The Greek word translated "ordained" in post #44 and appointed in post #45 refers to an agreement by mutual consent.
No, it doesn't.
The Greek word is, "
tetagmenoi ", and it means, "having been set into".
In the English, it means, "appointed", "commissioned", "set forth", "determined", "assigned".
As many as were
set into life, believed.
As many as took Paul's direction to eternal life believed.
I think I read David Cloud saying something like that ( he used the term, "pre-disposed", and I thought, "pre-disposed by whom"? ) in one of his articles, and Dr. Max Younce also stating it somewhere that way.
Dr. Younce even went so far as to suggest that the passage was mis-translated and should have said, "as many as believed were ordained to eternal life."
Interesting bit of wresting Scripture, I thought.
In fact, I was amazed that he went that far and no one seemed to catch him.
Gee MB, are you saying men of flesh can hear, understand and respond to the milk of the gospel? 1 Cor. 3:1
They can't and they don't.
" For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." ( 1 Corinthians 1:18 )
The lost ( carnal, natural men ) think that the preaching of the cross is foolishness.
Those that are saved believe it to be the power of God.
In addition,
Believers progress from carnal to spiritual in their behaviour because of the presence of the Holy spirit within them ( Romans 8:11, Galatians 5:22-23 ).
1 Corinthians 3:1 is written to those who have already believed, which is why Paul is addressing them as
brethren and babes in Christ.
Unbelievers ( who are never referred to as "brethren" anywhere in the Bible ) never progress past carnal in their behaviour, and their minds are
always at enmity with God ( Romans 8:5-8 ).
Read Romans, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians thoroughly, and hopefully you should see these things.