Seven Reflections on Election and Reprobation, Pt 2

You can find the first four reflections here.

Reflection 5: This Doctrine Should Lead Us to Humble Worship and Gratitude

The proper response to the doctrines of election and reprobation is not speculation, fear, or pride but worship. Paul himself ends his discussion of God’s sovereign purposes with doxology, not debate.

If this doctrine is rightly understood, it humbles us before God and fills us with thanksgiving.

My greatest struggle with reprobation is not the question, “Why does God pass over some?” That is not my deepest concern. My real question is this: Why did God choose me?

Why would God choose a sinner like me—someone who has offended Him, disobeyed Him, and continues to struggle with sin? God knows every sin I have committed and every sin I will still commit. I deserve judgment, not mercy. And yet, He chose me.

That is the mystery that overwhelms me.

A hymn writer captures it well:

Why have You chosen me out of millions Your child to be

You know all the wrongs that I have done

Oh how could You pardon me, forgive my iniquities

To save me give Jesus Your son

I am amazed to know that a God so great could love me so

Is willing and wanting to bless

His love is so wonderful, His mercy so bountiful

I can’t understand it I confess

I echo that confession. I cannot explain why God would set His love on me. I did nothing to earn it. My salvation rests entirely on God’s sovereign mercy. Scripture is clear: “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy” (Rom. 9:15). God’s choice was not based on who I am, what I have done, or what I might do. It was made freely, graciously, and sovereignly from eternity past.

That truth does not puff us up; it brings us low. It silences boasting. It stirs gratitude. And it moves us to worship a God whose mercy is deeper than our sin and whose grace is greater than we can comprehend.

Reflection 6: God’s Sovereignty Strengthens (Not Weakens) Prayer

The doctrine of election and reprobation does not cancel the need for prayer. If anything, it reinforces it.

A common objection sounds like this: If some are reprobate, why pray for unbelievers at all? Paul himself answers that question, not in theory, but in practice.

Immediately after his discussion of election and hardening in Romans 9, Paul writes in Romans 10:1: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” 

Paul does not say, “There’s no point in praying.” He does not retreat into fatalism. He prays earnestly and persistently for the salvation of those who are currently rejecting Christ.

That tells us something important: a right understanding of God’s sovereignty fuels prayer rather than extinguishing it. We pray not with hopeless resignation, but with confident expectation because salvation ultimately belongs to the Lord.

If you have unbelieving children or prodigal children, this doctrine should move you to pray more, not less. We bring them to God precisely because He is sovereign. Only He can change hearts. Only the Holy Spirit can grant repentance and faith.

History confirms this. John Knox, who firmly believed in election, famously prayed, “Give me Scotland, or I die.” His theology did not produce indifference; rather it produced anguish and intercession.

The same should be true of us. Should we not also pray, “Lord, give me my fellow countrymen, or I die”? Look around us. Our nations are steeped in unbelief. People are rushing toward judgment unless God intervenes. If God alone saves, then prayer becomes not optional but urgent.

This doctrine exposes our complacency. Do we truly care about the souls around us: our neighbors, coworkers, employees, and fellow citizens? Or have we used God’s sovereignty as an excuse for prayerlessness?

Paul understood election and reprobation better than most, and yet he could still say, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” That is not a contradiction. It is the fruit of sound doctrine applied with a compassionate heart.

Reflection 7: Reprobation Does Not Cancel Evangelism or the Free Offer of the Gospel

The doctrine of reprobation does not render evangelism pointless, nor does it undermine the universal and well-meant offer of the gospel.

One of the errors of hyper-Calvinism is the claim that the gospel should not be freely offered to all, since not all are elect. According to this view, offering Christ to everyone somehow “wastes” the gospel on the reprobate. Scripture knows nothing of such reasoning.

The apostle Paul certainly did not preach that way. He declared openly, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek”(Rom. 1:16). The gospel is to be proclaimed to all people, without distinction.

Yes, God is sovereign in salvation. But Scripture is equally clear: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28), “and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). The call of the gospel is sincere, genuine, and universal. We do not preach Christ only to the elect; we preach Christ to sinners, trusting the Holy Spirit to apply His Word according to His eternal purpose.

Now, some tender consciences grow fearful and ask, “What if I am one of the reprobate?” The Canons of Dort wisely address this very concern. Article 16 assures us that those who lack full assurance, yet “seriously desire to be turned to God, to please Him only,” who “persist in the use of the means which God hath appointed for working these graces in us,” “ought not to be alarmed at the mention of reprobation, nor to rank themselves among the reprobate.”

God has promised that He will not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax. Those who long for grace, though weak in faith, are not the objects of terror in this doctrine. Reprobation is terrifying only to those who remain hardened—those who live carelessly, reject Christ, and persist in unbelief without repentance.

The conclusion is simple and pastoral: do not fixate on reprobation. Use the means of grace. Hear the gospel. Repent of sin. Believe in Christ. The promise stands firm: whoever comes to Him in faith will be saved.

In the end, the doctrine of election and reprobation does not distract us from the cross; it drives us back to it. The gospel remains the beautiful, powerful message of salvation for all who will receive it.

Conclusion

The doctrine of election and reprobation confronts us with the greatness of God and the smallness of man. It reminds us that salvation is not engineered by human will or effort, but flows from God’s eternal mercy and righteous judgment. Where Scripture speaks, we must listen. Where Scripture is silent, we must be content.

Handled rightly, this doctrine does not lead us away from Christ; it drives us to Him. It humbles us in worship, strengthens us in prayer, compels us in evangelism, and comforts tender consciences with the promises of the gospel.