However Acts 13:48 deserves a much deeper analysis since it is just one verse and it appears to be the only passage in all of scripture that proves Calvinism. As with all honest exegesis, context is the key to understanding what this verse really says. By itself Acts 13:48 seems to convey something here but what about when it is read in full context.
Real estate is said to be "location, location, location" and good exegesis of any scripture starts with "context, context, context". Unfortunately context is not valued by most Calvinists. Context is often ignored by Calvinists who seem to be very good at simply lifting a verse here and a verse there n hope that these verses pulled willy-nilly out of the Bible are knit together for some doctrinal proof that is simply not there when read in context.
Please open your Bible and read Acts 13 in its entirety. Then let the deeper analysis begin...
Context
Acts 13 is a chapter that in context is about the preaching of the word of God by Paul and Barnabas. Acts 13:48 falls into that context and is quite specific about the preaching of the gospel that is rejected by the Jews but received by the Gentiles. Therefore the context of Acts 13:48 is precisely about this matter. The whole of Acts 13 is about Paul and Barnabas preaching the gospel. There is not one verse in Acts 13 outside of verse 48 which even hints at the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election. This is point one that we learn from our contextual review.
In Acts 13:13 Paul and Barnabas arrive at the synagogue on the Sabbath in the city of Antioch. Paul preaches a wonderful sermon that is directed at the Jews and it stirs up both interest and controversy. The key to the sermon is a verse that actually confronts unconditional election at its core:
What we see here is Paul clearly crushing Calvinism before Acts 13:48. Paul preaches a gospel "of everyone who believes" which proves that believing is the key to salvation. Further Paul warns his hearers that because of their "scoffing" they will perish since they do not believe. If unconditional election is the point of this passage Paul would have stated that point directly. Instead we see that Paul finishes his sermon by confronting those who will not believe. It is the scoffers who don't believe and who perish. Where does Paul espouse unconditional election here?38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
The next verses record that Paul and Barnabas are asked by many to attend the synagogue on the next Sabbath and that is exactly what they do. What is remarkable is that almost the whole city of Antioch shows up to hear Paul and Barnabas and the Jews became very jealous:
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.The above passage IS the key context that Acts 13:48 is found in. Acts 13:48 must not be shared outside of this context. To do so is to show appalling disregard to the text. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Calvinism does. Because they do not honor the context they interpret Acts 13:48 as a stand-alone verse because it only works when standing alone.
Acts 13:48 must be shared in context so I present it as such starting with verse 46:
Verse 46 is the key verse for understanding Acts 13:48 because it is direct context. Paul and Barnabas announce to the Jews who are rejecting the gospel that they will now preach that gospel to the Gentiles.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.
Therefore it is very clear that God has chosen to now offer salvation to the Gentiles so that they might believe and that is what Acts 13:48 is really about. It is the statement in verse 46 that provoked the Gentiles to get excited which resulted in being glad and glorifying the Lord. The context here is ALL about the GENTILES believing after the Jews rejected the gospel. The word that Calvinists seize for this verse is the word "ordained" which some versions translate as "appointed. If you remove this word, the Calvinist notion that God has predestined these people in verse 48 goes away completely making it worthless to Calvinism. But since the word does occur Calvinism attempts to make the verse work to support the doctrine of unconditional election.
The problem for Calvinism is that the word "ordained" is specifically pointing back to verses 46 and 47 and is referring to the Gentiles. "Ordained" then makes the associative point that God has now ordained the Gentiles to receive salvation and eternal life. The word "ordained" therefore is speaking not of predetermination that some specific Gentiles were being saved but that the Gentiles were now ordained or approved or set in place to receive salvation through Jesus. Therefore the "ordained" is not a reference to these specific individuals but is referring to Gentiles in the greater sense.
The Greek word for "ordained" means to be "set in place". That is the way this Greek word is always used in scripture. It is never used to mean "chosen" but simply means to "set in place", It is a word commonly used in a military sense. Therefore Acts 13:48 is only saying that Gentiles were now ordained or set in place to receive salvation. For thousands of years the Gentiles had not been allowed to participate in the salvation that had been offered only to the Jews and now there time has come.
Acts 13:48 therefore is no proof at all for Calvinism or unconditional election. The verse is taken out of context and the whole concept of just "these" Gentiles being placed to receive the gospel is not a rational understanding. But Calvinists twist this passage and try to make the case that this verse is about specific hearers being preselected for salvation. It is simply not the case.
Interestingly this interpretation doesn't even meet the true Calvinist standard for unconditional election because if God chose just Gentiles to be saved here he is actually using conditional election with the condition being that these men were Gentiles. Acts 13:48 therefore is a violation of their own doctrine if understood the way Calvinists want it to be.
The verse then in paraphrased language could be stated:
And when the Gentiles (not previously positioned) heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord (believing God's word) and as many as were ordained (the Gentiles) to eternal life believed because now the gospel had been given to the Gentiles.Much like Romans 9 is really about God rejecting Israel who rebelled against him and offering salvation to the Gentiles so Acts 13 is about God using Paul and Barnabas to announce that God was now offering salvation to the Gentiles since his offering of salvation was being rejected by the Jews.
But what IF...
What if Acts 13:48 was really all about what Calvinists say it is about? The best it could do is prove that God chose some Gentiles on this one day to be saved but what would it prove beyond that? Does it prove that all people are saved because they were preordained? No, because it is only speaking of this one place in time and applying it to everyone that will ever get saved is desperate if anything.
I agree with my earlier conclusion that Acts 13:48 is really about the Gentiles given their place to be saved as God ordained for that moment in time and is not about God's predestination of some to be saved BUT even if I agreed with Calvinism's conclusion it would only prove that a few people at this one location were chosen to be saved by God's purpose and proves nothing about unconditional election for all who eventually get saved..
Therefore the Calvinist's misguided assertion that Acts 13:48 proves unconditional election is pathetic. What about all the other passages in scripture where this word "ordained" is not used? So even if you give Calvinism its way on this verse which I don't; you still do not get any proof that the doctrine of unconditional election is valid.
Scripture, good exegesis and context all condemn Acts 13:48 which is cooked up by Calvinist methodology.
Another one bites the dust...
Darrell Brantingham
(Check out my pithy tweets on Twitter @confrontcalvin)
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