Question: Mr. McLemore, Acts 13:48 sounds a lot like people have no choice about whether they believe or not. How do you explain this?

Answer: In Acts 13:48, it is reported that "... as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers." The context indicates that Luke means that no Gentile present was prohibited from believing. The point is identical to that of such passages as Acts 14:27. "Destined for eternal life" means that God decreed that Gentiles as well as Jews should hear the gospel of Jesus and have opportunity to receive eternal life. This was God’s plan from the beginning. The key to understanding such passages is to resist reading them with the preconception (unwarranted and unscriptural) that God arbitrarily predestinates individuals to salvation or damnation. Please read Ephesians 1:3-6. God’s predestination and choice do not preempt the free will of individuals. God chose and predestinated every Christian IN CHRIST, and it is an individual’s choice as to whether he or she will be in Christ or not.