The statement, "as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" is a rather simplistic one. Really, to have to write paragraph upon paragrah in order to understand this statement is really a shock to me. Even a child should be able to understand what this is saying, and surely it takes help to misunderstand it.
This statement is a restrictive characterization. Who believed the gospel when Paul preached it? Did everyone that showed up that day, nearly the whole city? No. Who did, then? As many as were ordained to eternal life. That tells me that only the ones ordained to eternal life, chosen by the Father unto everlasting salvation before the world began, believed the gospel. It stands then that those not chosen, not ordained to eternal life, did not believe. Belief is a condition of election (being a sheep), not the other way around. Don't like that? Ok, here's another text that teaches that - John 10:26 the Lord Jesus says, "but ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep." Why didn't they believe? They weren't sheep. They hadn't been chosen by the Father, ordained to eternal life. Don't like that? John 6:37 the Lord Jesus says, "all that the Father giveth me shall come to me." In verse 44 He says, "no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Want some more? John 8:43 Jesus asks, "why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word." Why couldn't they hear His word? Verse 47 says, "he that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." Jesus told those same people God wasn't their father, the devil was.
Again and again and again you see that belief is conditioned upon being a sheep, and one is a sheep because he/she was chosen before the world began, thus ordained to eternal life. Find me one that believes and you've found one ordained to eternal life.
This statement is a restrictive characterization. Who believed the gospel when Paul preached it? Did everyone that showed up that day, nearly the whole city? No. Who did, then? As many as were ordained to eternal life. That tells me that only the ones ordained to eternal life, chosen by the Father unto everlasting salvation before the world began, believed the gospel. It stands then that those not chosen, not ordained to eternal life, did not believe. Belief is a condition of election (being a sheep), not the other way around. Don't like that? Ok, here's another text that teaches that - John 10:26 the Lord Jesus says, "but ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep." Why didn't they believe? They weren't sheep. They hadn't been chosen by the Father, ordained to eternal life. Don't like that? John 6:37 the Lord Jesus says, "all that the Father giveth me shall come to me." In verse 44 He says, "no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Want some more? John 8:43 Jesus asks, "why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word." Why couldn't they hear His word? Verse 47 says, "he that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." Jesus told those same people God wasn't their father, the devil was.
Again and again and again you see that belief is conditioned upon being a sheep, and one is a sheep because he/she was chosen before the world began, thus ordained to eternal life. Find me one that believes and you've found one ordained to eternal life.