The Inability of the Reprobate to Understand the Kingdom of God Preached to Him
God is the Maker of the reprobate (Rom 9:22). God is the Maker of the saved (Rom 9:23). Jesus referred to the reprobate as “goats” and “weeds.” He referred to the saved as “wheat” and “sheep.” Christian conversion is not a goat becoming a sheep or a weed becoming wheat, however. This is a common misconception.
The source of this dichotomy of peoples is understood by the biblical doctrine of election. The separation of peoples (spiritual) occurred in eternity, when God the Father predestined some to adoption (salvation), by choosing them to become members of His family (Eph 1:4–5; Rom 8:15, 23; 1 Jn 3:1). Christ was given this group of elect souls (Jn 6:37; 17:2, 6, 24), whose names were written in the Lamb’s (Christ) book of life before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8; 17:8). This is why the Bible teaches that the Lord knows those who are His (2 Tim 2:19).
The people of Christ’s own possession (1 Pet 2:9), those who belong to Christ (1 Cor 3:23) were bought for a price (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23) — a redemption price paid in full by the currency of Jesus’ precious blood shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins (Mt 26:28; 1 Cor 1:30; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:19). Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Is 53:5)…but not everyone’s. Jesus, as the Head of His church (Eph 1:22; 5:23; Col 1:18), the Israel of God (Is 49:3, 6; Gal 6:16), has saved us (Titus 3:5).
Christians are born into the world as heirs of Adam (Rom 5:12–21). We inherited original sin and a sin nature from his federal headship (Ps 51:5). This means we are children of wrath warranting the same ends as the sons of disobedience (Eph 2:2–3; 5:6; Col 3:6). When Jesus died on the cross, as a propitiation for the sins of God’s chosen people from all over the world and across time (Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10), He bore the wrath of God upon Himself, in the stead of every elect, redeemed soul (1 Pet 2:24).
The biblical distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil (1 Jn 3:1, 10) informs our understanding that from the whole of humanity, a change (transformation/transfer/grafting in/ingathering/new creation/born again/conversion) occurs for some but not all people. Those who are called out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light (Jesus Christ) are the remnant few who were graciously chosen for salvation (Rom 8:30; 11:5; 1 Pet 2:9).
It is the voice of Christ that calls His sheep to come to Him and follow Him (Mt 11:28; Jn 10:3) to His pasture of rest (Ps 23). Jesus is the Word of God (Jn 1:1, 14; Rom 10:17), who opens the ears of His deaf sheep and which gives them the new life, complete with their new identity (2 Cor 5:17; 1 Jn 3:1). God has ordained that the means for the Word to be delivered and received by a particular hearer is preaching.
Gospel preaching is Bible preaching. The preacher, filled with the Holy Spirit, heralds what God has revealed as His Word to man and by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit brought forth the holy Scriptures by moving men along to write exactly what God intended (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20–21). The Bible is the best book in the world for a myriad of reasons (no room here to explain that).
Being Himself a fuller revelation from God than the prophets who came before Him and who wrote about Him, Jesus preached to the people (Heb 1:1–3). He explained the Scriptures (Old Testament) with divine interpretation. He explained to the people what the Hebrew Scriptures meant to them. He revealed His heavenly Father. The people marveled at Jesus’ teaching tone (authority), and they delighted in what they heard from Him. Some believed in Him to be the promised Messiah King. Others were angered by Jesus and His teaching.
Jesus’ angry listeners knew that the Nazarene was often talking about them. He was exposing them because He knew what was in each of their hearts (Jn 2:23–25). Jesus knew they had no love in their hearts for God (Jn 5:42) because He knew they did not belong to Him (Jn 8:47; 10:26); therefore God had not first loved them (1 Jn 4:19), by pouring out His love into their hearts (Rom 5:5). For this reason they hated Jesus without a cause (Jn 7:7; 15:24–25). They did not believe in Him because that was impossible apart from Him and His sovereign will (Jn 15:5).
People only turn to Jesus (repentance) if God grants them grace to do so (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim 2:25). Jesus is the Author of each believer’s faith (Heb 12:2). He grants each believer’s faith in the measure of His own choosing (Rom 12:23), as a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9, 11; Gal 5:22). God makes His people to believe in Jesus because He has transferred them into Christ and has given us His Spirit….who obviously believes!
God’s purpose in reprobation is the same as His purpose in salvation — His own glory. The reprobate are objects of God’s just judgment and wrath, by His design. Without the grace of God, the reprobate is made to manifest and display the justice of God to the glory of God. If the reprobate were a recipient of God’s grace, he or she would receive Jesus by the will of God (Jn 1:12–13). This grace would be evident by the presence of the gift of God…faith manifested from the indwelling Spirit (Acts 2:38; 10:45; Eph 2:8–9; Heb 6:4).
Jesus portrayed the kingdom of God and its comparative value to the kingdom of this world by preaching parables. Only those with eyes to see, ears to hear — and either Jesus (then) or the Spirit (today) as their Teacher (Jn 14:17) — could have the understanding of Jesus’ parables. This proves that parables exposed those who had Jesus/Spirit…and those who did not.
Woe to the Pharisee, the lawyer, the scribe, the Sadducee who cannot understand Jesus’ kingdom purpose in revealing the kingdom to His elect, redeemed, regenerate saints — while at the same time exposing the plight of reprobate sinners, who have eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear, biological animation but with no Spirit (Rom 8:9) and no spiritual capacity (1 Cor 2:14). No man can come to Jesus unless the Father drags him with the irresistible grace of the Spirit’s baptism (Mt 3:11; Jn 6:44, 65; Acts 2:38; 11:18).
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
January 6, 2022
