Acts 13: 48 does not support Calvinism

Just as all people are sinners in the sight of God, and are predestined for Hell, God made a way of escape through Jesus Christ who is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1Jn 2:2) He came to draw ALL men unto Him (John 12:32) All we need to do is to accept God's gift of free salvation.

Why are the unbelievers the way they are? Satan has led them by appealing to their flesh and through self-justification made them habitual sinners. We are all evil by nature.

Psalms 14:2, 3 "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

The answer for the Calvinist is that God has chosen His people from the foundation of the world. He then made provision to lead us out from under Satan's oppressive control. That said, we still have a choice in the matter. Predestination is very real but we should not let it define us. We cannot fully comprehend it, so let's just quit thinking about it. God knew we would choose right once enlightened. He also knows if we make bad choices and He will let that happen also.

The "world" in 1 John 2:2 is limited to those who believe. The world of believers. The natural man cannot believe (discern) anything of a spiritual nature until he has been regenerated and given a new heart. A gift is not free if we have to take an action to receive it, such as accepting it. That is not something that the natural man in 1 Cor 2:14 can do.

I do understand why I am so hard to understand. In (1) I did use the wrong word. It should have been "chose". (3) - I think that you might have misunderstood what I was trying to convey. Jesus was the sacrifice, not the elect. His sacrifice was offered to God for the sins of the elect. Christ's offering was made to God for God's acceptance and not made to man for man's acceptance. Sorry for the confusion, as I have said, I am not to efficient in explaining my views.

Your sentence does not make any sense. A gift is not free if we have to take action to recieve it, such as as accepting it?
Nonsense. Um hello, what world do you live in? Accepting a gift is not PAYING for one it is simply choosing to accepting it, because Jesus paid for it, its free. All we need to do is thank Him. Many people dont realise they can have this gift because they do not ask.

Asking is not paying for a gift. Ask and ye shall receive. GOd doesnt force himself on any of us. He even gave the israelites an option to 'choose whom they will serve'. They didnt have to serve Him. And many did not as we read in the OT. And some chose idolatry and were destroyed. Yet He still gave them the choice to go His way or their own way.

How does the omniscience of God, having total knowledge, limit or is inconsistent with an autonomous will?

Thanks for clarifying - it makes much better sense than it did before - not that I agree with all you are saying, but at least I am getting your ideas . . .

As I have stated before, God has given man a free choice as to how he wants to live his life here on earth, but man has no choice in his eternal destination.

Your sentence does not make any sense. A gift is not free if we have to take action to recieve it, such as as accepting it?
Nonsense. Um hello, what world do you live in? Accepting a gift is not PAYING for one it is simply choosing to accepting it, because Jesus paid for it, its free. All we need to do is thank Him. Many people dont realise they can have this gift because they do not ask.

Asking is not paying for a gift. Ask and ye shall receive. GOd doesnt force himself on any of us. He even gave the israelites an option to 'choose whom they will serve'. They didnt have to serve Him. And many did not as we read in the OT. And some chose idolatry and were destroyed. Yet He still gave them the choice to go His way or their own way.

Forest cook you might want to read Genesis. Yep start from the beginning before the foundation of the world. Before adam and eve were created. Notice that God planted two different kinds of trees on the garden. Can you tell me what the two different trees were?

The natural man cannot accept Christ as his Savor because he cannot discern anything of a spiritual nature until he has been regenerated and given a new heart. 1 Cor 2:14.

"But the natural man - ψυχικὸς, δὲ ἄνθρωπος psuchikos de anthrōpos. The word “natural” here stands opposed evidently to “spiritual.”

The "world" in 1 John 2:2 is limited to those who believe. The world of believers. The natural man cannot believe (discern) anything of a spiritual nature until he has been regenerated and given a new heart. A gift is not free if we have to take an action to receive it, such as accepting it. That is not something that the natural man in 1 Cor 2:14 can do.

We are all natural men, born of Adam. So there is no hope for any of us. But there is!

I offer this from Albert Barnes the commentator:

The majority of people I speak to are stubbornly opposed to spiritual matters. I have met it hundreds of times. Speaking for myself I never was opposed to God, but I was not given a new heart, until I repented of my sin as a child and asked Jesus into my heart and life. This is when the miracle took place and I received a new heart. Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to the wind.


I believe the Holy Spirit, like the wind, touches everyone. Some accept the prompting of the Holy Spirit like Samuel as a child, while those who are opposed to the Spirit (the natural man), reject it. However, it still needs those who hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit to accept the call of God and not reject it. And that my friend is where free will comes in and enables us to make our choice for God. Once we do that and accept the promptings of the Holy Spirit we are a child of God.

Remember; Jesus came to draw ALL men unto Him (John 12:32) Being God he could if he wanted force his will onto us, but what He wants is for us to come willingly like a little child. Even natural man was once a little child spiritually speaking, but they, of their own free will hardened their heart.

God does his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth, and none can stay his hand. Dan 4:35. You limit the power of God and give power to man to to accept or reject. God accomplishes all of his will. God, as you see him, is only as powerful as man will let him be.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Eph 2:8 KJV)

Jesus who is the "Way the Truth and the Life" said :-

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20 KJV)

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (Joh 15:4-6 KJV)

The choice is ours.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Eph 2:8 KJV)

Jesus who is the "Way the Truth and the Life" said :-

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20 KJV)

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (Joh 15:4-6 KJV)

The choice is ours.

Acts 13: 48, "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

This verse is one of the strongest verses the Calvinist has in support of their position. I believe in free-will and think the doctrine of Calvinism is not supported by the Scriptures.

The purpose of this post is to give my brothers and sisters a good defense against the Calvinist interpretation of Acts 13: 48. I have noticed in many debates that the Calvinist turns to this verse and uses it against the Arminian/Free-Willer and the Arminian usually does not have a good response. Here would be my response:

3 chapters before in Acts 10 & 11 we read about the story of Cornelius. In Acts 10: 2 we are told that Cornelius "was a devout man, who feared God always and gave to the poor". Later in the chapter we hear from Peter in Acts 10: 34-35, when talking about Cornelius, he says, "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is ACCEPTED by Him."

That word "accepted" is the same as being appointed to eternal life. Because Cornelius chose of his own free will to fear God and serve Him, God appointed Him to eternal life. This is why it says that Cornelius' prayers had come up as a memorial before God in Acts 10: 4. And an angel was sent to him telling him to send for Peter so that he could hear words by which he and his household would be saved.

So in the same book, by the same author, just 3 chapters before, we are given a clear example from the Bible how "appointing to eternal life works". When the Calvinist reads Acts 13: 48 he inserts the words in parenthesis "appointed to eternal life (before the foundation of the world) believed". The words "before the foundation of the world" are obviously not in that verse but Calvinists are quite successful in getting people to think that they are.

God does not arbitrarily choose people before the foundation of the world. We see from the example of Cornelius that God chooses people based on their heart response to him.