaning. It is a positive reinforcement and in relation to the Jews who did not think the Gentiles could be saved. Furthermore, Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13 are trying to convince people to be saved. Why do this if people did not have the choice or they were totally deprave? That makes no sense under Calvinism.

If the god of Calvinism desires all to be saved, there is a conflict in its "two-will" theory. The god of Calvinism doesn't provide sufficient grace to all. Even though the Calvinist claims his god is able to save all from an alleged Total depravity by His death on the cross, but he doesn't save all, then He is not loving. His desire and decree are in conflict whether there is sin or no sin. The sacrifice was once-for-all to replace all the animal sacrifices, so any could receive it; therefore, salvation is not a pre-selection of people without consideration for choice to be able to receive or reject the cross. Total depravity is a delusion to keep a person unsaved. People underestimate the cunning of Satan. You are and always will be made in God's image. God treats you as intrinsic value, not instrumental value. Therefore, intrinsically you remain in His image. The fall did not make you Totally deprave, but partially deprave.

You can argue as James White does (http://vintage.aomin.org/DHOpenLetter.html) against Dave Hunt, but this outstanding problem of a bipolar, schizoid god is what ultimately destroys Calvinism, for most Calvinists don't want to directly state that God is the author of sin, so they have to resort to these contradictory two-wills.

Six major questions posed to James White show his 6 major sins of Calvinism.

Praise the Lord for this discernment!