Profiling the Reprobate in the Book of Hebrews
The Bible clearly reveals two distinct groups of people in the world. In fact, all other categories prove meaningless in light of the ramifications of these two groups. One of the groups is significantly larger in number than the other. There are also numerous terms used to identify each collection of people. In addition, every soul ever conceived in his or her mother’s womb has his place in one group or the other.
It is my objective to profile one of the groups, from only one book of the Bible. The book of Hebrews was written by a Jewish-Christian author to a Jewish-Christian congregation in the early years of the New Testament church. Both the author and his audience are unknown because they are unnamed. The superiority of Jesus Christ over Judaism is the argument of the entire book. In this, it resembles arguments elsewhere in the New Testament.
As my title suggest, one of the groups carries the name “reprobate.” In the simplest terms, a reprobate is one not chosen by God for salvation. In the book of Hebrews, there are five warning passages issued by the pastor/writer. In presenting his case for the superiority of Jesus, there is the congregation, who the author confidently believes will persevere to the end because God preserves them. The author wishes to display the other group, in order to expose their deficiencies leading to damnation.
Man’s problem is sin and its eternal consequences (Rom 6:23; Heb 9:27). Religions provide a variety of remedies for the separation from God or gods that sin produces. Yahweh, the God of Israel, remedies the sin problem for His chosen people, Christ’s church. Stated another way, Jesus saves His people from their sins (Mt 1:21), by offering Himself to God as their substitute sacrifice for sins (1 Pet 2:24). He then sends the Spirit of grace to them to educate them on what God has done to execute this sure salvation, in which God loses none of His elect, redeemed, regenerate people (Jn 10:28–29).
The author’s point is that God has made known this salvation through the Gospel, which is heralded by Spirit-filled men of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17); but not all have faith in Christ Jesus (2 Thess 3:2). That is because faith is a gift of God’s grace (Eph 2:8–9); manifested when one is born again of God’s Spirit (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3). It is the Spirit of truth who imparts the knowledge of the truth, as it is in Jesus, who is the truth (Jn 14:6).
The reprobate in Hebrews has the same exposure to the same knowledge as God’s elect. The outcome for the reprobate is very different, however, and the author explains and illustrates this to his readers/listeners. The first illustration is the Exodus generation.
Those Hebrews in bondage in Egypt were sent a deliverer, Moses. They saw the miraculous works of Yahweh and heard the Law of God read and explained to them. They hardened their hearts and provoked God, not knowing the disciplined ways of the Lord. They always went astray in their heart; and God did not permit them to enter His rest. They did not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief, which invariably leads to disobedience and the falling away from Yahweh and His self-revelation.
In a second illustration, the author of Hebrews explains that two soils receive rain from heaven. One produces vegetation; while the other produces thorns and thistles, which are a cursed nuisance that must be cleared, bundled, and burned. The rain in this illustration is like the Word of righteousness and the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Obviously, they are not the problem. The problem is the deceitfulness of sin and how it hardens the human heart.
The Jews who learned Christ, were assembled with the congregation of believers, but who drifted back to Judaism and served as the bad example to be avoided. They had been enlightened; tasted the heavenly gift; tasted the good Word of God; tasted the powers of the age to come; and partook in the works of the Holy Spirit in the midst of Christ’s church. Their falling away — back to the types and shadows of the Old Testament — put Jesus Christ, the substance, and antitype, to open shame.
Without the baptism and permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the knowledge of Christ did not stick. These reprobate became sluggish; dull of hearing; and never matured in their eating up spiritual things. They tasted the milk of the Word; but in their stunted growth, they were carried away by varied and strange teaching.
The reprobate did not profit from the Word and eventually left the assembly especially when the church suffered persecution. It is far worse to trample under foot the Son of God and regard the blood of the covenant as unclean. Truly, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The Lord is a righteous Judge for both the elect and the reprobate.
The reprobate, like the immoral and godless Esau, have no grace unto repentance. They crucify to themselves the Son of God and insult the Spirit of grace via unbelief and disobedience. They become embittered, finding no satisfaction in their fornications, adulteries, and love of money. Turing away from the warnings of heaven and earth, the reprobate shrink back to destruction. They only have the terrifying expectation of judgment. Nothing has changed, today, for the elect and for the reprobate.
Salvation is not to be neglected. The Word of God is preached to all people; and all people are called by the Gospel message to repent and believe in Yahweh and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus and His covenant blood are the only remedy for the sin that so easily entangles us. The vengeance of God, His severe and eternal punishment is the portion for the reprobate, who provoke God in unbelief, unrepentance, disobedience and the evil continuation in sin.
In conclusion, the reader/listener of the book of Hebrews must examine himself, to see if he or she is in Christ. The fruit of the indwelling Spirit is set in stark contrast from the vices of sin. A person, like a tree, is known by what is produced in and through him. The elect manifest faith in Christ; while the reprobate resort to the ways of the world, even world religions.
Christian, the book of Hebrews assures us that Jesus Christ our Lord is far superior to anyone and anything else. He is our all in all and Lord of all. We have tasted and we have seen; therefore, let us press on in faith toward the mark of the high calling, to follow and to serve Him all of our days…and this we will do if God permits.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
October 20, 2024
Hebrews
