One illustration alone illustrates my point in the Title -
"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." (Acts 13:48 KJV)
"And the nations hearing were glad, and were glorifying the word of the Lord, and did believe--as many as were appointed to life age-during;" (Acts 13:48 YLT)
"When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers." (Acts 13:48 NRSV)
When the Jews, judged themselves or showed evidence of themselves unworthy of eternal life by rejecting the gospel, Paul turned to the Gentiles who were glad to hear. Then, among all those Gentiles, those who had been ordained, destined or appointed to eternal life believed. Not all the Gentiles believed, just those ordained. Being destined or ordained came before the believing. That verse in its context is very clear. I've given 3 reputable translations to show agreement on the text.
Those who wish to reject that verse, instead of showing why the words or context Acts 13:48 don't say what it clearly states, they produce what they view as a contradiction such as -
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2Pet 3:9 KJV)
After refusal to show why Acts 13:48 does not mean what it so clearly states, they quote the preceding from 2 Pet. 3:9 or some similar passage. BUT, they do not attempt to prove that what they think the verse states is what the verse actual teaches, they merely proclaim it self-evident and plain to all.
What you have is people who have their own belief system arranged in their minds, and will not permit the clear statement of scripture to form their theology. They have done nothing but introduced a contradiction into God's inerrant word and then chose the side that supports their preconceived beliefs. BOTH PASSAGES THAT SUPERFICIALLY SEEM TO CONTRADICT EACH OTHER MUST BE DEMONSTRATED TO BE BOTH TRUE AND COMPATIBLE.
Questions and uncertainties are of course going to arise that are difficult to reconcile with each other, but it is far better to seek a "Bible-rational" solution to the appearance of conflict; rather than just pick the option you like without illustrating in the immediate context the reason for your choice. We may not be able to solve each superficial contradiction problem fully, but we can give a plausible solution from biblical reasoning, and thereby have a legitimate understanding of doctrine.
There are of course, those who are rather ignorant of biblical interpretation who merely throw out a label they consider damning, such as "Calvinism". That type of argument is a waste of time because it is just stupidly biased blather.
"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." (Acts 13:48 KJV)
"And the nations hearing were glad, and were glorifying the word of the Lord, and did believe--as many as were appointed to life age-during;" (Acts 13:48 YLT)
"When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers." (Acts 13:48 NRSV)
When the Jews, judged themselves or showed evidence of themselves unworthy of eternal life by rejecting the gospel, Paul turned to the Gentiles who were glad to hear. Then, among all those Gentiles, those who had been ordained, destined or appointed to eternal life believed. Not all the Gentiles believed, just those ordained. Being destined or ordained came before the believing. That verse in its context is very clear. I've given 3 reputable translations to show agreement on the text.
Those who wish to reject that verse, instead of showing why the words or context Acts 13:48 don't say what it clearly states, they produce what they view as a contradiction such as -
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2Pet 3:9 KJV)
After refusal to show why Acts 13:48 does not mean what it so clearly states, they quote the preceding from 2 Pet. 3:9 or some similar passage. BUT, they do not attempt to prove that what they think the verse states is what the verse actual teaches, they merely proclaim it self-evident and plain to all.
What you have is people who have their own belief system arranged in their minds, and will not permit the clear statement of scripture to form their theology. They have done nothing but introduced a contradiction into God's inerrant word and then chose the side that supports their preconceived beliefs. BOTH PASSAGES THAT SUPERFICIALLY SEEM TO CONTRADICT EACH OTHER MUST BE DEMONSTRATED TO BE BOTH TRUE AND COMPATIBLE.
Questions and uncertainties are of course going to arise that are difficult to reconcile with each other, but it is far better to seek a "Bible-rational" solution to the appearance of conflict; rather than just pick the option you like without illustrating in the immediate context the reason for your choice. We may not be able to solve each superficial contradiction problem fully, but we can give a plausible solution from biblical reasoning, and thereby have a legitimate understanding of doctrine.
There are of course, those who are rather ignorant of biblical interpretation who merely throw out a label they consider damning, such as "Calvinism". That type of argument is a waste of time because it is just stupidly biased blather.
