"Ordained" to eternal life (Acts 13:48)

Post by **_AARONDISNEY** » Thu May 18, 2006 2:50 pm

Acts 13:44-48
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
(KJV)

Just needing a little help with this passage.........
It seems that it says the as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. I am having trouble understanding why it says it this way. I am firmly non-Calvinist, but I have problems with this passage - any help appreciated.

Aaron

Post by **_STEVE7150** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:56 am

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

"And as many" i think is like "whosoever" because we become ordained by believing , not that we believe by being ordained. "And as many" is a open ended number that is determined by who responds to the calling which is to everyone IMHO.

Post by **_AARONDISNEY** » Sun May 21, 2006 12:24 pm

STEVE7150 wrote:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

"And as many" i think is like "whosoever" because we become ordained by believing , not that we believe by being ordained. "And as many" is a open ended number that is determined by who responds to the calling which is to everyone IMHO.

Thanks Steve,
I guess it's the order of it that's got me messed up. I wish it said as many as believed were ordained to eternal life. But I can't wish against what is clearly written. Is it possible that "ordained" could be translated in a different way...Could it be their ordaining to believe, and thus receiving eternal life.....?

Post by **_Ely** » Sun May 21, 2006 1:13 pm

I guess it's the order of it that's got me messed up. I wish it said as many as believed were ordained to eternal life. But I can't wish against what is clearly written. Is it possible that "ordained" could be translated in a different way...Could it be their ordaining to believe, and thus receiving eternal life.....?

A similar question came up on anothe rforum, check out one of the answers given:

http://p214.ezboard.com/fthechristianca ... ic&index=1

Post by **_AARONDISNEY** » Mon May 22, 2006 2:36 pm

Thanks Ely
That was helpful. The way the KJV words it makes it difficult to see at a glance, but in context a middle voice seems to be the apparent conclusion.

Post by **_loaves** » Tue May 23, 2006 11:14 am

STEVE7150 wrote:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

"And as many" i think is like "whosoever" because we become ordained by believing , not that we believe by being ordained. "And as many" is a open ended number that is determined by who responds to the calling which is to everyone IMHO.

Good point.

Post by **_Paidion** » Tue May 23, 2006 9:05 pm

Here is part of what Henry Alford D.D., Greek expert and editor of Alford's Greek Testament had to say about this matter. The explanatory words in brackets are mine.

The meaning of this word [tetagmenoi] must be determined by the context. The Jews had judged themselves unworthy of eternal life
: the Gentiles, as many as were disposed to eternal life, believed. By whom so disposed, is not here declared; nor need the word be in this place further particularized. We know that it is God who worketh in us to believe, and that the preparation of the heart is of Him; but to find in this text pre-ordination to life asserted, is to force both the word and the context to a meaing which they do not contain.

Post by **_AARONDISNEY** » Wed May 24, 2006 11:39 am

Thanks everyone. Great link and responses. I appreciate it. I have a better grasp on it now.

God bless,
Aaron

Post by **_SoaringEagle** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 1:05 pm

Gregory Boyd's commentary on specific passages:

Acts 13:48:

“When the Gentiles heard this [preaching], they were glad and praised the word of the Lord, and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers.”

Luke does not specify when the Gentiles who believed were “destined for eternal life.” Compatiblists rightfully point out that the Gentiles’ faith followed their being “destined for eternal life” but mistakenly assume that this “destiny” was decided by God from before creation. The text only requires us to believe that the Spirit of God had been at work preparing the hearts of all who did not resist him to accept the Gospel when they heard it.

God knows our heart before we express it through our words or through our decisions (Ps. 139:2–4). On this basis the Lord could assure Paul before his missionary endeavor at Corinth that “there are many in this city who are my people” (viz. whose hearts have been opened and who will therefore believe your message) (Acts 18:10).

So too, Lydia listened intently to Paul’s Gospel because the Lord had already “opened her heart” (Acts 16:14). Those Gentiles who did not resist the Spirit’s work in their life were “ripe” for the message of Paul and Barnabas. They were already “destined for eternal life” and thus accepted the Good News when it was preached to them.*

In my opinion, this is also how we ought to interpret Jesus’ words when he tells certain Jews, “you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice...and they follow me” (John 10:26–27). Jesus isn’t implying that God unilaterally decides who will and will not be sheep, as compatibilists teach. And he certainly isn’t suggesting that this matter was decided before any of these people were born.

Jesus’ words only imply that at the time of his speaking some people were sheep and therefore believed while others were not and therefore did not believe. We only create impossible problems for ourselves—such as how God can love all and want all to be saved while predestining many to hell—when we go beyond what Scripture teaches.

Note

* An alternative non-deterministic reading of this passage is to suggest that God ordained people to eternal life on the basis of his foreknowledge of their faith. See C. W. Carter, ed. The Weslyan Bible Commentary, Vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964), 570.

Post by **_tartanarmy** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:46 am

Simply amazing. Talk about standing a passage on it's head, and then quoting an Open Theist Heretic for interpretation! (Boyd)

This is why "tradition" is a powerful enemy to truth sadly.

Blessings
Mark