lovestrongerthandeath said:
Hi,
I was just wondering if anybody here has a take on this verse that isn't Calvinistic.
Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
This is a very good study!
First thing to do is get a better translation of the word "appointed." Strongs weakens the word to a mere "dispostion" rather than "appointment".G5021 τάσσωtassō
tas'-so
A prolonged form of a primary verb (which latter appears only in certain tenses); to arrange in an orderly manner, that is, assign or dispose (to a certain position or lot): - addict, appoint, determine, ordain, set.
Hence it is possible that the verse could read: "As many as were disposed to eternal life believed"
(The Nestle Marshall Greek interlinear uses the word "disposed")
Instead of being "appointed" to eternal life (by God), they are "disposed" (or inclined, prepared) to believe from within themselves.
In other words, if they are disposed (or inclined or prepared) to believe, then they would. If they were not disposed ( or inclined or prepared) to believe, then they would not. This makes perfect sense and I think is the correct way to see the verse.
Here are some other references that present many different ideas on the verse:
"Robertson's Word Pictures"
As many as were ordained to eternal life (osoi hsan tetagmenoi eiv zwhn aiwnion). Periphrastic past perfect passive indicative of tassw, a military term to place in orderly arrangement. The word "ordain" is not the best translation here. "Appointed," as Hackett shows, is better. The Jews here had voluntarily rejected the word of God. On the other side were those Gentiles who gladly accepted what the Jews had rejected, not all the Gentiles. Why these Gentiles here ranged themselves on God's side as opposed to the Jews Luke does not tell us. This verse does not solve the vexed problem of divine sovereignty and human free agency. There is no evidence that Luke had in mind an absolutum decretum of personal salvation. Paul had shown that God's plan extended to and included Gentiles. Certainly the Spirit of God does move upon the human heart to which some respond, as here, while others push him away.
"The People's New Testament"
"...As many as were ordained to eternal life...". This passage has been used as a proof text for the extreme Calvinism that makes God arbitrarily select some for salvation and reject others. Wesley, on the other hand, says: "The original word rendered ordained is not once used in the Scriptures to express eternal predestination of any kind. The sense is that those, and those only, now ordained, now believed. Not that God rejected the rest; it was his will that they also should be saved, but they thrust salvation from them. Nor were those who then believed forced to believe. Grace was offered to them and they did not thrust it away." It is God's ordination that those of humble, teachable, honest hearts, seeking the truth and life, shall come to life when it is offered, and such accepted the gospel on this occasion.
"Barnes Notes"And as many as were ordained - ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι hosoi ēsan tetagmenoi. Syriac, "Who were destined," or constituted. Vulgate, "As many as were foreordained (quotquot erant praeordinati) to eternal life believed." There has been much difference of opinion in regard to this expression. One class of commentators has supposed that it refers to the doctrine of election - to Gods ordaining people to eternal life, and another class to their being disposed themselves to embrace the gospel - to those among them who did not reject and despise the gospel, but who were disposed and inclined to embrace it. The main inquiry is, what is the meaning of the word rendered "ordained"? The word is used only eight times in the New Testament: Mat_28:16, "Into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them"; that is, previously appointed - before his death; Luk_7:8, "For I also am a man set under authority"; appointed, or designated as a soldier, to be under the authority of another; Act_15:2, "They determined that Paul and Barnabas, etc., should go to Jerusalem"; Act_22:10, "It shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do"; Act_23:23, "And when they appointed him a day," etc.: Rom_13:1, "the powers that be are ordained of God; 1Co_16:15, They have addicted themselves to the ministry of saints." The word τάσσω tassō, properly means "to place" - that is, to place in a certain rank or order. Its meaning is derived from arranging or disposing a body of soldiers in regular military order. In the places which have been mentioned above, the word is used to denote the following things:
(1) To command, or to designate, Mat_28:16; Act_22:10; Act_28:23.
(2) to institute, constitute, or appoint, Rom_13:1; compare 2Sa_8:11; 1Sa_22:7
(3) to determine, to take counsel, to resolve, Act_15:2.
(4) to subject to the authority of another, Luk_7:8.
(5) to addict to; to devote to, 1Co_16:15.
"Adam Clark's Commentary"
As many as were ordained to eternal life believed - This text has been most pitifully misunderstood. Many suppose that it simply means that those in that assembly who were fore-ordained; or predestinated by Gods decree, to eternal life, believed under the influence of that decree. Now, we should be careful to examine what a word means, before we attempt to fix its meaning. Whatever τεταγμενοι may mean, which is the word we translate ordained, it is neither προτεταγμενοι nor προορισμενοι which the apostle uses, but simply τεταγμενοι, which includes no idea of pre-ordination or pre-destination of any kind. And if it even did, it would be rather hazardous to say that all those who believed at this time were such as actually persevered unto the end, and were saved unto eternal life. But, leaving all these precarious matters, what does the word τεταγμενος mean? The verb ταττω or τασσω signifies to place, set, order, appoint, dispose; hence it has been considered here as implying the disposition or readiness of mind of several persons in the congregation, such as the religious proselytes mentioned Act_13:43, who possessed the reverse of the disposition of those Jews who spake against those things, contradicting and blaspheming, Act_13:45. Though the word in this place has been variously translated, yet, of all the meanings ever put on it, none agrees worse with its nature and known signification than that which represents it as intending those who were predestinated to eternal life: this is no meaning of the term, and should never be applied to it. Let us, without prejudice, consider the scope of the place: the Jews contradicted and blasphemed; the religious proselytes heard attentively, and received the word of life: the one party were utterly indisposed, through their own stubbornness, to receive the Gospel; the others, destitute of prejudice and prepossession, were glad to hear that, in the order of God, the Gentiles were included in the covenant of salvation through Christ Jesus; they, therefore, in this good state and order of mind, believed. Those who seek for the plain meaning of the word will find it here: those who wish to make out a sense, not from the Greek word, its use among the best Greek writers, and the obvious sense of the evangelist, but from their own creed, may continue to puzzle themselves and others; kindle their own fire, compass themselves with sparks, and walk in the light of their own fire, and of the sparks which they have kindled; and, in consequence, lie down in sorrow, having bidden adieu to the true meaning of a passage so very simple, taken in its connection, that one must wonder how it ever came to be misunderstood and misapplied. Those who wish to see more on this verse may consult Hammond, Whitby, Schoettgen, Rosenmuller, Pearce, Sir Norton Knatchbull, and Dodd.
