A common “proof-text” used to support the Reformed/Calvinistic understanding of the doctrine of predestination is Acts 13:48, which reads:
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.
Reformed apologists will argue that this verse supports their soteriology, as the Gentiles were said to have been “ordained” (τασσω) to salvation/eternal life. However, there are many exegetical issues with absolutizing this verse as many Calvinists are wont to do.
Firstly, let us examine the previous verses to ascertain context:
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you [the Jews]; but seeing ye put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 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. (Acts 13:46-47)
In this text, the Jews to whom Paul and Barnabas were in discussion with had both "rejected" the gospel and "judge[d themselves] unworthy of everlasting life," clearly speaking of the free-will ability of man to accept or reject the gospel.
The dynamic relationship between the will of God and the free-will of man can be seen in a number of places elsewhere in Scripture. For instance, in John 1:12-13, we read:
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)
In this text, the terms translated as "received" and "believe" are in the active, not passive, voices (εδωκεν [third person singular indicative active of διδωμι] and πιστευσιν [present active dative participle of πιστευω]), showing a person is acting of their own volition to accept the Gospel, notwithstanding John is also teaching his readers that those who do accept the Gospel do so because they are born from God's spiritual power, not through self-regeneration.
This is paralleled in John 6:39-40:
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Returning to Acts 13:48, the following commentary by Gregory Boyd shows that the Reformed reading is problematic:
Luke does not specify when the Gentiles who believed were “destined for eternal life.” [Cavinists] 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 has been at work preparing the hearts of all who did not resist him to accept the gospel when they heard it. God knows our hearts before we express them through our words or 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,” that is, whose hearts have been opened and who will therefore believe Paul’s message (Acts 18:10). Likewise, 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 lives 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. (Gregory A. Boyd, Satan and the Problem of Evil: Constructing a Trinitarian Warfare Theodicy [Downers Grove, Illin.: InterVarsity Press, 2001], 412-413; comment in square bracket added for clarification.)
The closest the Bible comes to affirming individual predestining election is Acts 13:48. The verse states that the gentiles rejoiced upon hearing Paul’s message, “and as many as were appointed [ēsan tetagmenoi] to eternal life gave pistis [episteusan].” But God’s foreordinaed or prior choosing (e.g., before time) is in all likelihood not emphasized here (to suggest otherwise is weak exegesis as it overloads the perfect passive participle tetagmenoi with inappropriate temporal and theological weight); rather it merely emphasized that God is sovereign over appointment to eternal life even at the individual level. The timing of this appointment is not specified other than that it is prior to or simultaneous with the individuals giving pistis. (Matthew B. Bates, Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2017], 171 n. 11)
Only by absolutizing Acts 13:48 from (1) its immediate context and (2) the teachings of the rest of the Bible can one affirm that it is a valid “proof-text” for the Reformed understanding of predestination.
