Acts 13:46 and Unconditional Election

The doctrine of unconditional election holds that no one can be saved unless God chooses to save them. God’s choice, His election, of people, according to this doctrine, ensures the salvation of those chosen in such a way that those who are elect will respond to the gospel in repentance and faith. Given that the two conditions of salvation, repentance and faith, are both gifts of God, it would seem that God’s electing choice plays a vital role in salvation as He is the giver of the conditions necessary for salvation to occur (Eph 2:8-9; Acts 11:18; 2 Tim 2:25). This doctrinal stance is further strengthened by multiple claims concerning God’s sovereign choice in the salvation of those who repent and believe.

In Ephesians 1:4-5, Paul proclaims that God “chose [Christians] in Him before the foundation of the world,” and “predestined [them] to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will (cf. Eph 1:11).[i] In Romans 8:29-30, Paul states that God “predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” “those whom He foreknew” and those who have been predestined by God to receive salvation have been “called,” “justified,” and “glorified”. Jesus Himself speaks to unconditional election when he says to His disciples, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). In John 6:44, he adds, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” Further proof to support this doctrine can be found in Proverbs 16:4, Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 22:14, Acts 13:48, Galatians 1:15; 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 1:20, and 2 Peter 3:9.

With such a strong scriptural foundation, one would think that this doctrine would be widely accepted among those in Christendom. Unfortunately, this is most certainly not the case because this doctrine seemingly neglects the role of the human will in the receiving of the gospel, and at least experientially, it would seem that a person’s will does play a role.

In line with this detraction, Robert Wilkin, in Is Calvinism Unbiblical?, offers an argument from Acts 13:46: “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”[ii] In this verse, Wilkin points out that these unbelieving Jews chose for themselves to reject the gospel according to Paul. Since Paul fails to mention God’s sovereign choice behind their failure to respond, Wilkin argues that proof has been found to eliminate the doctrine of unconditional election. Before moving too quickly in his effort, he would have been well-advised to carefully consider the aforementioned Scripture references which support this doctrine while reading them carefully alongside Acts 13:46. Moreover, he could have simply read a few verses from the context and found a helpful word in Acts 13:48: “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” This verse clearly mentions that appointment (election) proceeds belief. Logically, this should demonstrate that the responding Gentiles were elected even before meeting the conditions of faith and repentance.

[i]All Scripture reference are taken from NASB1995.

[ii]Robert Wilkin, Is Calvinism Biblical?: Let the Scriptures Decide (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2017).