Reprobate

2018-02-24

The doctrine of the reprobate is something that is not easy to accept at first. This doctrine states that people can harden themselves against God and the Gospel to the point where there is no chance that they will ever believe and be saved.

What is a Reprobate?

The word “reprobate” is only used once in the Old Testament:

Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them. (Jeremiah 6:30)

A reprobate is a person who is rejected by God in a final way. The context of the larger passage tells of how wicked Jerusalem had become where God was going to destroy it in a cruel fashion.

O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction. (2) I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman. (3) The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place. (4) Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out. (5) Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces. (6) For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her. (7) As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds. (8) Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited. (9) Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets. (10) To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. (11) Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. (12) And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. (13) For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. (14) They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (15) Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. (16) Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (17) Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. (18) Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. (19) Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. (20) To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. (21) Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish. (22) Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth. (23) They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion. (24) We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. (25) Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side. (26) O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us. (27) I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way. (28) They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters. (29) The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. (30) Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them. (Jeremiah 6:1-30)

Here is what we know about the people of Jerusalem at the time of Jeremiah’s preaching:

  1. Jerusalem was full of wickedness and violence. God hates violent people (Psalm 11:5). Violence was found in Jerusalem. Jeremiah 6:7
  2. Jerusalem would not listen to the LORD. The LORD admonished them to be instructed by Him, so that He would not forsake them and destroy them (Jeremiah 6:8). However, they actually could not listen; they did not have the ability to hearken to God. Jeremiah 6:10
  3. Jerusalem is full of covetousness and corruption even among the priests and prophets. Jeremiah 6:13
  4. Jerusalem’s preachers preached lies. They preached peace when there was none. Jeremiah 6:14
  5. Jerusalem proudly committed abominations. They did not blush, but thought it normal to do what the LORD hated. Jeremiah 6:15
  6. Jerusalem willfully defied God’s commands. They were told to walk in the ways that they used to, but they told God they would not (Jeremiah 6:16). He told watchmen to sound the alarm to warn the people of the destruction, and these told God that they would not. Jeremiah 6:17
  7. Jerusalem rejected God’s Word and Law. Jeremiah 6:19
  8. Jerusalem offered sacrifices that meant nothing. They were religious enough, but they had no regard for God. Jeremiah 6:20
  9. Jerusalem revolted, slandered, and corrupted. Jeremiah 6:28

Because of these qualities, this is how God rejected them:

  1. Armies from the north were coming to destroy Jerusalem. Babylon eventually came and destroyed the city took all the inhabitants away. Jeremiah 6:1, 22
  2. There would be war, noon, evening and night. Jeremiah 6:4-5
  3. The city would be besieged. Jeremiah 6:3, 6
  4. God’s presence would depart from Jerusalem. As a result, the land would become desolate. Jeremiah 6:8
  5. God would pour out His fury, that He patiently withheld in the past. God’s fury would not discriminate against male or female, young or old. Jeremiah 6:11
  6. Their property would be given to others. Jeremiah 6:12
  7. God would cause them to stumble. Jeremiah 6:21
  8. The nation to destroy them were cruel. A merciless people would come upon them. Jeremiah 6:23
  9. God rejected them. This brings us to our verse using the word “reprobate.” Jeremiah 6:30

Progression to Reprobation

Rejecting God is ultimately how someone becomes a reprobate. Without God’s grace, we would all naturally become reprobates, as we see in this passage:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:18-32)

Let us look at the progression as to what becomes of humanity.

  1. God reveals Himself to His creation. By observing the natural world, we can know there is a Creator to whom we are accountable. Romans 1:19-20
  2. Humankind rejects what they know of God. They do not glorify God, and they become willingly ignorant. Romans 1:21
  3. Humankind thinks their foolishness is wisdom. The intellectuals who reject God truly believe they have a monopoly on wisdom. Romans 1:22
  4. Humankind creates false gods based off what they see in creation. They worship the creation instead of the one who created it all. Romans 1:23, 25
  5. God gives them up to uncleanness. God gives them up to the sexual sin that they desire. Romans 1:24
  6. God gives them up to homosexuality. After giving people over to their sexual immorality, He gives them up again to homosexuality. Romans 1:26-27
  7. God gives them over to a reprobate mind. After a time of rejecting God and committing sexual sin, God gives them over to the worst possible sins imaginable. Romans 1:28-32
  8. God’s wrath is on humanity because of their willful rejection of Him. Romans 1:18

We see this in the case of the Amorites in Genesis 15:

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; (14) And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. (15) And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. (16) But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Genesis 15:13-16)

God was going to use Abraham’s descendants to judge the Amorites when they got to a point where they would no longer be able to turn to God. Another case is the case of Sodom and the surrounding cities. God would have withheld judgment if He found 10 righteous people in the cities (Genesis 18:32), but there were not even 10 in the entire area.

Hearing the Gospel Repeatedly, But Never Trusting Christ

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (3) And this will we do, if God permit. (4) For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (5) And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (6) If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (7) For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: (8) But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:1-8)

The recipients of this letter had become “dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11). The first century Jews had largely rejected the Gospel, and many just could not decide whether Jesus truly was the Christ or not (Acts 28:24-28). Paul had feared that there were many who kept hearing the Gospel without truly being born again would eventually go on the path to becoming reprobates.

  1. People were not grasping the fundamentals. They had to stop trusting in their works to save them and have faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. They needed to hear the fundamentals all over again. Hebrews 6:1-2
  2. Paul and the apostles may or may not go over the fundamentals again. Paul was not going to waste a lot of time on people if they were never going to be saved anyway. Hebrews 6:3
  3. People can clearly hear the Gospel, and reject it. They knew the Gospel was true, as the Holy Spirit had clearly showed them the truth. They clearly saw God’s goodness and mercy in the Gospel. If they decide to say, “no, that is false,” they will never be able to truly be saved. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). The premise of the latter part of John 3:36 is that such a person heard and understood the Gospel, but they did not believe it. The fear is that some of the recipients of Hebrews were such people. Hebrews 6:4-6
  4. Those who understand and reject the Gospel are rejected by God. Seeing our synonym for reprobate, we see that God rejects them, and there is a finality in that rejection. A reprobate is rejected by God, and they can never turn to Christ to be saved. Hebrews 6:7-8

Paul does the same with the Corinthians:

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Paul challenged them to look within to see if they even truly believed. If this church, who had professed Christ for a few years, never truly believed, they would be reprobates.

Blasphemy of the Holy Ghost

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. (Matthew 12:28-31)

Jesus told the Pharisees that “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men” (Matthew 12:31). This is because that these men, who clearly saw miraculous acts performed by the Holy Ghost, attributed the miracles to Satan. They all had knowledge from the Scriptures that Jesus would be the Christ, and they flatly denied Him.

Examples of Reprobates

Pharaoh of the Exodus is an example.

For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same 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. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. (Romans 9:17-18)

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He might demonstrate the power of His salvation. Egypt was already the most powerful nation in the world and had ruled most of the ancient Near East, and Pharaoh was considered divine. When the king saw that his sorcerers’ works were inferior to God’s and that his gods were being defeated by the 10 plagues, he hardened himself repeatedly, and God also hardened Him in return.

Jannes and Jambres, who opposed Moses in some way, also were reprobates:

Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. (2 Timothy 3:8)

Conclusion

We can take away a few things from this doctrine. We should realize that people do not have unlimited chances and time to receive the Gospel. We should also realize that people who become reprobate get into the vilest lifestyles and become enemies to all things that are good. Finally, we should also look at ourselves and be sure to remember what we believe and why believe it, never doubting the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ.