Appointed to Eternal Life - Acts 13:48
In Acts 13:14-41, Paul speaks in a synagogue in Psidian Antioch and proclaims Jesus as the promised Messiah. When he finishes the people plead for him to tell them more (Acts 13:42-43). The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembles (Acts 13:44). As Paul preaches, key synagogue leaders reject the gospel (Acts 13:45-47); however, many Gentiles accept it—“as many as were ordained to eternal life” (Acts 13:48). There are three key questions that have to be addressed in seeking to understand v. 48: 1) what does the word “ordained” mean; 2) by whom were they ordained; and 3) on what basis were they “ordained.” First, most scholars agree that the word “ordained” means “appointed,” and that is certainly the ordinary sense of the word (see Acts 15:2; 22:10; 28:3). Since nothing in the text or context requires a different sense, we should go with the ordinary sense. Second, the text does not say who appointed them to eternal life. The grammar requires only that their appointm...