Jeremiah 23:33-38 - THE REPROBATE DEMAND THAT THEIR WORKS SAVE THEM

23:33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

23:34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.

Those who ask, who desire, to have the responsibility of performing some work for God in order to gain favor from God are asking what God requires of, or will accept from, them. They are asking what standard they must achieve (What is the burden of the Lord). They want to work to achieve reconciliation with God, to save themselves. All who seek self-justification with God will be forsaken by God. He can only accept perfect righteousness. He will not accept their deeds (their works) and he will not accept them.

23:35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken? 23:36 And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.

God’s people, his sovereignly chosen elect, are all humbled by him. They bow to Christ. They do not seek any way to exalt themselves; they know that there is absolutely no goodness in themselves. They seek to know what God’s will is, what he has ordained. They seek to know Christ. They seek the truth directly in God’s Word, asking “what hath the LORD spoken“, asking what God has ordained, what has he purposed, what God has established regarding salvation. God’s elect understand that Christ has done all the work in their salvation. The elect know that they have no burden, no work to do. They rest in Christ’s completed Work.

God holds each person directly responsible for their actions (for every man's word shall be his burden). The elect declare Christ directly as he is revealed in God’s Word (the Bible). All those who pervert God’s Word are condemned for denying Christ.

23:37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? 23:38 But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;

The reprobates are stuck on, dwell on, and are fascinated by the concept of working for their salvation, of showing God that they are good. All those who do not speak the words of the Gospel of Free Grace (what the Lord has spoken) are condemned for speaking works (the burden of the Lord). Remember Cain and Abel - Cain told God that his works made his soul acceptable while Abel offered up Christ’s soul substituted for his own corrupted soul.

God does not accept the works of man because God is perfectly Holy and can not accept anything un-Holy. As such, Salvation is all of Christ’s Grace and not at all of anyone’s works. Christ is the only one who satisfied and fulfilled all of God’s Law. Christ is the only one God has judged to be perfectly righteous. God imparted the sin debt of all of his sovereignly chosen elect onto Christ at the cross on Calvary. Christ suffered under God’s wrath to redeem the elect. Christ imputed his righteousness to each and every one of the elect. Their salvation is only and entirely as a result of Christ’s work for them.

By Ray Bennetts