Appointed to Eternal Life!

Appointed to Eternal Life!

Throughout Acts, we see time and again that when Paul or the other apostles preached the gospel, some of the listeners had an ear for the message, while others rejected it, sometimes to the point of violence.

At Antioch in Pisidia, Paul spoke powerfully in a synagogue about Jesus, His resurrection from the dead, and the promises of the new covenant. Acts 13:16-41. Many listeners, both Jews and Gentiles, were overjoyed to hear the message. But the next week, when some of the Jews saw how many people wanted to hear the apostles, they became envious and opposed the apostles. V. 45. “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.’” V. 46. “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” V. 48.

Also today, when God’s word is preached in Spirit and truth, we are faced with a choice. Will we accept it—accept the truth about ourselves with joy—and let it do a work in us? Or do we reject it, harden ourselves, and in doing so, count ourselves “unworthy of everlasting life”? Even if we were to reject the truth on a single, small point, it would be a terrible loss, because we have been appointed to eternal life! May we therefore always receive the truth and the word of God with joy in our hearts.