Does Acts 13:48 teach that there is a decree to appoint some to eternal life?

This text is an extract from a transcript of a Q&A session given by David Gooding entitled ‘The Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God’ (1995).

And as 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)

I hesitate to use the word decree. It is a very rare word in the New Testament, and as far as I can remember it is not used in connection with man's salvation. I know what you mean, however. Does the term, those that were appointed to eternal life believed, mean that they were thus appointed by God's pre-choice, his pre-determination?

The matter will turn on two things. First, the context is contrasting the Jews of the synagogue who, having heard the gospel, rejected it furiously; and Paul and company shook the dust off their shoes and said, 'Seeing you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the Gentiles' (Acts 13:46). Here were Jews making their own decision, coming to their own judgment—regarding themselves as unworthy of eternal life, and they wouldn't have it. That was how they judged the situation. They were Jews.

Secondly, in contrast to that, many (not all) of the Gentiles believed. To take it seriously, you will have to consider the possible translations of that Greek word translated 'appointed' or 'ordained'. It is used in a military context in the middle and passive voice, in this kind of sense. A detachment of troops could form themselves up into battle formation or line of march, and so the word would be used like that of a squad of troops taking that particular formation. We could therefore quite rightly take it as 'those who were lined up for. . .'

Lined up how? Well, I myself believe that when it comes to the work of salvation God always takes the initiative. It is not that humans come to God saying, 'Please consider saving me.' And God replies, 'I hadn't thought of doing any such thing, but I'll consider your application.' God always takes the initiative. What is more, as any practical evangelists will tell you, as they go to this place and that, they find people who have been worked upon by God's gracious Holy Spirit and their consciences have been aroused. Maybe they haven't got to the point of complete illumination, but they are starting to think. And God in his mercy brings a preacher to them, and these folks have been prepared, and when they hear the gospel they believe. That doesn't mean that nobody else in the town is ever going to get saved. Some are not just ready yet. I take it that what Luke is saying is that, when those among the Gentiles who were 'in line for . . .' (either had lined themselves up for, or God's gracious Spirit had been working in them, or both) finally heard the gospel, they believed.