What role does faith play in being "appointed to eternal life"?

◄ How does faith affect eternal life? ►

Setting the Scene

“When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48)

What Does “Appointed” Mean?

- The Greek tassō means “to assign, arrange, set in order.”

- The verb is passive; God is the One doing the appointing.

- The phrase points to a prior decision in God’s sovereign plan (Ephesians 1:4–5, 11).

Faith: God’s Chosen Instrument

- Though election is God’s action, believing is the human response God requires.

- “By grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)

- Faith is the means by which the appointed receive what God has prepared (John 3:16; Acts 16:31).

How Appointment and Faith Fit Together

1. God’s initiative: He appoints to eternal life (Romans 8:29–30).

2. The Spirit enables: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” (John 6:44).

3. The individual believes: the appointed “believed” (Acts 13:48).

4. The result: eternal life, kept “by the power of God through faith” (1 Peter 1:5).

Scripture Echoes

- 2 Thessalonians 2:13 — “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”

- Titus 1:1 — “the faith of God’s elect.”

- John 10:27–28 — Those who hear the Shepherd’s voice (believe) receive eternal life, never to perish.

Assurance for the Believer

- Faith is evidence of God’s prior appointment; it is not mere human achievement.

- Because salvation rests on God’s unchangeable purpose, the believer’s security is firm (John 6:37).

- Growth in faith and obedience confirms that God’s saving work is genuine (Philippians 1:6).

Living in Light of the Truth

- Proclaim the gospel freely; God uses the message to awaken faith in those He has appointed (Romans 10:14–17).

- Trust God’s sovereignty; no effort to share Christ is wasted.

- Rest in Christ with confidence, knowing that genuine faith is both God-given and God-guarded.