Sovereignty of God in Salvation

Part 2

 

Reprobation

 

By Nick Bibile

 

What do you mean by reprobate? It means disapproved, rejected and condemned. Here I want to speak on the eternal reprobation in God’s election.

 

God is sovereign and as per his will he elects some to eternal life and this is the greatest spiritual blessing. (Eph 1:1-5) No one deserves salvation yet by God’s grace and mercy alone he elects some without any merit of human righteousness, this is a positive act of God. Then the others are left out. Some are chosen unto salvation and the rest are left out in blindness.

 

Ro 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

 

The rest has to be understood those who were not elected. Those who were not elected are the reprobate.

 

Ac 13:48 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.

 

The ones who were ordained to eternal life believed and the rest did not believed, as they were not ordained to eternal life.

 

Ro 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

 

God determines the end of everyone, the vessel he is going to make for honor and dishonor.

 

Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.

 

Even he makes out of clay some to honor and some to dishonor, we cannot say that God is unjust in making some to dishonor.

 

De 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

 

The Arminians say that they know the answer to reprobation as God foresaw who will sin and on the condition of man God elected them, here below is their interpretation on Romans 9:14

 

“God had chosen Jacob, because He knew that Jacob would be a spiritual man and Esau would be a fleshly man."

 

Jacob was wicked as Esau. In later years Jacob deceived his brother and father, yet God's election and his word did not change. 

 

God did not elect us because he fore knew, but the truth is he fore knew because he elected us. First God chooses, that is, he unconditionally sets his favor on whom he will, then destines them for their glorious role in eternity.

 

God elects some and rejects others not on their basis of faith or actions. If God elects some on their faith the election would become man's and not God's.  But God elected Jacob over Esau before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad. But the majority of the churches today have interpreted this to be true in a sense because God foresaw their future and based on their actions God elected Jacob over Esau.   If Paul wanted say that this would be the place for him to say, and he never said that.  That is only an opinion of men and not scripture.  Paul goes on to say in the next verse on the choice of Jacob over Esau, "It is not of him who wills, not of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Also see 2 Timothy 1:9

9. who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

"It is absurd to think that anything in us could have the least influence upon our election.  Some say that God did foresee that such persons would believe, and therefore did choose them; so, they would make the business of salvation to depend upon something in us.  Whereas God does not choose us FOR faith, but TO faith.  "He hath chosen us, that we should be holy," (Ephesians 1:4), not because we would be holy, but that we might be holy."  Thomas Watson

 

"Moreover, as God respects no persons, so He respects no conditions upon which He gives salvation to us."   Thomas Goodwin

 

If election is of foreseen faith, then God would not have elected man, but rather man would have elected God. Jesus said, there is no one good, but one, that is God.

"Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling,"

 

 

The decrees of God were made according to his perfect knowledge and wisdom and they are unchangeable. We cannot say God is not fair, he is infinitely holy and without sin, the only fair thing is that we all should deserve the wrath of God.

 

Ro 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

 14  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

 

Here we see Esau and Jacob both in their mother’s womb, and before they good do anything good or bad, they both received their destiny, Jacob was elected for salvation and Esau was rejected. One was blessed for eternal life and the other was rejected, a reprobate.

 

This shows that election is an act of grace and not of works. It was not because God foresaw Esau was wicked and Jacob was good, they were elected before they could do anything in their mother’s womb.

 

Ro 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

 

As God he has a right that of a Potter has over clay.  He is the sovereign creator of the clay. He can make one one vessel to honor and another to dishonor. Remember God is dealing with sinful creatures by punishing some and pardoning others, by punishing the sinners God's displeasure against sin is revealed and by pardoning others his mercy is revealed. If God wanted, he could have saved the whole human race, but the whole human race is not saved. Those who are saved receive the benefit of his grace. Those who are elected received the grace and mercy when they do not deserve. If mercy is deserved it is not mercy.

 

Ro 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

 6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

 7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

 

God called out of his grace Abraham, when Abraham was living in paganism. Why did God elect Abraham and not anyone else? Is God unfair?  God elected a tiny nation called Israel, over other
nations, God took care of them like a father to a son and other nations did not have that blessing, Is God unfair? Moses had killed an Egyptian and and hid him in the sand, he was a murderer.  God gave grace to Moses and not to Pharaoh, is God unfair?  Saul of Tarsus was an enemy of God, killing the Christians but God instantly gave mercy and grace to him but not to Pilate although Pilate said, “Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him.”

Is God unfair that he elected a violent persecutor of the church over Pilate?  Why did God elect you over your friends? . Did you deserve salvation? Are you better than others? Did you have more faith than others? If you had more faith than others, it was the murderess the tax collectors, the prostitutes who were saved in Jesus time had a lot of faith!  Do you see my point? Election is of grace alone.

 

When did the reprobation begin? Is it when someone rejects Christ or before they were born? If God chose the elect before the foundation of the world then he also rejects, the reprobate before the foundation of the world. God’s providences are the manifestations of his decrees, what happens in time are only what God purposed in eternity.

 

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.  (Grace was given before time began. 2 Tim 1:9)

 

The following is a quotation by Arthur Pink.

 

"The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." (Prov. 16:4). That the Lord made all, perhaps every reader of this book will allow: that He made all for Himself is not so widely believed. That God made us, not for our own sakes, but for Himself; not for our own happiness, but for His glory; is, nevertheless, repeatedly affirmed in Scripture—Revelation 4:11. But Proverbs 16:4 goes even farther: it expressly declares that the Lord made the wicked for the Day of Evil: that was His design in giving them being. But why? Does not Romans 9:17 tell us, "For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth"! God has made the wicked that, at the end, He may demonstrate "His power"—demonstrate it by showing what an easy matter it is for Him to subdue the stoutest rebel and to overthrow His mightiest enemy.”

 

God is sovereign and he does things according to his will and no one can ask why? Justice is done according to the sin of man. God did not infuse sin to man. God is perfect in his attributes and he is not the author of sin as the apostle John said in him there is no darkness, God damn not the man but the sinner.

 

Ps 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

 

When man is left them out from the common grace of God his heart becomes hard as Pharaoh.  What is the difference between Pharaoh and the man on the street who does not believe in God yet that man on the street does not look wicked at all, he is even good to people. When God takes the common grace from that man who looks so good to people he can be like Pharaoh and Hitler.  How many times you see on T.V. or news when someone commits horrible crime, but the neighbors of the man who committed the crime say, they cannot believe this happened as this man was such a good man, God can take away that common grace and the man who seemed to be good, his real nature will come out, the true sin will explode into action and he can be as vile as Hitler.

The doctrine of reprobation is should not hinder or discourage anyone but rejoice in election. There are many who believe that they do not want to preach election because it is a hindrance for evangelism. It was apostle Paul who exposed and preached this doctrine more than the others, and also we know that Paul laid the foundation for the missionary work. Election was not a hindrance for evangelism but a great motivation for evangelism as we do not know who are the elect and non elect we need to preach the gospel to all, Paul said, " Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (2 Tim 2:10)

Lastly God did not elect some just to go to heaven. He elected us to live a holy life in this unholy world.

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

There is a great change in the elect of God, you will see this change visibly over the people of the world. They will see very clearly that you are different and you love God and worship him.

The elect too were born in the state of depravity, but there was a new birth, a new person as the elect were transformed by their lives through agent of the Holy Spirit. We are not governed by the world or by our own self but God governs us, as he is the King as the elect are brought from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of heaven. In this kingdom we worship who God is the King we worship him.  We produce in this kingdom new fruits where we did not have and some are, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  Even though the elect are small in number we have powerful effects upon the world. There is a continual state of spiritual battles on our pilgrimage to heaven and in Christ work and his righteousness we are victorious!

2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

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