If we are tempted to sin and we cave into that sin that is adokimos (unapproved, tested and failed)?

This comment/question (by Jake) is important and I thought I'd highlight it in a post of its own.

QUESTION:

I am glad someone else is digging into this word "reprobate" or adokimos which means unapproved or tested and failed. Would you agree that when we are tempted to sin and we cave into that sin that is adokimos? and if we continue to fail we develop a pattern which in the end could condemn us. sooner or later don't we need to dokimos or began the difficult task of passing the test of sins temptations?

ANSWER:

You're absolutely right to lean into the meaning of adokimos—unapproved, tested and failed—and how that relates to the believer’s struggle with temptation. The distinction you draw between repeated failure and eventual spiritual consequence is compelling, but it’s important to see temptation itself as part of the proving process, not the disqualifier. When a believer caves into sin, it doesn’t automatically render them adokimos—instead, it reveals an area where renewal and discipline, as shown in Part 5 of this study, must be strengthened. Paul’s use of dokimazō involves sincere testing for approval—not instant perfection, but a proven sincerity in our response to truth.

You’re correct that repeated failure without repentance can establish a downward pattern, as described in Part 6: suppression of truth, substitution with lies, and finally abandonment. That spiral, unchecked, leads to the condition of adokimos—not just moral failure, but a life that has become spiritually unfit, hardened, or non-responsive to truth. For a believer, this doesn’t mean loss of salvation or eternal condemnation—as you pointed out, we’re fully justified by faith (Romans 5:1). But it can mean becoming unprofitable to God, as in “reprobate unto every good work” (Titus 1:16), resulting in loss of reward and spiritual function (1 Corinthians 3:15, 2 Timothy 2:20–21). This echoes the sobering reality of falling from grace—not into hell, but into uselessness (for God and in the Body of Christ).

From a dispensational perspective, we understand that all our sins are forgiven judicially—past, present, and future. But that doesn’t negate the relational consequences of sin. A believer who walks in the flesh rather than the Spirit (Romans 8:5–8) is living beneath their calling and purpose. Paul’s solution throughout his epistles isn’t more performance—it’s more surrender. Galatians 5:16 urges us to “walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” The antidote to becoming adokimos is continual renewal (Romans 12:2), loving discernment (Philippians 1:10), disciplined surrender (Romans 12:1), and regular self-examination (2 Corinthians 13:5).

So yes—we must engage in dokimos, proving what is acceptable to God. And that includes resisting temptation, repenting when we fall, and allowing failure to become fuel for transformation. The grace of God doesn’t just forgive—it empowers. The presence of temptation is not the problem. Prolonged passivity is. The danger lies not in the stumble, but in failing to rise. That’s where the spiral begins—and by God’s Spirit, that’s where it can end.