And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 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. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. ~ Acts 13:42 

The words highlighted in the section of scripture above have been used by some to defend the Calvinist belief that some, and not all, are chosen to be saved. Yet this scripture doesn’t come to us in any such context. Context, and flow of thought within the context is always the key to correctly understanding any scripture passage. Unfortunately, people often take Bible passages out of the flow of thought of the writer, and place them into another context which is contrary to what the writer is saying both there and elsewhere.

The very documentation by Luke (the author of Acts) regarding Peter and Paul’s ministry is the complete opposite of the Calvinist view of these words. 

These words, as many as were ordained to eternal life believed, are said within the Jewish – Gentile context. First, there were multiple groups of Jews. There were the Jews who were local residents who were Jewish by birth. There were the religious proselytes. There were Jews who held positions of power and religious authority over the rest, and there were those who were of Israeli descent but lived all their life outside the land of Israel.

Conversely, there were many diverse groups of Gentiles who were of every other nation and ethnic group. The number of nationalities outside of the nation of Israel were many. In Acts 10, the conversion of one man (Cornelius) along with his household took divine intervention, and got Peter temporarily into trouble with the Jews in Jerusalem. The idea that God would save people from all nations, families, and ethnic groups had not yet fully set in, even with the apostles.

If you will remember this, it will really help drive home the impact of Paul’s ministry and give you a greater appreciation of what Paul was up against as he was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

Imagine, being a devout Jew all of your life and getting word that God had invited swine eating, pagan gentiles into the same grace as you. That was difficult for many of the devout Jews, to say the least. The words, as many as were ordained to eternal life believed, are given to us within this setting and this is what is being communicated in Acts 13:48. It is a reference to all people of every nationality and not simply those who conform to Jewish culture and religious practices.

The Book of Acts is a continual unfolding of how God’s salvation through grace reached all people groups, which are the as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Again, this is not a reference to some individual people being chosen by God to be saved and others not being chosen. Paul says to the Jews opposing his gospel, 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.

According to Paul, the Jews who rejected the gospel had the right to hear it first, but had themselves put it away and judged themselves unworthy of eternal life. This is contrary to the notion that God didn’t choose them. God chose all of Abraham’s descendants to follow him, and through the gospel Paul preached all families of the earth become the children of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ.

This advancement of the gospel to all people continuously unfolds throughout the book of Acts. The book of Acts begins with the call to salvation through repentance and faith to the house of Israel. It ends with that same gospel saving all groups of people who will believe.

And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. Acts 28:23-31