2 Timothy 2:20

Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor.

See the comment under the preceding verse.

Vessels of gold ... silver ... wood ... earth ... The eternal mystery of why there should be vessels of dishonor in God's church is perpetual. There was a Ham in the ark, an Esau in the womb of Rebekah, and a Judas among the Twelve. The thing in view here is that even the vessels of dishonor will serve the Father's will in God's own way; but that is a far different thing from the proposition that they will all be saved any way. Pharaoh was used for the glory of God, as were also Esau and Judas. Hervey was right in his view that:

Though everyone that names the Lord ought to depart from wickedness, yet we must not be surprised if it is not so, and if there are found in the church some professing Christians whose practice is quite inconsistent with their profession.[29]