Brother, here is what I see as error in what you post.
We do not know who the reprobates are. We do not even know if we are ourselves! We are told plainly that many of us are the ground that started out well, the seed was good, it germinated, but the cares of this life entered in and it produced no fruit to perfection. Reprobate.
We are told that there are those who are the hard earth, the plow of God was not allowed to do its work, and thus, their foundation was shallow and when the heat was turned up, they wilted and produced no fruit to perfection. Reprobate.
In both these cases, the seed was good seed, godly seed, and it germinated and sprang forth to real life. There is but one way to make ones calling and election a sure thing. Endure in the faith. Endure to the end. Have we convinced ourselves that predestination is a fact? And if we are right, so what? It does NOTHING to assure us of our own election. It changes nothing for us. We still have to seek Him like all others, on our faces.
In addition, we do not know if any man is to be the next John the Baptist or the next Hitler. We are told to take the gospel unto all the world, and let God work out who was and who was not predestined, amen?
Here are my concerns here with the teaching of predestination, whether or not it is true or false.
First, far too many are initially assuming that since they have discovered this truth, they MUST be predestined to election. What creeps in in more than a few cases is a pride, a holy arrogance, that goes directly against walking in true humility and brokenness that is the mark of the true elect. These far more resemble the pharisee in the temple looking down on the poor man who was found crying out to God "Be merciful to me, a sinner!"
But Paul himself said he kept His body under, lest after preaching to others, he himself might become a castaway. Do we ignore such a warning to us, directly from the mouth of God? Do we not see, we must endure and then endure some more, grow up into Him in all things, fight the good fight of faith victoriously, in order to make our calling and election sure. That is truth whether we like it, agree with it or not.
Secondly, it seems, at least from what I can see, this doctrine produces a self-satisfied spiritual lethargy whereby we trust that if God will save any He calls, its a slam dunk so what do we have to sweat it for, for who has resisted His will? Its all good! The reprobates burn, the elect who do many of the same things as the reprobates get gold under their feet to walk upon. The elect will be saved, the reprobates lost and so why the big deal as to evangelism? The result is that there is no warring intercession with God for the souls of men, and the church is left visionless, and passionless for the lost and dying world we were left here to lead to Christ.
All of a sudden, what often results is a semblance of a club that pats themselves on the back for seeing such a deep truth, as if they actually comprehended what it meant. There is no more burden for the lost and it gets replaced with a bushel basket mentality whereby anyone who is really elect will eventually find their way under the correct bushel basket- ours.
It is time we wake up to the real issue at hand- how do we bring forth fruit in our lives, for the only ground that was blessed was the ground that produced bountiful fruit, all the way to the end. And if, after searching all of our doctrinal beliefs, we find that we really do not know how to produce fruit that can attract a dis-believing world, or bring us ourselves into the glorious liberty of the children of God, then we need to admit it to God and ask Him to show us the way.
Blessings,]
Gideon
