"Responses to the Teaching of Reprobation" -- Article Sixteen, First Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Responses to the Teaching of Reprobation

Those who do not yet actively experience within themselves a living faith in Christ or an assured confidence of heart, peace of conscience, a zeal for childlike obedience, and a glorying in God through Christ, but who nevertheless use the means by which God has promised to work these things in us—such people ought not to be alarmed at the mention of reprobation, nor to count themselves among the reprobate; rather they ought to continue diligently in the use of the means, to desire fervently a time of more abundant grace, and to wait for it in reverence and humility. On the other hand, those who seriously desire to turn to God, to be pleasing to him alone, and to be delivered from the body of death, but are not yet able to make such progress along the way of godliness and faith as they would like—such people ought much less to stand in fear of the teaching concerning reprobation, since our merciful God has promised that he will not snuff out a smoldering wick and that he will not break a bruised reed. However, those who have forgotten God and their Savior Jesus Christ and have abandoned themselves wholly to the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh—such people have every reason to stand in fear of this teaching, as long as they do not seriously turn to God.

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There are a number of possible responses people can have to the teaching of reprobation. The Canons deal with three of them. The first group of people identified by the Canons are “those who do not yet actively experience within themselves a living faith in Christ or an assured confidence of heart, peace of conscience, a zeal for childlike obedience, and a glorying in God through Christ, but who nevertheless use the means by which God has promised to work these things in us.” This category refers to those who have not yet come to saving faith in Christ. These people cannot yet say that they are trusting in Christ, although they may be wrestling with the guilt of their sins, and may even be convinced of the truth of Christianity.

This group includes the older children of believers who have been baptized, but have not yet made profession of faith. But there are others we need to consider–not mentioned by the Canons–who, at this point in time, appear to have no interest in Christ. Although this is currently the case does not mean that all such people are numbered among the reprobate, nor can we treat them as such, even if they appear to be notorious evil doers.

If we were Christians suffering under the persecution of one Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1), we would find it very difficult to believe when we heard that such a notorious persecutor of the church was now proclaiming Christ crucified. But God can save anyone he pleases. There is also every possibility that we will see deathbed and foxhole conversions in the cases of those people who do not embrace the Savior—either through sin or through carelessness—until the last possible moment. The critical point here is that we cannot regard anyone from a worldly point of view (2 Corinthians 5:16), and declare them to be a “reprobate” until such time as they die still rejecting the Savior.

As the authors of the Canons point out—“such people [those who have yet come to saving faith] ought not to be alarmed at the mention of reprobation, nor to count themselves among the reprobate; rather they ought to continue diligently in the use of the means, to desire fervently a time of more abundant grace, and to wait for it in reverence and humility.” We should exhort all those who do not yet profess faith in Christ, to continue to attend to the means of grace, especially the proclamation of the Word of God, to the end that they may make profession of faith (i.e., that they trust in Christ) and thereby be regarded as “professing members” of Christ’s church.

A second group of people identified by the Canons are those, who, “on the other hand . . . seriously desire to turn to God, to be pleasing to him alone, and to be delivered from the body of death, but are not yet able to make such progress along the way of godliness and faith as they would like.” This group includes those who have made a profession of faith, but who still struggle with the assurance of salvation. These are people with habitual sins, weak consciences, improper theological views of justification and sanctification, and who because of these circumstances, take the biblical teaching about reprobation to apply to themselves, and fear that they are not numbered among the elect. Despite all of their efforts, because of the struggle with indwelling sin, they assume that they are in jeopardy of perishing eternally. Such people live in constant fear and introspection.

Our response to such people is set out as follows: “Such people ought much less to stand in fear of the teaching concerning reprobation, since our merciful God has promised that he will not snuff out a smoldering wick and that he will not break a bruised reed.” Indeed, as we have pointed out earlier, the struggle with sin, the dissatisfaction with our present level of sanctification, are actually signs that we are numbered among the elect, since those whom God has not chosen, and whom he has left in sin, never struggle with these questions.

A third group, is also identified by the authors of the Canons, and this is “those who have forgotten God and their Savior Jesus Christ and have abandoned themselves wholly to the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh.” Here, the Canons are referring to those who after professing faith or joining Christ’s church, then fall away (perseverance of the saints is addressed in detail by the authors of the Canons in the Fifth Head of Doctrine). These people are spoken of throughout the New Testament as follows. In 1 John 2:19, John speaks of those who “they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

The implication is clear. They fell away because they were not “of us,” that is, they were not numbered among the elect. For a time such folks professed faith, but eventually this profession was proven false. Jesus reminds us that the elect will indeed persevere to the end and be saved (Matthew 24:13). These people do not persevere. In Galatians 5:4, Paul speaks of such people: “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” Here, the apostle is speaking of those who will not give up their confidence in the merit of their own good works. In the worst case scenario, spelled out in Hebrews 6:4-6, the author declares,

for it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

This is what our Lord is describing in the parable of the sower, recorded in Matthew 13:3ff,

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. . . . “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

Some of those who profess faith are of the poor soil that our Lord describes here. Faith may flourish for a time, but cannot ultimately take root because of sin and the cares of the world.

With this last category, it is important to notice that the Canons do not counsel us to exercise the sort of caution we would with the previous two groups, since the goal here is to make perfectly clear to them the consequences of their actions, lest they not repent—“such people have every reason to stand in fear of this teaching, as long as they do not seriously turn to God.” In this regard, we are to use the teaching of reprobation much as we would the preaching of the law, namely to terrify the conscience, and to drive such people to Jesus Christ who is the mirror of election—if you believe in Jesus it is because you are of the elect. People in this category are not to be comforted, but sternly warned!

The diverse nature of these three categories of individuals make it clear to us why we must exercise great care when we teach, preach, and reflect upon this very difficult subject (reprobation). But the general rule of thumb is clear. Those who are indifferent to their sin need to be confronted by the law and the reality of final judgment. Those wrestling with the guilt of sin, need to hear the gospel, over and over again. They need to participate in the means of grace, because it is through these things that God strengthens faith and confirms our election.