Acts 13:48 doesn’t support a deterministic view of election. Instead, it reinforces the principle of positive volition—those already inclined toward the truth believed when they heard it. No coercion. No pre-programmed faith. Eternal life is free for the taking. But man’s volition determines the outcome. God does not force salvation on a select few while slamming the door on the rest. He has made eternal life available to all (John 3:16; 1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9).
Tag: predestination
The Believers’ Adoption Into God’s Family
The term adoption derives from the Greek word huiothesia (υἱοθεσία) which, according to BDAG, refers to “those who believe in Christ and are accepted by God as God’s children…with full rights.”[BDAG, 1024]. For the first time, as children of God, we have the privilege and right to cry out to God as “Abba! Father!” (Rom 8:15). This adoption by God is an act of love and grace, for “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Eph 1:5).
The Role of God the Father in Salvation
God the Father is seen as the initiator, planner, and orchestrator of the salvation of mankind. God the Father is loving, merciful, and kind, and “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).