Reprobation

The doctrine of predestination is concerned with God’s image bearers.

Object Sinners: begin here with talk of our “common misery” that belongs to all who “by their own fault… have plunged themselves” into hell.

Canons Article 1 “Since all people have sinned in Adam.”

Since we in are sin, God had to meet us here in the Valley of the Shadow of death.

The love of God for sinners is the background of election. The doctrine of election is God’s eternal and underserved grace. If he has chosen to save some, it follows that some have not been chosen, or as the Canons say “have been passed by in God’s eternal election.” This is the doctrine of reprobation. Here God leaves sinners in the Valley of the Shadow to love what their futile… reprobation.

Predestination: (1) election and (2) reprobation. Reprobation: (1) preterition… They can be surrounded by faith, but do not hear the gospel even when they are listening. (2) condemnation… In condemnation, God’s justice stands in the background as the Canons say, “to condemn them… having been left in their own ways and under his just judgement.”

I have to admit… “decretum horribele”… awful decree… think too much about. So why do we? The Canons answer “[Because the] Holy Scriptures… bears witness that not all have been chosen.” The answer to the question, “Why believe in this awful decree?”

Now interestingly enough when you study the word “reprobation” in the Bible, you will find it, but not in reference…

The words the Bible uses to teach this doctrine are verbs like destined, appointed or ordained.

Us is important. We are not destined to wrath. We are destined to glory. The implication... others… wrath. Here in the doctrine of election we find the doctrine or reprobation, “not destined us for wrath.”

Those who hear God’s Word and disobey it; those who condemn the gospel; those who despise our faith were destined to do it. They don’t believe because they are sinners and God has not destined them to be otherwise. No one can escape God’s pre-destiny. We are all left to God’s “Free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure.”

Here we see clearly the second aspect of reprobation, the “designated for this condemnation.” In the church, many have crept… heretics. Even their sincerity…

The best place to study reprobation is . It begins with a question (). The rest of is the answer, which culminates ().

What way will “all Israel be saved?” In the election way.

All Israel here is the Israel of God, the invisible church. In Israel there was a carnal… “Jacob I loved but Esau I hated.”

Eschatological: doctrine of predestination.

Jacob was elect, destined to believe. Esau was reprobate, destined to not believe.

Both were naturally Israel but only one was truly Israel.

In this way God’s promise has not failed.

In the truly, election, spiritual, invisible way.

This way has nothing to do with ethnicity but election, that is those who were predestined to believe.

Paul is clear that God is under no obligation to save anyone (). According to Paul all those who do not become the Israel of God receive this same hardening. This hardening is interesting.

When you study it

Arminian takes God’s hardening as an afterthought.

Most of the references to hardening refer to God’s activity of hardening. Studying the Bible you will see that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. You will also see that God softens hears too. For example, the wicked King Manasseh, who was just as bad as Pharaoh. God softened Manasseh but not Pharaoh. Why not? Scripture states (). God raised up Pharaoh to manifest the glory of His justice and holiness. Did Pharaoh not also hardened his own heart. Yes, he was free to act according to his fallen nature which is prone to hate God. Yet, even here Pharaoh acted out of God’s sovereign will and purpose (). God was free to hardened and Pharaoh free to hardened himself. He was not free however to soften his own heart.

Here’s the answer, God did hardened a holy heart.

Let Go!

God’s decreed to pass by and let Pharaoh be who he wanted to be.

He left him his first love— death.

Why does God pass by any? Why not visit everyone the same way, in love? It’s not fair. Paul suspects the objection of your inner Arminian (). How can God blame Pharaoh if God hardened him first? Can you hold him responsible for what he did? Can you hold anyone responsible for being lost? If it is God who hardens such persons, how can God find fault with people who have resisted His will? This was quite a challenge to Paul.

Instructive to consider: dot not really deal with the objection

It made perfect sense from the human point of view, but they were wrong because they had no right to object. His reply, therefore, was this ().

When I first encountered this text… clear and didn’t like it.

Picked up, kept reading, overtime…

You know what this humility has got me? Amazement, now that I understand God’s sovereign love of me, the chief of sinners, I stand amazed and filled with thanks. Predestination must lead us in worship. Why has God not saves some? I do not know. But I do know that he has saved me. I deserve hell and I know it. I get heaven and all I can do is offer my life as a thank offering. The doctrine of reprobation is a humbling doctrine. Its a humbling doctrine that leads us to praise, which is where Paul ends after his discourse through ().