Corporate Election

So jesus purchased back by His own blood the lost in hell?

 

So the blood of Jesus purchased salvation for all sinners, Jesus bought them back, so why not all saved?

 

WHY do Calvinists and Reformed find it so difficult to see what the Bible says, because sinful man REFUSES to believe. Acts 13:46 is very clear on this,

"Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said: “It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles"

Two points here. 1. these Jews REJECTED the Gospel, which shows they had the WILL to do so, because we read in verse 48 that the Gentiles "accepted" this same Message. 2. It very clearly says that the Jews, and NOT God, considered themselves not worthy of eternal life! This is the Word of God to those who can accept it!

 

friend...so is Acts 13:48
48 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.

 

The Greek for "ordained" is "τεταγμένοι", which here, contextually, because of the action of the Jews who "rejected" the Gospel Message, is to be understood in the "middle voice". This means that the Gentiles, when they heard this wonderful News of salvation, by "accepting" it, "enrolled themselves" on God's side. It is a military term which means, "draw up in order of battle, form, array, marshal, both of troops and ships". The word has no sense of "pre-arrange/ordain"

 

I don't think I will bother with you, as you seem to have a real problem in finding serious comments, as funny!

 

Not only has God the right to do as He wills with the creatures of His own hands, but He exercises this right, and nowhere is that seen more plainly than in His predestinating grace. Before the foundation of the world God made a choice, a selection, an election. Before His omniscient eye stood the whole of Adam’s race, and from it He singled out a people and predestinated them “unto the adoption of children,” predestinated them “to be conformed to the image of His Son,” “ordained” them unto eternal life.

Many are the Scriptures which set forth this blessed truth, seven of which will now engage our attention. “As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed” ( Acts 13:48).

Every artifice of human ingenuity has been employed to blunt the sharp edge of this Scripture and to explain away the obvious meaning of these words, but it has been employed in vain, though nothing will ever be able to reconcile this and similar passages to the mind of the natural man. “As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.” Here we learn four things:

First, that believing is the consequence and not the cause of God’s decree.

Second, that a limited number only are “ordained to eternal life,” for if all men without exception were thus ordained by God, then the words “as many as are a meaningless qualification. Third, that this “ordination” of God is not to mere external privileges but to “eternal life,” not to service but to salvation itself. Fourth, that all—“as many as,” not one less—who are thus ordained by God to eternal life will most certainly believe.

The comments of the beloved Spurgeon on the above passage are well worthy of our notice. Said he, “Attempts have been made to prove that these wordsdo not teach predestination, but these attempts so clearly do violence to language that I shall not waste time in answering them. I read: ‘As many as were ordained to eternal life believed’, and I shall not twist the text but shall glorify the grace of God by ascribing to that grace the faith of every man. Is it not God who gives the disposition to believe? If men are disposed to have eternal life, does not He—in every case—dispose them? Is it wrong for God to give grace? If it be right for Him to give it, is it wrong for Him to purpose to give it? Would you have Him give it by accident? If it is right for Him to purpose to give grace today, it was right for Him to purpose it before today—and, since He changes not—from eternity.” “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work” ( Romans 11:5,6).

 

We recently had one of the posters try and explain this away just a few weeks ago...he failed also...

 

ORDAINED TO ETERNAL LIFE (Acts 13:48)


“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; . . .” -- The Gentiles in that audience were happy, joyful and thrilled to hear about salvation for Gentiles in Christ. There was real electrifying excitement in that synagogue, for these Gentiles were beginning to understand that forgiveness of sins and eternal life were for them as well as the Jews. They also glorified the Word of the Lord. How did they glorify the word of the Lord? They believed in Christ, responded to the message of Christ that He died for their sins and was raised from the dead for their justification. They believed the message, they responded, they put their trust in the Savior whom the message proclaimed, even Jesus Christ. Thus they glorified the Word of the Lord.


“. . . and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” -- Among those Gentiles who heard Paul and Barnabas preach, those who were appointed (ordained) to eternal life believed. This verse stresses the sovereignty of God in a man's salvation. Do not turn this sentence around. It does not say, “And as many as believed were appointed to eternal life,” but “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” They believed because they were appointed eternal life.

It is interesting that the New English Bible translates this, “And those who were marked out for eternal life became believers.” The Phillips translation says, “As many as were destined to eternal life believed.”


This verse seems to clearly teach God's sovereign purposes in granting eternal life to certain ones who believe in Christ.

Yet, some dear Christians recoil at the thought that God appoints some to eternal life and these only trust Christ. Christians who question the sovereign purposes of God in salvation seek to explain away this passage by saying that when a person believes he is ordained to eternal life, but this is neither exegetically correct or theologically accurate.

Other doubters try to soften any predestinarian tendencies and play down the word “appoint” so as to make it mean “dispose, incline or determine.” They then read it like this, “And as many as had been disposed (inclined, determined) to eternal life believed,” making it man's determination rather than God's choice.

The problem with this position is that the Greek word for “appoint” is tasso which is a military word which means “to draw up in order, arrange in place, assign or appoint.“ This word tasso is used seven times in the New Testament (Matt. 28:16: Luke 7:8; Acts 15:2; Acts 22:10; Acts 28:23; Rom. 13:1; 1 Cor. 16:15) and each time it means “appointed” not “disposed” or “inclined.”


Furthermore, when tasso is used in relation to God's activity, it refers to His sovereign appointing or ordaining. Paul uses tasso in Romans 13:1 when speaking about human government and says, “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established (ordained, appointed) of God.” Therefore, the word tasso in Acts 13:48 must refer to God's sovereign appointment of some men to eternal life who believe in Jesus Christ because of this appointment.


Furthermore, there is some evidence from the papyrus Greek manuscripts that the word tasso used in its participle form means “to inscribe” or “to enroll.” It is used in one version of the Old Testament in Daniel 6:12 to say, “Hast thou not signed (tasso) a decree?” The idea, then, is that certain individuals are written down by sovereign decree in God's book and these people will receive eternal life. Jesus Christ told His disciples to rejoice because their names were written in heaven. “. . . but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

 

Some anonymous theologian wrote the following words:


Election, having once pitched upon a man, will find him out and call him home wherever he be. Zacchaeus, out of cursed Jericho; Abraham, out of idolatrous Ur of the Chaldeans; Nicodemus and Paul, out of the college of the Pharisees -- Christ's sworn enemies, Dionysius and Damaris, out of superstitious Athens. In whatever dung hill God's jewels be hid, election will both find them out there and fetch them out from thence. “Rejoice,” our Savior cried, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”


Acts 13:48 is a very powerful verse for it tells us that eternal life is attained by God's grace and not by works. God is sovereign and is actively working to grant men eternal life. It is not man who seeks God, but God who seeks man.
When men believe in Christ, they are simply responding to the activity of God who is already working in them to enable them to believe. When the whole issue is boiled down to its lowest common denominator, the question is whether salvation is of grace or works. If man's faith is looked upon as meriting eternal life, then salvation is of works because faith is an activity of the human mind and will. However, if faith in Christ is the result of God's sovereign appointment, then salvation is of grace for it is a total gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9). No man can boast anything about salvation but can only thank God that is has been granted to him. No human merit has anything to do with a man's salvation. Does salvation then exclude faith? Is faith unimportant? Does faith just come automatically? No, faith is the means God has ordained to bring about man's salvation and a man will never be saved until he places faith in Christ. Notice that Acts 13:48 says, “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”



II Thessalonians 2:13 says, “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” Ephesians 2:8 says, “By grace through faith you have been saved.” No man can be saved and understand his election until he believes in Christ, and he is one hundred percent responsible to trust Christ. Man’s inability never cancels his responsibility, and if any man wants to trust in Jesus Christ, he may, because God is working so as to place that desire in the human heart.


Another observation about Acts 13:48 is that it says, “As many as.” It does not say, “As few as.“ There will be multitudes in heaven.

It does not say, “The majority of those who had been appointed believed,” for not one of God's appointed ones will ever perish.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27, 28). It does not say, “The church was appointed of God and those who believe are part of the elect church.” No, it speaks of individuals, persons who are appointed to eternal life.


The words “as many as had been appointed to eternal life” raise the practical question, “How can I know I am among the elect?” The Bible makes it clear that all who believe in Christ have eternal 1ife. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). If you trust in Christ for salvation, then you know you are among the elect for the elect are appointed to eternal life. Election (appointment) takes place in the eternal counsels of God; election becomes a reality in a person's experience when he trusts in Jesus Christ. Remember, the elect trust Christ and those who trust Christ are the elect.

 

Verse 48

when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad — to perceive that their accession to Christ was a matter of divine arrangement as well as apostolic effort.

and glorified the word of the Lord — by a cordial reception of it.

and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed — a very remarkable statement, which cannot, without force, be interpreted of anything lower than this, that a divine ordination to eternal life is the cause,not the effect, of any man‘s believing.
S.Lewis Johnson;
But now, we’re talking about this contrast between “ordained” and “judged unworthy.” It’s striking to me that people have sought to avoid what is the plain teaching, it seems to me, of verse 48. We read here: “And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Now, you will find, for example, in the Living Bible words something like this. The Living Bible is really a sickly Bible on the way to death in a number of its translations, but in this particular case you will find “as many as want eternal life.” Or, in a note, I think, as I remember, “Ads many as are disposed to…”

Now, what that is is just a blatant attempt to avoid what is, I think, the clear teaching of the word of God, and that is that faith is not the reason for our election; but faith is the product of our election. We are not elected because we believe, but we believe because we are elected. And so, he says, “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” But today’s English version has, “As many as were chosen for eternal life believed.”

Phillips says, “As many as were destined for eternal life believed.”

The New English Bible has, “As many as were marked out for eternal life believed.”

This is a term that was used of the signing of a decree. In fact, that’s where Phillips gets the rendering “destined for”; decreed for. But, it also was used of enrollment, and that’s the sense in which we are using it in our title of the sermon, “Enrolled for Life and Testimony.”

So, “As many as were enrolled for eternal life…” – enrolled in the book of life for eternal life. Believed.

Now, that makes very plain, it seems to me, three important truths. First of all, human inability. Jesus said, “Do I have to go over these old truths over and over again?” Don’t answer. Yes, is the correct answer.

“No man can come to me,” Jesus said, “Except the Father which hath sent me drawn him.”

“No man can come to me…” The inability does not lie in physical or mental defect; it lies in our human nature, the obstinacy of our will. The Lord Jesus said, “You will not come unto me, that you may have life.” The darkness of our understanding; we are alienated from the knowledge of God. The natural man does not welcome the things of the Spirit of God. And, the depravity of our affections – only unconquerable grace can help those who cannot of themselves come. That’s plain.

The second truth that is plain is the truth of divine election. This truth is plainly taught here when he says, “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Faith depends upon election. Now, why is it this way? Because if this is the way God deals with us it becomes very evident that there is no room left for human merit. And our salvation is the work of God, and we praise God for that. We also rejoice in the fact that none of God’s people shall perish. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And, listen, it is not few; it is many.

Paul says, or the Gentiles, Luke says here, “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” All of the Lord’s people shall ultimately come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I like those wonderful old words of the great Puritan, John Arrowsmith, who says with reference to Romans 8:29 and 30. You remember the text that says: We were foreknown. We are foreordained. We are called. We are justified. And we are glorified. He says, “This is a golden chain, which God lets down from heaven, that by it He may draw up his elect thither. And it has five golden links, foreknown, foreordained, called, justified, glorified. One unbreakable chain.” And then he went on to say, “Election having once pitched upon a man will find him out and call him home wherever he be.”

 

"Saved-By-Grace,

The offer is sincere...it can be preached to all men.

The proclamation of the cross goes to all men.That has nothing to do with the design of the atonement.

You can if you understand the fall correctly.

 

Yet another false assertion, pure nonsense, pure obfuscation. Did he even read the scripture teaching this truth? Maybe he does not know how?

 

None of these false theology advocates understand that Acts 13:48 teaches that those who took Paul's direction to eternal life believed.

 

Expositor's Greek Testament

"Act_13:48. ἐδόξ. τὸν λ. τοῦ Κ.: δοξ. τὸν Θ.; frequent in Luke and Paul, cf. 2Th_3:1 for the nearest approach to the exact phrase here.—ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγ.: there is no countenance here for the absolutum decretum of the Calvinists, since Act_13:46 had already shown that the Jews had acted through their own choice. The words are really nothing more than a corollary of St. Paul’s ἀναγκαῖον: the Jews as a nation had been ordained to eternal life—they had rejected this election—but those who believed amongst the Gentiles were equally ordained by God to eternal life, and it was in accordance with His divine appointment that the Apostles had turned to them. Some take the word as if middle, not passive: “as many as had set themselves unto eternal life,” and in support of this Rendall refers to 1Co_16:15, ἔταξαν ἑαυτοὺς (see also Blass, in loco). The rendering here given by Rendall may be adopted without pressing the military metaphor in the verb, as has sometimes been done; see Wendt’s note, p. 308 (1888). St. Chrysostom takes the expression (rightly as Wendt thinks): ἀφωρισμένοι τῷ Θεῷ. Mr. Page’s note, in loco, should be consulted."

C J Elliott Commentary

"As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.—Better, as many as were disposed for. The words seem to the English reader to support the Calvinistic dogma of divine decrees as determining the belief or unbelief of men, and it is not improbable, looking to the general drift of the theology of the English Church in the early part of the seventeenth century, that the word “ordained” was chosen as expressing that dogma. It runs, with hardly any variation, through all the chief English versions, the Rhemish giving the stronger form “pre-ordinate.” The Greek word, however, does not imply more than that they fell in with the divine order which the Jews rejected. They were as soldiers who take the place assigned to them in God’s great army. The quasi-middle force of the passive form of the verb is seen in the Greek of Act_20:13, where a compound form of it is rightly rendered “for so he had appointed,” and might have been translated for so he was disposed. It lies in the nature of the case that belief was followed by a public profession of faith, but the word “believed” does not, as some have said, involve such a profession."

Cambridge Greek Testament

"48. καὶ ἐπίστευσαν ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, and as many as were ordained unto eternal life believed. In the controversies on predestination and election this sentence has constantly been brought forward. But it is manifestly unfair to take a sentence out of its context, and interpret it as if it stood alone. In Act_13:46 we are told that the Jews had adjudged themselves unworthy of eternal life, and all that is meant by the words in this verse is the opposite of that expression. The Jews were acting so as to proclaim themselves unworthy; the Gentiles were making manifest their desire to be deemed worthy. The two sections were like opposing troops, ranged (τεταγμένοι = marshalled) by themselves, and to some degree, though not unalterably, looked upon as so arranged by God on different sides. Thus the Gentiles were ordering themselves, and were ordered unto eternal life. The text says no word to warrant us in thinking that none could henceforth change sides. Nor is the rendering ‘ordained’ necessarily an evidence of the Calvinistic bias of our translators. The same rendering is found in other English versions and the Rhemish, strange to say, is even stronger, having ‘pre-ordinate.’

Speaker's Bible Commentary

"Were ordained] A.V. has followed the Vulgate. Rather, were set in order for, i.e. disposed for eternal life, as in Syr,; or, the passive of this verb being used as equivalent to the middle, e.g. xx.13, and repeatedly by Josephus, as many had marshalled themselves in the ranks of those who welcomed the offer of eternal life"

 

Corporate Election

First lets define “corporate” election as God making a choice to deal with a group of people according to His purpose. Thus, whoever is “in the sphere” of His choice is chosen, and therefore anyone who enters that sphere becomes chosen or elect. The concept does not include a specific way to enter that sphere, so it is consistent with the Arminian idea that when a person sincerely puts their trust in Christ, they enter that sphere and become “elect” but corporate election does not preclude denial of human choice as the means of entry. The means must be an additional stipulation.

Secondly, it is a false dichotomy to say if God does sometimes choose to deal with a group for some purpose, that means He does not ever choose individuals for some related purpose. Corporate election does not require the denial of individual election, and individual election does not require the denial of corporate election.

As we wade into the subject of corporate election, our first question might be, do we see in the Bible the notion of corporate election or individual election. The answer is both. As Dr. Daniel B. Wallace wrote, “Individual and corporate perspectives are intertwined in Paul.”

Next, to paraphrase Dr. Wallace, “whether individual or corporate election is in view, the election is initiated by God and effected by God. Those who are chosen become what they were chosen for.” Judas was chosen to fulfill the betrayer prophecy, and that is what he became.

Next can there be corporate election without first being individual election? The answer to this depends on how one understands the question. For example Abraham was chosen and then within his descendants the line leading to Christ was promised, the world being blessed through Abraham’s seed. So this would be an example of an individual election resulting in a corporate election. On the other hand God might choose to order the destruction of a people who are in the way of God’s people from fulfilling His purpose. So the answer is there can be corporate elections that are the consequence of individual elections, and there can be corporate elections not as a consequence of an election of some individual from the group.

Which brings us to the crux of the matter, are we chosen corporately to salvation or individually to salvation? Dr. Wallace again correctly pointed out that Romans 8:33 clearly addresses charges being brought against individuals, saying if they are elect, no charge can be brought. Why not? Because they were chosen by God to salvation, and no plan of God can be thwarted. If all has been forgiven by God, no lesser entity can bring any charge. If you have a Presidential pardon, no state governor can charge you with the pardoned crime. Secondly, and this point was definitely not made by Dr. Wallace, if a person was chosen to salvation, they would be elect, but if they had not been saved, then a charge could be brought against them. Thus this verse requires that election to salvation and salvation go hand in hand with no delay between the two.

And if as required by Romans 8:33, there is no delay, when are we chosen? Since many verses clearly teach before we were chosen, we were sinners; our individual election to salvation has to occur during our physical lifetime. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-30 we see God chose what the world saw as weak and foolish, requiring those chosen to be in and therefore known by the world. Second Thessalonians 2:13 says we are chosen through belief in the truth, requiring that we were alive and believing in Jesus when we were chosen. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says once we were not a people but now we are a people, requiring that we lived before becoming part of God’s chosen people, and also once we had not received mercy but now we have received mercy, again requiring that we lived without receiving mercy, and then we received mercy. Lastly we have God choosing the poor of this world, again requiring people being chosen while living, James 2:5.

In summary, when God chose Christ to be His Redeemer, that was an individual election that resulted in a corporate election, everyone subsequently redeemed was chosen in Him, as the target group of His redemption plan, thus He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world corporately, but we enter that sphere when God individually credits our faith as righteousness and places us spiritually in Christ, the sanctification by the Spirit, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 being our individual election to salvation.

 

Not only that, but the English word "ordained" basically meant "set", "ordered", "arranged" or "established" and was once also used to express how persons could order, set, arrange or establish THEMSELVES to something. For an example of "gentiles" of the time doing this , Egyptian pharaohs, officials, nobles, priests and anyone else who could afford it, spent their fortunes on pyramids and elaborate tombs to house their "Ka"(soul) in the afterlife. They effectively were "setting", "ordering" and "arranging" themselves to an afterlife they would never attain. (because they instead died without Jesus). But it proves that "gentiles" greatly desired everlasting life and that is all this verse is saying. These folks wanted very much to live forever and when they heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached, they gladly believed. The jews, on the other hand, had "judged THEMSELVES" unworthy because they chose to reject it.