There is nothing in the bible that mentions reprobation. But I have come to the conclusion now that unconditional election does not necessarily encompass reprobation.
You are right, the bible never mentions God predestining people to hell.
However there is an undeniable "Elect", let's take a look at who the elect are.
1 Peter 1
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
We are the elect, according to foreknowledge of whom God knew would willingly come into a covenant with Him. We are not the elect according to predestination.
Romans 8
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to
His purpose.
29 For
whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We are also predestined according to foreknowledge. Note you won't find anywhere in Scripture God say He predestined ANYONE to heaven. That is also outside of Scripture. You will find "predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son",
"predestined to the adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself",
"to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
"predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."
So, not only is predestination based on foreknowledge (Rom 8:29), but we are not even predestined to go to heaven. That is nowhere found in Scripture.
Let me just give you an example here, because you sound like a reasonable man of God who is open to Gods truth.
Ephesians 1
3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ,
4 just as
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation
through sanctification by the Spirit
and belief in the truth
First I want to point out Ephesians 1, as you noticed I underlined "in Christ", we were chosen IN Christ. So before we were IN Christ, we were not chosen. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 tells us HOW, and WHEN we are chosen.
How? "Through sanctification by the Spirit"
When? once we have a "belief in the truth"
We were not IN Christ, before the foundation of the world. The point that is being made here is whoever chooses to be in Christ. (Note i say chooses because you must willingly love God, and place your faith in Jesus). You are predestined to blessings, adoption etc etc IF you are in Christ. You are chosen by God IF you are in Christ. It's more of predestining two groups. Rather than individual predestination.
I heard an example like this..
A school teacher, on the first day of class, told his students that some would pass and some would fail the course they were about to take. He then described the things necessary for one to be of those who would pass. At the end of the school year, just as the teacher had said, some passed and some failed. Since the teacher predestinated the outcome before he began, did it mean that he caused each individual to either pass or fail and that there was nothing they could do about it?
No. Likewise, God predestinated before He made the world that He would choose those "in Christ"
and revealed those things necessary for one to be in Him. It is therefore up to each individual to do those things necessary to be found in Christ and have salvation.
No where you or anyone can show me a Scripture that says we are predestined to go to heaven. We are predestined to go to heaven if we are IN Christ though. How do we get "in Christ"? As I have shown you in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 "how, and when?", I can show you in other places how you become "in Christ".
Acts 2
37 Now when they heard
this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them,
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Very very important. No Calvinist will agree with Peter here! They say there is NOTHING you can do to be saved, you were predestined!
Peter on the other hand was no Calvinist.
Let's go over this step by step.
"Repent"
John 16 (Speaking about the Holy Spirit; as "He".)
8 And when He has come,
He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
Conviction leads to sorrow, if you respond.
2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the
sorrow of the world produces death.
If you feel that conviction, that produces repentance, that LEADS to salvation.
Now.. Let's go over the second thing Peter said.
"
let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins"
Baptism, very important. Let's see why..
Romans 6
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Colossians 2
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
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buried with Him in baptism,
in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Thirdly. "
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Now this is VERY key.
Romans 8:9
But you are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
So very important, because the Calvinist will say that BEFORE, they were saved they were in NO danger of hell, they were God's elect OUTSIDE of Christ. Now the reason why that is so false is because if we do NOT have the Holy Spirit, we are NOT HIS.
(Note, NONE of us had the Holy Spirit BEFORE we came to Jesus.)
So we were NOT, born-again meaning we were spiritually dead.
So we WERE dead, and the Calvinist will agree and quote Ephesans 2:1 which says "And you He made alive, who were
dead in trespasses and
sins"
The BIGGEST problem with that is, God is NOT the God of the dead. Therefore we couldn't have been the elect BEFORE we came to Jesus.
Mark 12:27
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.
We are only the elect once we are "IN CHRIST", just as all the predestination Scriptures say. Let ALONE we have a scripture that says predestination is based on foreknowledge and once again election is also based on foreknowledge. (Rom. 8:29, 1 Peter 1:2)
Colossians 1
19 For it pleased
the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and
by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made
peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
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if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and
are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to
every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
