Who Ultimately Causes Reprobation?
February 2, 2025 Preacher: John Bell Series: Sunday School: Soteriology
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Unit 2: “Vessels of Wrath”
“Who Ultimately Causes Reprobation?”
- God the Potter Prepared Vessels of Wrath for Destruction
- God Destined Certain People to Disobey the Word and Stumble
- God Designated Certain People for Condemnation
- God Did Not Write the Names of Certain Individuals in the Book of Life
- God Hid Jesus’s Message from the Wise and Understanding
- Double Predestination: Are Election and Reprobation Symmetrical? (See Table 1)
Table 1: Two Views on Double Predestination
Equal or Symmetrical |
Unequal or Nonsymmetrical |
God elects and reprobates people in the same way. |
God elects and reprobates people in different ways. |
Election and reprobation are equally active decrees. |
Election and reprobation are not equally active decrees. |
In reprobation, God sovereignly chose to work unbelief in certain unfallen individuals and condemn them. |
In reprobation, God sovereignly and justly chose to pass over non-elect sinners and withhold his regenerating grace. |
Table 2 Eternal Death and Eternal Life in Romans 6:23
Eternal Death |
Eternal Life |
The payment for sin (a deserved paycheck) |
A gracious gift from God (an undeserved present) |
Not a gracious gift from God |
Not a payment for righteousness |
Highlights that God is just |
Highlights that God is gracious |
Table 3: Two Views on the Logical Order of Different Aspects of God’s Decree
Supralapsarianism |
Infralapsarianism |
1. Decree to elect some and pass over the rest |
1. Decree to create humans |
2. Decree to create humans |
2. Decree to permit all humans to fall |
3. Decree that all humans would fall |
3. Decree to elect some and pass over the rest |
4. Decree to send Christ to provide and accomplish salvation for the elect |
4. Decree to send Christ to provide and accomplish salvation for the elect |
5. Decree to send the Spirit to effectively call the elect |
5. Decree to send the Spirit to effectively call the elect |
- God freely decided to supremely magnify his glory to his intelligent creatures.
- In order to do this, God decided to create the universe, and our world in particular, as a theater for his extrinsic glory and placed his creatures within it to enjoy that glory.
- God determined, however, that his glory be supremely magnified in the redemption of his creation and his particular image-bearing creatures—human beings. Thus, election finds its grounding in the broader scriptural motif of redemption.
- Redemption is not necessary unless God has decreed humanity’s fall and that of creation as a whole.… God’s glory is best magnified in the juxtaposition of creation, fall, and redemption. Note that the accent never rests on evil (the fall), but always on redemption’s triumph over it.
- God could have chosen to redeem all his image-bearing creatures, but he determined that redemption magnifies his glory more greatly when some are damned (reprobated) and others redeemed (elected).This merciful and gracious work of redemption is accomplished only through the incarnated Son of God so that he exists as the center of God’s glory. (Scott Christensen)

More in Sunday School: Soteriology
February 9, 2025
How Does God Accomplish Reprobation?December 1, 2024
How Does God Accomplish His Plan to Save Individuals?November 24, 2024
Does Election Contradict God’s Desire That All Humans Be Saved?