The three Reformers: Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, arrived at the supralapsarian view: election and reprobation are deeds of God's sovereignty, logically preceding God's decree concerning the. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. Here is more on Jonathan Edwards on Supra and Infra (misc 704), http://edwards.yale.edu/archive?path=aHR0cDovL2Vkd2FyZHMueWFsZS5lZHUvY2dpLWJpbi9uZXdwaGlsby9nZXRvYmplY3QucGw/Yy4xNzo0OjIwMy53amVv, What divines intend by prior and posterior in the affair of Gods decrees, is not that one is before another in the order of time, for all are from eternity, but that we must conceive the view or consideration of one decree to be before another, inasmuch as God decrees one thing out of respect to another decree that he has made; so that one decree must be conceived of as in some sort to be the ground of another, or that God decrees one because of another, or that he would not have decreed one had he not decreed that other.., The Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8), all things are through him ,for him and by him (Rmn 11:36) The Scriptures lean towards election and redemption first and then Creation. The third and fourth Lapsarian Views are the only approaches approved by the great post-Reformation councils, the Synod of Dordt and the Westminster Confession of Faith. Throughout Christian history a majority of Western theologians have agreed that God's decision to become incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ was made necessary by "the Fall": if humans had not sinned, the incarnation would not have happened. Can I in my finite and fallen mind completely comprehend the truth about Gods destinating mans actions in this world and mans responsibility for those actions; no. Time is not the issue. Supralapsaranism and infralapsarianism assert that election and reprobation respectively preceded and succeeded the Fall. As an example, lets look at Peters statement of fact on the death of Christ in Acts 4, For truely in this city were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur (Acts 4:27 28 NASB). His longsuffering humility and Name endures ages of abuse, all to reveal His Glory to ALL of His creation. God planned before the creation of the universe, that all things would be subject in His expression of himself, His Word (revelation of Himself) to the created. A moments consideration will prove that, in this case, their predestination was supralapsarian. No good or evil comes to past without the Lords will. All rights reserved. So Edwards holds to a supralapsarian view of non-election. We know there was a rebellion in the heavenlies, just not the timing. Knowing and upholding the predestination of the Gospel with the Lord means upholding the aspects of mystery and incarnate revelation in predestination with the Lord for developing unity in the church among questioning Christians. [6] Logical order of God's decrees - Wikipedia There can be no chronological ordering for the reasons you give. B.B. 5:32). Since the Protestant Reformation, four main Lapsarian Views deserve attention: the Arminian Order, the Amyraldian Order, the Supralapsarian Order, and the Infralapsarian Order. Jonathan Edwards and Supralapsarianism | Tony Reinke Yes, William Perkins was supralapsarian and, yes, Edwards liked Perkins. They contend that the last thing in execution was always the first in intention. Now, about your question specifically. My hero is John Piper, and it is from him that I have come to believe that Gods glory and Him displaying all facets of that glory is the most preeminent goal in all the universe. So, the Reformed position, either way, must accept the fact that God foreordained the fall of humanity into sin. Karl Barth's Infralapsarian Theology - InterVarsity Press Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine children: Ian, Jacob, Elizabeth, Paul, Mary, Benjamin, Tabitha, Andrew, and Susannah. With that caveat in mind, it is evident that ones definition of predestination will shape what one thinks about the object of predestination. This was a topic I dealt with in my Masters Thesis at Dallas Theological Seminary. Historically, a minority of Calvinists have held this view. The History of the Reformation Part II: Supralapsarian and Infralapsarian Likewise the article on reprobation seems to imply the infa position. Copyright 2023 Modern Reformation. Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley write: Eternal election involves Gods actual choice of individuals (Rom. He held to a supralapsarian position with regard to election and an infralapsarian position with regard to reprobation. On this, supralapsarian theologians agree. Your email address will not be published. Im not aware of any two words in the theological lexicon quite like supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism. treatment and he clearly stated his divergence from the Reformed theology of his colleagues. Both the Supralapsarian and Infralapsarian Orders reflect the Bibles strong particularization in election, Christs atoning work, and the Spirits application of salvation through faith. Your email address will not be published. For he hath not wished, but ordained, and made it a positive law, that whosoever believeth shall be saved, and herehence it followeth that if all and every one, from the beginning of the World to the end, shall believe in Christ, all and every one of them shall be saved. Gods decree to predestine the elect to eternal life, with Christ as their head, and to predestine the reprobate to damnation for their sins, all to the praise of his glory. I too am a past RTS student. The infralapsarianism view seems to be expressed in the Synod of Dort in 1618. A supralapsarian believes that God first decrees (or elected) some for salvation, then decreed creation, the fall and then redemption. Tony says that Gerstner says that Edwards says that Adam fell on his own. And knowing and upholding the predestination of the Gospel with the Lord, in all the Gospels mystery and revealed reality, will provide a convincing statement about the mystery of God and the revelation of sovereign joy in grace from God onto the radical pragmatist and radical skeptic. Does anyone have some specific scriptures one what God does and does not ordain? First off, lets talk terminology. In the last century, the most recent proponents of supralapsarianism include Abraham Kuyper, Herman Hoeksema, Arthur Pink, Gordon Clark. It might come as a surprise to many, but some of the most practical theologians and evangelistic ministers of the 16th and 17th Century were Supralapsarians. The Bible talks about the elect angels (1 Tim 5:21) angels DONT need redemption, but they are elect and they have been around before the visible Creation. A friend of mine bumped into John Piper in a bookstore a while back and, with the opportunity to ask him only one question, he decides to ask him whether hes infra or supra. The issue concerns not the order in which they happened but the causal and logical relationship in the mind of God as he decreed them in eternity, to the extent that this can be discerned from Scripture. Supralapsarian christology holds that the incarnation is not contingent upon sin. Now theres a problem. 1:11). Supra- and Infralapsarianism | Monergism
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