Understanding Acts 13:48

[Van]

The verb "tasso" has several meanings, one of which refers to an agreement by mutual consent. Someone or authority gives direction and the direction is then received and agreed upon. If the sentence structure emphases the giving of the direction, tasso might be in the passive voice, emphasizing that those accepting the direction had been given that direction. For example, in Acts 13:48 as many as had received the gospel's direction to eternal life believed. Here the action of the verb is passive, but the result is belief.

Common non-contextual myth is that the passive action is the result of God predestining the person to salvation. But compare with Acts 13:46 where people rejected the gospel. The corresponding action here is the people accepted the direction. Thus the use of tasso to indicate agreement with the direction passively received.

 

[Van]

Romans 13:1 NASB
Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

The English word "established" is the NASB choice to translate "tasso" in its Greek grammar form of "Perfect Passive Participle." The grammar indicates the emphases is on God giving and the recipients passively "receiving" the instructions for godly governing. The "Perfect" indicates that those instructions remain in effect. Thus only those governments that are adhering to those instructions are the ones that continue to have "authority."

If we, for a moment, consider that "tasso" might mean "unilaterally dictated" every government authority, then Christians would be scripturally required to work in the death camps of the NAZI government. Ludicrous!

Where else might we find "tasso" in its "Perfect Passive Participle" form? Acts 13:48. So once again the emphasis is on the gospel giving and the recipients passively "receiving" the instructions to eternal life. And once again, those instructions remain in effect. And as many as took those instructions and adhered to those instructions believed!

 

[Kai]

What I have concluded from my own studies is that Acts 13:48 on its own is too ambiguous to establish the doctrine of unconditional election.

Since there's no agent present—no ὑπο + genitive or dative noun, which you'd normally see with a passive construction like "by God" (ὑπο του θεου or τῳ θεῳ)—I don't believe that it can be grammatically proven that the verbal form should be translated as a passive.

But even if we were to grant, for the sake of argument, that it should be passive, the word "appointed" itself does not imply an irresistible force that must result in a person's belief. A doctor might inform their patient that they have passively created an appointment for them on a certain day, yet the patient still needs to decide whether to show up or blow it off. An action on one side does not force the hand of the other.

It is also important to understand that verse 48 is contrasted with the events described earlier in verse 46. In other words, the Jews rejected their appointment to eternal life because they judged themselves unworthy, and the Gentiles accepted their appointment to eternal life because they gladly received the word of the Lord.