Now there is no doubt that Luke calls those who were elected by the free adoption of God. For it is a ridiculous cavil to make this refer to the attitude of believers, as if those who had the proper disposition of mind received the Gospel. For this particular ordaining can only be understood of the eternal purpose of God. And Luke does not say that they were ordained to faith, but to life, because God predestines His own to the inheritance of eternal life. On the other hand this verse teaches that faith depends on the election of God. And since the whole human race is blind and obstinate, those faults certainly remain fixed in our nature until they are corrected by the grace of the Spirit; but the correction flows only from the fountain of election. For of two men who hear the same teaching together, the one proves himself docile, while the other persists in his ill-will; yet that does not happen because they differ in nature, but because God enlightens the former and does not think the latter worthy of the same grace. We are certainly made sons of God by faith (Gal. 3:26), and faith, so far as we are concerned, is the door and commencement of salvation. But there is a profounder consideration as far as God is concerned; for He does not begin to choose us after we have believed; but he seals His adoption, which was hidden, by the gift of faith in our hearts, so that it may be plain and sure. For if it is the particular property of the sons of God alone to be His disciples, it follows that it does not apply to all the sons of Adam without distinction, do not receive the Gospel, because, even if the Heavenly Father calls all men to faith by the external voice of a man, yet he calls effectually by His Spirit only those whom He has determined to save. Now if God's election, by which he ordains us to life, is the cause of faith and salvation, the result is that no room is left for worthiness or merits. Let us therefore grasp what Luke says, that those, who have been engrafted into the Body of Christ by faith, and receive the earnest and pledge of their adoption in Christ, were previously ordained to life. [Calvin's New Testament Commentaries --The Acts Of The Apostles Vol. 1, page 393]
Act_13:48.
And when the Gentiles heard this — That such things had been prophesied concerning them many ages ago, and that the way was now open for their admission into covenant with the true God, and that the Lord Jesus had commanded his apostles to receive them into his church, and to admit them to all the benefits of the Messiah’s kingdom, without subjecting them to the law of Moses;
they were glad — And well they might be so, for they had now the door of faith set wide open to them;
and glorified the word of the Lord — Which had invited them to share in all the blessings of his grace, and brought to them the knowledge of salvation.
And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed — From this expression some infer, that God’s ordination, or decree, is the sole or principal cause of men’s faith, and that he hath thereby fixed the number of those that shall believe, and whom he will finally save. But if so, consequently the want, or absence, of such ordination or decree, in behalf of others, is the sole or principal reason of their unbelief; and by God withholding it, he has fixed the number of those that shall not believe, and so shall finally perish. For if the reason why these persons believed was only, or chiefly this, that they were ordained to believe, and obtain eternal life, then the reason why the rest believed not must be only, or chiefly this, that they were not so ordained by God. And, if so, what necessity could there be, that
the word of God should first be preached to them, Act_13:46. Was it only that their damnation might be greater? This seems to charge that lover of souls, whose
tender mercies are over all his works, with the greatest cruelty, as it makes him determine from all eternity, not only that so many souls, as capable of salvation as any others, shall perish everlastingly, but also that the dispensations of his providence shall be such toward them, as shall necessarily tend to the aggravation of their condemnation. And what could even their most malicious enemy do more? What is it that Satan himself aims at by all his temptations, but the aggravation of the future punishment of sinners? Therefore, to assert that God had determined his word should be spoken to these Jews for this very end, (which assertion must follow from such an interpretation of the text,) is to make God more instrumental to their ruin than even the devil himself; and is certainly wholly irreconcilable with his declarations, that
he is not willing any should perish, but
would have all men to be saved. Further, the apostle gives this reason, why he turned from the Jews to the Gentiles, that the Jews had
thrust the word of God from them, and judged themselves unworthy of eternal life, Act_13:46; whereas, according to this doctrine, this could be no sufficient reason of his turning from them to the Gentiles; for it was only they among the Jews whom God had not ordained to eternal life, who thus refused to believe, and obey the word of God. And as many among the Gentiles as were not thus ordained must necessarily do the same; and so there could be no sufficient reason why he should turn to the Gentiles on that account. Once more, “If as
many as [in that assembly]
were ordained to eternal life, believed under that sermon of Paul, [when
almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God,] it follows, that all who believed not
then were eternally shut up in unbelief: and that all the elect believed at once; that they who do not believe at one time, shall not believe at another; and that when Paul returned to Antioch, few souls, if any, could be converted by his ministry; God having at once taken as
many as were ordained to eternal life, and left all the rest to Satan.” — Fletcher. [
Joseph Benson's Commentary Act 13:48] {emphasis in the original text
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