Acts 13:46—“seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life …”

And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:44-46).

 

WELL-MEANT OFFER ARGUMENT:

“The very harsh rebuke of Paul and Barnabus to the Jews for their having ‘put away from them’ the gospel, and their rejection of that which was, ‘of necessity’ ‘preached to them first,’ implies that the word preached must indeed have been a general, well-meant offer—to even those who rejected it—and that the promise and good news was indeed intended for everyone  ... Otherwise, it would make no sense at all for the apostles to issue such a rebuke ...

If the gospel is, after all, ‘only good news for the elect’ (who, by definition, ‘do not’ reject it) and if the promise is ‘only meant for them’ and not the reprobate, the apostles would have (1) noted from such rejection that these individuals were clearly not of the elect and that the gospel wasn’t meant for them anyway, and (2) they wouldn’t have issued such strong rebuke.

Not only this, but the apostles even state that their rejection of it (1) made them ‘unworthy of everlasting life’ (implying that ‘everlasting life’ was the content of the message preached to all), and that (2) as punishment from God, it was taken away from them and given to the Gentiles instead

How could these individuals ‘put from them’ something unless it was indeed ‘for them’?

And how does it not imply, from the very ‘taking away’ of the gospel from them (as God’s judgment) that it was ‘a blessing of God graciously bestowed in His good favour and for the benefit of all who hear’?”

 

 

(I)

 

Prof. David J. Engelsma

 

The gospel comes to all hearers, whether reprobate or elect.  It comes as the message of eternal life, whether it is received in faith or rejected in unbelief.

When men reject it in unbelief, they themselves judge themselves unworthy of the eternal life that the gospel proclaims.  Predestination does not negate or even weaken the full responsibility of those to whom the gospel comes.  Every one who rejects and despises the gospel that comes in the preaching of it passes judgment upon himself that he is unworthy of the life that the gospel proclaims and reveals.  Positively, he shows himself and makes himself worthy of the eternal death of which the gospel warns everyone who abides in unbelief, and in fact hardens himself in unbelief by rejecting the gospel.

There were three reasons why it was necessary that the gospel of eternal life had to be preached to the Jews of Paul’s day referred to in Acts 13.

First, as individual reprobates, they had to show themselves worthy of the damnation that God had decreed for them.

Second, they had to be hardened in their sin of depravity (which they were guilty of before the gospel ever came to them) by adding to their sin their rejection of the gospel.  The gospel of eternal life hardens as well as softens and saves, according to the predestinating purpose of God (Romans 9).

Third, as Jews, their unbelief had to serve the purpose of God to send the gospel to the Gentiles, as Acts 13:46 teaches: “It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you:  but seeing ye put it from you … lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”  Justly, God removes the gospel from the Jewish nation and sends it to the Gentiles.  (DJE, 15/02/2021)

 

 

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(II)

 

Herman Hoeksema (1886-1965)

 

[Source: A Power of God Unto Salvation, Or, Grace Not an Offer]

 

Certain it is that [a general and well-meant offer of grace and salvation] is mentioned [here] with not so much as a letter, and that there is nothing in the text that points to it. Paul and Barnabas had preached God’s Word, and that, too, first of all to the Jews. Now it appeared that some of the Jews contradicted and despised that Word of God. And to them Paul and Barnabas are speaking here. They say to them that it has appeared that they judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life. Where is the general offer of grace here? Only in this: that the Word of God was proclaimed also to those who went lost. But the question is not whether the Gospel must also be preached to all who come under it; but the question is whether that Gospel is a well-meant and general offer of salvation. The question is therefore: did Paul and Barnabas preach the Word of God in such a way that it could be called an offer, a general offer of salvation? And to this we can find the answer in the same chapter. What they preached the previous Sabbath is described in verses 16-41. And in brief the content of this preaching is Christ who died and was raised again, and forgiveness of sins through Him. And then you read in verse 39:

And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses.

There is no offer here, therefore, but a proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. And there is nothing general here, but a limitation of justification to everyone who believes. And since only the elect ever believe, therefore you have also here the sure promise of God only for the elect, and not a general and well-meant offer of grace. And the outcome was also entirely in accord with this preaching. For some of the Jews and proselytes believed and followed Paul; but others were filled with envy and contradicted those things which were spoken by Paul and Barnabas, verses 43, 45.

 

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(III)

 

More to come! (DV)