What is the context?
The first response includes a request to hear more on the next Sabbath. Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism follow Paul and Barnabas, who encourage them to continue in God’s grace. Luke therefore describes a positive response among Jewish hearers before describing opposition.
The word behind devout comes from σέβομαι (sebomai, SEH-boh-my), meaning to show deep respect or worship. Thayer’s entry specifically includes the devout converts in verse 43. The description concerns their reverence for God; it does not by itself tell us everything about each person’s response to Jesus.
On the next Sabbath, nearly the whole city comes to hear. Opponents among the Jewish hearers react with jealousy and contradict Paul. He and Barnabas explain why the word came to them first and announce their turn toward the Gentiles, citing the command to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
The Gentiles rejoice, those appointed for eternal life believe, and the word spreads through the region. Opposition then draws in prominent religious women and leading men, and the messengers are driven out. They go to Iconium, while the disciples are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
How is this passage commonly understood?
The description of those appointed for eternal life in verse 48 is read differently within Christianity. The Reformed Westminster Confession, chapter 3, paragraphs 5–6, and the 1689 Baptist Confession, chapter 3, paragraphs 5–6, teach God’s gracious choice before the world’s foundation, with faith among the means by which that choice is fulfilled. Calvin on verse 48 reads the verse in those terms.
Wesley on verse 48 instead emphasizes God’s present work of grace enabling faith as the message is heard. He does not understand this verse as a statement about a fixed choice from eternity, and distinguishes the hearers who receive grace from those who reject the message. His reading still places God’s grace behind the response.
The Catholic Church’s Catechism, paragraph 1037, explicitly rejects the idea that God decides beforehand that anyone will go to hell, connecting final loss with a persistent, willful turning away. That is a relevant boundary in its broader teaching, rather than a detailed commentary on this verse.
The account also records real human responses: a request for more teaching, belief, rejoicing, jealousy and rejection. The opposition described here is not a verdict that every Jewish person everywhere rejects Jesus.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Paul and Barnabas explicitly apply Isaiah 49:6 to the mission: God’s salvation is to reach the ends of the earth. In Isaiah, the servant’s work includes restoring Israel and being a light for the nations. The Gentile welcome is therefore presented as part of God’s declared purpose, not a last-minute substitute invented because one meeting became hostile.
The continuing spread of the word and the disciples’ joy also show that expulsion does not end the work. This community has received teaching and encouragement to continue in grace, and its life in the Spirit carries on after the messengers leave.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.