Acts 13:48: “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”

April 10th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

We love this Scripture that speaks so clearly of the sovereignty of God in salvation. God chooses people for salvation, not the opposite. God is the divine Initiator. Salvation is God Almighty’s idea. He is the author, architect, and finisher of His salvation; and He offers it to “whosoever will” (Rev. 22:17, KJV). Some have misunderstood this phrase “appointed to eternal life,” thinking that it means predestined from eternity. But in the Greek, the verb tenses make it clear that while Paul was preaching this sermon, those believed to whom God then gave power to believe. They believed, whose hearts the Lord opened. As Charles Spurgeon wrote:

A man is not saved against his will, but he is made willing by the operation of the Holy Ghost. A mighty grace which he does not wish to resist enters into the man, disarms him, makes a new creature of him, and he is saved.

The real shocker to the Apostle Paul was that these who believed were Gentiles, in the very heart of heathen Antioch of Pisidia. This was 1 of 7 different Antiochs in the Roman Empire during the 1st century. This particular one was a Roman colony and the most important city of southern Galatia. One historian wrote that these Gentiles were known for “all manner of hideous practices such as drinking blood from human skulls.” A few years later Paul wrote a letter to the church that was planted there, a letter we today refer to as the Book of Galatians. So these blood-drinking Gentiles were among the very first Gentiles to accept God’s sacrifice, priming the pump for millions upon millions of others who have followed in their footsteps. This is great news if there ever was any! God loves Gentiles, too, and wants them, along with the Hebrews, to spend eternity with Him. We today have the privilege of taking this message of God’s grace to Gentiles and Jews in our generation.

“LORD, please give us the power, discernment, and wisdom to speak words of life to others this day. Arrange our day so that others cross our path and then give them the grace to believe, we ask in Jesus name.”