| I've been doing some research this week on lapsarianism, a topic that would convince many of my need to be committed. Here is what I've discovered so far. Lapsarianism (lapse=fall) is a term used to describe the order of God's decrees concerning election. It asks what order God decided to create humanity, allow the Fall, to elect some to salvation, and to provide salvation for humanity. Though it's asserted that the decrees were simultaneously known by the omniscience of God and simultaneously decreed by God, lapsarianism attempts to provide, not the chronological, but the logical order of the elective decrees. Within lapsarian thought, there are three positions which basically seek to answer whether the decree to save some comes before or after the decree to permit the Fall. Infralapsarianism 1. The decree to create human beings. 2. The decree to permit the Fall. 3. The decree to save some and condemn others. 4. The decree to provide salvation only to the elect. Infralapsarianism focuses on God allowing the Fall and providing salvation. Sublapsarianism 1. The decree to create human beings. 2. The decree to permit the Fall. 3. The decree to provide salvation sufficient to all. 4. The decree to choose some to receive this salvation. The only difference between infralapsarianism and sublapsarianism is whether God decreed to provide salvation through Jesus Christ and then decreed to choose some to be saved, or vice-versa. Supralapsarianism 1. The decree to save some and condemn others. 2. The decree to create both the elect and the reprobate. 3. The decree to permit the Fall of both classes. 4. The decree to provide salvation for only the elect. Supralapsarianism focuses on God ordaining the Fall, choosing some to be elected and condemned, and then providing salvation for only those whom He had elected. Although it is kind of interesting to consider, lapsarianism in general is nothing more than speculation. For the most part, an intellectual pursuit such as this is nothing more than finite man attempting to use human reasoning and logic to define for certain what God's decision were, when really, we can never know. Whatever the case, I'm glad that in eternity my understanding of this idea won't be pivotal, because I think I'm more confused now than when I began. |
posted by Christie