That Horrible Decree
Rev. Van Baren defends the biblical doctrine of reprobation—God's sovereign decree to condemn the non-elect—against common objections and misunderstandings. Through careful exegesis of Romans 9 and other scriptural passages, he argues that reprobation is a scriptural truth that properly exalts God's sovereignty and places humanity in its rightful dependent position. This pamphlet serves as an apologetic introduction to one of the most controversial doctrines of Reformed theology.
There is something concerning God’s eternal decree of predestination, and particularly the decree of reprobation, which seems immediately to arouse the ire of man. Mention election or reprobation, and man closes his ears. Send to him material on such a subject, and he will return it with the acid comment, “I don’t want such stuff in my mailbox.” Even John Calvin, that noted Reformer and champion of the truth of predestination, is reported to have called reprobation “that horrible decree” (a...