as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Acts 13:48, RSV2CE.
the capacity of a human being to receive the gift of grace depends on one’s degree of openness and commitment to God
the work of redemption … requires a serious interior effort on our part
When Scripture says that some are “ordained to eternal life,” the Church reads this as a declaration of God’s sovereign initiative, not as a denial of human responsibility. God’s providential plan includes the election of peoples and individuals, but the personal response remains essential.
The Council of Trent taught that “the conversion of the will … is effected by God, but the human must freely assent” (cf. Decree on Justification)1. Therefore, being “ordained” does not mean that we are passive objects; it means that God has already begun the work of renewal in us, inviting us to cooperate.
Practical implication for the believer
- Trust in God’s grace – recognize that the desire to believe is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
- Respond freely – answer the invitation of grace with a personal “yes,” through prayer, the sacraments, and a life of charity.
- Seek the sacraments – they are the ordinary means by which grace is poured out, but they require a disposed heart.
- Live in communion – the Church, as the “people of God,” supports us in our cooperation with grace.
In sum, Catholic doctrine holds that we are indeed “ordained to believe” because God’s grace initiates the new birth, but that grace always calls us to a free, personal cooperation. Our assent does not cause the grace; it makes the grace effective in us, completing the work that God has already begun.
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