Reprobation
Just as God chooses some for salvation, He also passes over others, leaving them to their own choices and the consequences of their sin. In some cases, He actively hardens people in their rebellion as a form of judgment. This is difficult to hear, but it underscores that no one deserves salvation — God is not unfair to save some, because everyone deserves judgment.
Core Concepts
Interpretation Guardrails
- •Reprobation teaches that God justly passes over some sinners and leaves them in their sin.
- •No person who is reprobate is treated unjustly, since all deserve judgment.
- •When God hardens, He does so as righteous judgment, not as moral evil.
Misconceptions We Reject
- Reprobation means God condemns innocent people who do not deserve judgment.
- God owes salvation equally to all people and is unfair if He saves only some.
- Reprobation means human sin and unbelief play no real role in condemnation.
Key Scriptures
What We Reject
(1)Equal Ultimacy (God is Unfair for Reprobation)
The Claim
If God elects some and reprobates others, He is the author of evil — creating people for damnation the same way He creates others for salvation. Reprobation is as active and symmetrical as election.
Reprobation is not symmetrical with election. God actively shows mercy to the elect but passively gives the reprobate over to their own sin. He does not create evil in them — He judicially abandons them to the sin they already love. The clay has no right to question the Potter.
Original Language: The Greek 'ēleēsen' (G1653) in Romans 9:16 — 'it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy' — 'sklērynei' (G4645) in v.18 'hardens' — the asymmetry is key: mercy is active (God gives what is not deserved), hardening is judicial (God gives sinners over to their own desires). 'Mē ok echei' in v.19 'Why does He still find fault?' — Paul anticipates the objection and rebukes it: 'O man, who are you to answer back to God?' (v.20). 'Proskoptousi' (G4350) in 1 Peter 2:8 — 'they stumble because they disobey the word' — the reprobate stumble by their own disobedience, not by God's positive decree of sin.