Predestination and Acts 10:34.

[lesliedellow]

If God has foreordained those whom He will save and those He will not then why did Peter state "God is no respecter of persons"? Isn't this exactly what the doctrine of perdestination claims God is doing while Peter claims otherwise?

Acts 10:34 (KJV)
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.

Peter would appear to be saying that being a member of a particular nation, or any other group, does not qualify you for salvation. God elects whom he wishes, irrespective of status, rank, or nationality.

 

[Kennesaw]

Your problem is in your misinterpretation of "respecter of persons."
God is no respecter of persons in the sense that he doesn't care whether you are poor or rich, Jew or gentile, white or black, man or woman or child. God is no respecter of all the categories that we humans use to judge each other.

 

[Anoetos]

Yes, the context is Peter's revealed realization that the Gospel was not just for Jews but for Gentiles; i.e. The revelation of grace in Christ is "transnational".

But even so, what makes you think we believe that God chooses based on anything in us?

 

[Irresistible Grace]

I think some Augustine is in order. Listen to what he has to say on the matter:

[FONT=&quot]Accordingly, when we hear and read in scripture that he ‘will have all men to be saved,’ although we know well that all men are not saved, we are not on that account to restrict the omnipotence of God, but are rather to understand the scripture, ‘who will have all men to be saved,’ as meaning that no man is saved unless God wills his salvation: not that there is no man whose salvation he does not will, but that no man is saved apart from his will; and that, therefore, we should pray him to will our salvation, because if he will it, it must necessarily be accomplished. And it was of prayer to God that the apostle was speaking when he used this expression. And on the same principle we interpret the expression in the Gospel: ‘the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world:’ not that there is no man who is not enlightened, but that no man is enlightened except by him. Or, it is said, ‘who will have all men to be saved;’ not that there is no man whose salvation he does not will (for how, then, explain the fact that he was unwilling to work miracles in the presence of some who, he said, would have repented if he had worked them?), but that we are to understand by ‘all men,’ the human race in all its varieties of rank and circumstances, – kings, subjects; noble, plebeian, high, low, learned, and unlearned; the sound in body, the feeble, the clever, the dull, the foolish, the rich, the poor, and those of middling circumstances; males, females, infants, boys, youths; young, middle-aged, and old men; of every tongue, of every fashion, of all arts, of all professions, with all the innumerable differences of will and conscience, and whatever else there is that makes a distinction among men. For which of all these classes is there out of which God does not will that men should be saved in all nations through his only-begotten Son, our Lord, and therefore does save them? For the Omnipotent cannot will in vain, whatsoever he may will. Now the apostle had enjoined that prayers should be made for all men, and had especially added, ‘for kings, and for all that are in authority,’ who might be supposed, in the pride and pomp of worldly station, to shrink from the humility of the Christian faith. Then saying, ‘for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our saviour,’ that is, that prayers should be made for such as these, he immediately adds, as if to remove any ground of despair, ‘who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ God, then, in his great condescension has judged it good to grant to the prayers of the humble the salvation of the exalted; and assuredly we have many examples of this. Our Lord, too, makes use of the same mode of speech in the Gospel, when he says to the Pharisees: ‘ye tithe mint, and rue, and every herb.’ For the Pharisees did not tithe what belonged to others, nor all the herbs of all the inhabitants of other lands. As, then, in this place we must understand by ‘every herb,’ every kind of herbs, so in the former passage we may understand by ‘all men,’ every sort of men. And we may interpret it in any other way we please, so long as we are not compelled to believe that the omnipotent God has willed anything to be done which was not done: for setting aside all ambiguities, if ‘he hath done all that he pleased in heaven and in earth,’ as the psalmist sings of him, he certainly did not will to do anything that he hath not done.’ (Enchiridion 103)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
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[Tallen]

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Rom 9:9-11 ESV

Which means they were thinking with a spiritual mind, and this doesn't erase what he said earlier.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8, KJV)

 

[ThyLovingkindness]

The word, "predestination" isn't even in the KJV. However, the words, "predestinate" and "predestinated" are.

Blessings!

 

[Irresistible Grace]

The word, "predestination" isn't even in the KJV. However, the words, "predestinate" and "predestinated" are.

Predestination is clearly taught in Scripture.

It's a universal belief among Christians of all persuasions. The chief differences lie in whether that said predestination to glory or to damnation is conditional or unconditional.

 

[stan1953]

Predestination is clearly taught in Scripture.

It's a universal belief among Christians of all persuasions. The chief differences lie in whether that said predestination to glory or to damnation is conditional or unconditional.

I find a total of 6 verses in the NT that use the word "predestined". I looked in the NASB and Holman. Acts 4:28, Romans 8:29 & 30, 1 Cor 2:7, Ephesians 1:5 & 11. In the NIV 2011 I only find 4 verses translated with 'predestined'. Acts 4:28 and 1 Cor 2:7 use the word 'decided' and 'destined'. They ALL use the Greek word "proorizō", which has the following connotations;

1) to predetermine, decide beforehand
2) in the NT of God decreeing from eternity
3) to foreordain, appoint beforehand
​

So we see according to scripture, that God makes plans. Makes sense because His Word tells us that.

Acts 4:28 - God's plan included Herod and Pontius Pilate.
Romans 8:29 & 30 - God's plan for us to become Christlike.
1 Cor 2:7 - God's plan of salvation BEFORE creation.
Ephesians 1:5 & 11 - God's plan to adopt us and make us Christlike.

​

So in God's Omniscience, He created and put into effect, before creation, a plan to save us from the result of Adam and Eve's fall from Grace. So God knows ALL things and has plans for ALL things, Just like Romans 8:28 says... And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Who are the called? Well Romans 8:30 tells us... And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. So who are predestined? That is in Romans 8:29... Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

So we see that all of God's plans are based on His foreknowledge of what mankind will do and how we will decide what we will do. This is ALL based on one of God's original principles, We reap what we sow!

 

[Butch5]

If God has foreordained those whom He will save and those He will not then why did Peter state "God is no respecter of persons"? Isn't this exactly what the doctrine of perdestination claims God is doing while Peter claims otherwise?

Acts 10:34 (KJV)
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.

It depends on how you view predestination. Calvin's view of predestination would make God into a respector of persons contradicting what Peter said. However, the apostles Paul's view of Presdestination does not make God into a respector of persons.

 

[Hammster]

MOD HAT ON

Due to some recent troll activity, this thread has been cleaned up. Some of your posts had to go. Sorry.



MOD HAT OFF

 

[Anoetos]

I find a total of 6 verses in the NT that use the word "predestined". I looked in the NASB and Holman. Acts 4:28, Romans 8:29 & 30, 1 Cor 2:7, Ephesians 1:5 & 11. In the NIV 2011 I only find 4 verses translated with 'predestined'. Acts 4:28 and 1 Cor 2:7 use the word 'decided' and 'destined'. They ALL use the Greek word "proorizō", which has the following connotations;

1) to predetermine, decide beforehand
2) in the NT of God decreeing from eternity
3) to foreordain, appoint beforehand
​

So we see according to scripture, that God makes plans. Makes sense because His Word tells us that.

Acts 4:28 - God's plan included Herod and Pontius Pilate.
Romans 8:29 & 30 - God's plan for us to become Christlike.
1 Cor 2:7 - God's plan of salvation BEFORE creation.
Ephesians 1:5 & 11 - God's plan to adopt us and make us Christlike.

​

So in God's Omniscience, He created and put into effect, before creation, a plan to save us from the result of Adam and Eve's fall from Grace. So God knows ALL things and has plans for ALL things, Just like Romans 8:28 says... And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Who are the called? Well Romans 8:30 tells us... And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. So who are predestined? That is in Romans 8:29... Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

So we see that all of God's plans are based on His foreknowledge of what mankind will do and how we will decide what we will do. This is ALL based on one of God's original principles, We reap what we sow!

Astonishing. You're exactly right until your last paragraph which bears no relation to what has gone before. This is what is known as a nonsequitur.