II Peter 2:16—“the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad [restrained] the madness of the prophet”

But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad [restrained] the madness of the prophet (II Peter 2:16 KJV).

Q. "If God does not restrain sin in the reprobate wicked, then why did He restrain reprobate Balaam?"

(I)

Rev. Angus Stewart

All men are totally depraved. It is not the case that some men are something less than totally depraved.

Instead of saying that God restrains sin, it is more correct to say that God restrains the 'manifestation' of sin.

God's restraint of the manifestation of sin is not by a gracious work in the reprobate sinner, as the 2nd Point of 1924 teaches. God's restraint of the manifestation of sin includes the fear of punishment by the state, a desire to avoid the unpleasant feeling of a guilty conscience, concern over loss of face to other people, etc.

Balaam was a very obviously wicked man. He hoped to make filthy lucre out of the word of God. He sinned in going to Balak and in his treatment of his donkey and in trying to curse God's people. He was also the one who later tried to, and succeeded in, getting Israel to fornicate with the Moabites and Midianites (numbers 25) and so died under God's wrath in numbers 31.

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(II)

More to come! (DV)