What Does the Bible Mean When it Talks about a "Reprobate Mind"?
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The apostle Paul mentions how God sometimes gives a certain consequence, handing people over to a “reprobate mind.” The word “reprobate” may not be common to people today, but it sounds serious. And since the context points to the result of continued rebellion against God as creator, it is.
Often, we repeat these biblical words in church or other teachings, yet people may not truly understand the idea. What is Paul trying to tell us when he talks about the reprobate mind?
Where Does the Bible Mention the Reprobate Mind?
The Bible mentions a “reprobate mind” in Romans 1:28. Paul writes, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.”
The Greek word adokimos, translated as “reprobate,” means “unapproved” or “not standing the test.” The word points to something that has been tested but found lacking, much like a counterfeit coin rejected because it fails to meet the right value or authority. The term implies a deep moral failure, much as sin misses the mark, a state of being disqualified because of an impurity. Nous means “mind,” and refers to a person’s reasoning or mental faculties.
Together, adokimos nous describes a mind failing to meet God’s moral and spiritual standards of truth, love, and reason. It implies a mind incapable of discerning truth, unable to think right according to reality, and will instead desire things against God’s will.
Romans 1 provides a sobering analysis of humanity’s descent into sin. Paul explains how people first reject the truth of God as Creator. They didn’t glorify God and instead exchanged his truth for lies and worshipped created things rather than the Creator. People will worship something, and when they reject the only one worthy of glory, they choose created things unable to give life. This continued rebellion leads God to give them what they choose, a brain filled with lies.
The phrase “God gave them over” implies that on one level, God seeks to reveal himself, and he gives some grace to restrain the evil of humanity, not allowing them to fully commit to evil. This tension exists in humans due to God’s love. At some point, however, when people continue to reject God’s truth and choose sin, he allows them to experience the results—a completely corrupt mind focused on sin actively and intentionally.
This reprobate mind is marked by an inability to distinguish between right and wrong. Paul describes the consequences of this thinking, listing sins like envy, murder, deceit, and disobedience to God (Romans 1:29).
God’s judgment, “giving over,” isn’t random but consciously allowing the free will of people to experience the consequences of rebellion. On the one hand, this describes the state of society in Paul’s day but also for today. At the same time, Paul warns believers about the danger of rejecting God repeatedly.
What Other Scriptures Support the Idea of a Reprobate Mind?
The Bible provides much evidence and teachings regarding how completely corrupt people would be apart from God.
Romans 8:7 teaches the rebellious nature of the human mind. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” On its own, the human mind treats God like an enemy, opposing truth and seeking its own way, a product of Adam and Eve choosing the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, morality apart from relationship with God and his life.
Within a few generations from Adam, Genesis 6:5 reveals the wickedness of human thinking. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Sin grew in action and thinking to a generation only inclined to rebellion and violence. This led God to judgment through the flood.
Pride leads people to rebellion and death. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride places people above God’s authority in their thoughts. Such haughtiness came from the original liar, the Devil, and Isaiah 14:12-14 says this about Lucifer: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars.” The stars generally symbolized other angels, but Satan even sought authority over God. Through the Fall with Adam and Eve, humanity chose this way of thinking and the lie.
Scripture also warns against relying upon human philosophy. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Human philosophy tempts us with its apparent intelligence, but apart from God’s wisdom, man’s philosophy affirms ideas opposing God and leads people into more pride (vain deceit) and rebellion. The apostle Paul, educated in such Greek philosophy, testifies in 1 Corinthians 3:19, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” Human academics often exalt intellect (limited by nature) over wisdom and God’s revelation, leading to sinful thinking.
Humanity’s foolish and sinful thinking leads to sinful action. Proverbs 6:16-18 lists things God hates, including “A heart that devises wicked imaginations.” Micah 2:1 also points out this issue: “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds!” The prophet uses an image of a person in bed, thinking about sin and hurting others instead of sleeping or being at peace with God in love.
The Bible defines the consequences of living such lies—death and destruction. Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of that way is death.” Lies lead the way of the Devil, spiritual death, and separation from God, even eternally if there’s no repentance. The scary part of the verse about the “reprobate mind” is how God gives some people over to it by their choice, implying they won’t ever repent since they live in bondage.
Praise God for the Good News.
How Does the Gospel Give Us the Mind of Christ?
Actions flow from belief and thinking, so transformed lives emanate from renewed thinking. Paul also explains this in Romans, later in 12:2. “And be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” The Gospel delivers us from this world’s thinking by shifting our mind to the truth. Instead of being influenced by pride, sin, or worldly philosophy, our renewed mind becomes centered on God’s voice, in our lives and the Bible. Along with Scripture, we find our minds renewed in prayer and faith communities.
The renewed mind leads to a new creation, a new person. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The Gospel changes our thinking to a completely new identity. In Christ, we think, desire, and act differently, seeking to humbly honor God and love others instead of rebel against the Lord. In this new identity, God gives us the very mind of Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” As Jesus thought and demonstrated complete submission to God’s will, so can we. Paul further describes how we should allow, by our choice, the mind of Christ to be in us through submission to God, sacrifice, and looking ahead to reward (Philippians 2).
Embracing this mind of Christ, our minds are renewed to an eternal perspective. God’s perspective includes our intimate moment but views it within the eternal past and present. This eternal perspective shares ow we should live in the moment to redeem the past and toward hope for the future radical restoration of all things. Paul summarizes this eternal perspective with “set you affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
The Gospel, then, frees us from the sinful nature and thinking through sharing with us God’s divine nature and the mind of Christ. Through Christ, he empowers us to live in obedience and faith to life.
What Does the Scriptural Idea of the Reprobate Mind Mean for Believers Today?
As Christians, we must take seriously the warning within Romans 1, examining our own hearts. The truth applies universally—left to our own thinking, we are prone to pride, error, and rebellion. We can’t filter the truth from lies on our own, as we saw in Proverbs 14:12. Our thoughts, apart from God, mislead us into deceptive decisions, rationalizing sin or embracing false beliefs even by ignorance. By nature of our limited resources and intellect, we can’t know enough to choose the best for all people and all time. God, however, knows all things, including how any minor or major decision leads to the best for all people with eternal good.
Therefore, we continue to renew our minds by intentionally submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:16, Paul commands us, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The solution isn’t developing our own morality by our own limited understanding. Instead, we have the only righteous one available to us every second, the Holy Spirit, to submit our thoughts and actions. This is the new law of Spirit and Life within the new covenant. The old covenant was based on Sin and Death. Praise God for Jesus and his work.
Therefore, the primary battle for us and others exists in our minds. Since our enemy is a liar and fights through lies, this makes sense. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can tear down and break every evil thought and wayward philosophy. “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Along with the Holy Spirit, Scripture gives us weapons for this battle. Hebrews 4:12 describes God’s Word as “sharper than any two-edged sword,” able to discern and separate lie from truth. Through meditating on the Bible in relationship with the Father, we counter deceptions and our temptations to self-seeking.
Romans 1:28 teaches us how rebellion begins with rejecting God as Creator and refusing to worship him as such. In this, we devolve into a mind completely given over to evil. Instead, let us be humble enough to know we can’t trust our own understanding and must rely upon God’s revelation and truth to lead us to life and goodness.
Peace.
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