Infralapsarianism holds that God's sovereign will is bound by eternal abstract law and justice, leading Him to reluctantly permit the damnation of many while desiring all to be saved; in this view, all humans descend from Adam in temporal sin and possess equal potential for salvation. Supralapsarianism contends that God's unitary will transcends time and actively ordains all events, including the election of some and the eternal damnation of others who are spiritually represented by Satan rather than Adam, with damnation being as ultimate as salvation in God's purposes. The two systems fundamentally differ on God's relationship to eternal law, the nature of human fallenness, and whether God's will regarding the reprobate is passive (infralapsarian) or actively determinative (supralapsarian).
What does the Bible say about election and reprobation?
The Bible teaches that God elects some for salvation and passes over others, leading to their reprobation (Romans 9:11-13).
The doctrine of election and reprobation is rooted in Scripture, particularly in Romans 9, where Paul illustrates that God's choice is based on His sovereign will, not on human merit. Election signifies God's choice of certain individuals to receive grace and eternal life, while reprobation involves His just decision to pass over others, leaving them in their sin. This distinction highlights the immutability of God's purpose and His supreme authority in salvation history.
Romans 9:11-13
How do we know that God's will is ultimately sovereign?
God's sovereignty is demonstrated throughout Scripture, affirming that He accomplishes all His purposes without variance (Isaiah 46:10).
Scripture consistently affirms the sovereignty of God over all creation and events. Isaiah 46:10 states that God declares the end from the beginning and that His counsel will stand. This truth means that His will is not only supreme but also unchanging; He does not experience frustration over outcomes. This sovereign will governs both the elect and the reprobate, and illustrates His ultimate authority and control over the unfolding of history.
Isaiah 46:10
Why is infralapsarianism important for understanding salvation?
Infralapsarianism emphasizes that God's election occurs after the fall, allowing a clear understanding of grace and justice (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Infralapsarianism, as a theological position, posits that God's decree to elect some unto salvation occurs after the fall of humanity. This understanding allows believers to see the grace of God in a fallen world and highlights His justice in the setting of His redemptive purposes. By placing election after the fall, it clearly underscores the necessity of redemption through Christ alone, basking in the richness of God's mercy towards the elect while simultaneously affirming His righteousness in dealing with the non-elect. Ephesians 1:4-5 captures this beautifully, as it speaks of God's choice of believers in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:4-5
What is the nature of sin according to Reformed theology?
Reformed theology teaches that sin is a rebellion against God inherited from Adam, affecting all of humanity (Romans 5:12).
In Reformed theology, the nature of sin is seen as fundamentally rebellious—where humanity, through Adam's transgression, fell into a state of corruption. Romans 5:12 illustrates that through Adam all men inherit a sinful nature, demonstrating that all humanity is guilty and in need of redemption. This doctrine underscores the total depravity of mankind, emphasizing that apart from divine grace, there is no hope for salvation. The sin-nature, while manifesting in varying degrees, is of the same spiritual substance, emphasizing the need for every individual to look to Christ for redemption.
Romans 5:12
Disclaimer: This comparison is logical, not dogmatic. I certainly am not saying that past supralapsarians confess all of the points below! Neither am I claiming that every point under the 'Election' title should immediately be assumed into a doctrinal statement.
|
Infralapsarian Selection |
True Supralapsarian Election |
| The immutability of God’s sovereign will | |
| God has a ‘passive’ or ’contrary’ will. He wishes all to be saved but has to honor eternal law and justice by denying salvation to many. This undesired ‘passing over’ occurs in the midst of ‘tears of divine frustration.’ | God’s will is unitary and has no variance whatsoever. God always purposes and accomplishes what he wants in history. He never mourns over ‘less than ideal outcomes.’ He has no desire for the salvation of the non-elect. In fact, he positively wills the damnation and sufferings of the lost. |
| The immutability of God’s purposes in time | |
| To properly understand what God has determined in history, we must reason from the beginning of time to the end. God’s thought and purposes are bound by the order of time. | To properly understand what God has determined in history, we must reason from the end of time to the beginning. God’s thought and purposes, being infinite, transcend the human limitations of time. If God always accomplishes what his sovereign will desires (assuming his unitary will), creatures with limited minds cannot understand his purposes without starting at the point where God ultimately desires history to consummate. |
| Eternal Law | |
| God himself is bound to honor an eternal and abstract moral law governing the universe. This law requires that his purposes of salvation can operate only according to the principles of eternal justice. | God IS the eternal law and is not subject to any law outside of himself. His purposes in history are just and right simply because it is he who performs them. |
| The First (Pre-Eminent) Creation | |
| The first and pre-eminent creation is the original creation of the earth and heavens in order of time. The present created order was originally representative of God’s holiest and most perfect will, before it was corrupted by sin. The sin of Adam was ‘paradise lost,’ the new earth and heavens will be ‘paradise restored.’ | The first and pre-eminent creation is the FINAL creation of the earth and heavens in eternal perfection. The original creation {in order of time} was subjected to suffering in order to give way to the greater and more perfect creation. The New Earth will in no wise be a simple restoration of Eden. |
| The Sin of Adam | |
| Every person in the human race was lost in the sin of Adam. Only a portion of these are redeemed in Christ. The ‘all men’ who experienced condemnation in Adam are a larger group than the ‘all men’ who experience eternal salvation through faith in the atonement. | Adam represented only true and elect humanity in his fall into sin. The ’fall’ was temporal and not eternal. The exact same group and number of humans who were lost in Adam are also redeemed in God’s election through faith in the atonement of Christ. |
| The Nature of Sin | |
| The sin-nature of rebellion against God is inherited by all men from Adam. All sin, though potentially varying in degree, is of the same spiritual substance. | Only the elect experience sin in the likeness of Adam. They are redeemed from Adam’s temporal sin by redemption in Christ. The non-elect phantom humans are DEVILS in the image of the serpent. They are conceived in eternal sin after the likeness of Satan, beyond any remote possibility of salvation. |
| The Potential of Salvation | |
| All men are equal and potential candidates of salvation, but God has elected to save in Christ only a portion of an equally fallen mass of humanity. | Only those lost in the temporal sin of Adam have any potential of redemption in Christ. Indeed, all those lost in Adam are elect and will be redeemed in Christ. |
| Permissive will | |
| God’s passive will may be understood as ’permissive.’ He regretfully permits many outcomes in history that he nonetheless hates. God permits many to go to hell, contrary to his active will. | God does not merely permit anything, but is the ultimate cause of all events. Everything is ordered according to his good pleasure and determination. |
| The Spiritual Representative of Damned Humanity | |
| Adam in his original sin is the spiritual representative of both elect and non-elect humanity. | Adam is the biological father of all humanity. However, in original sin he is the spiritual representative of the fallen elect only. The spiritual representative of all non-elect souls is the devil. |
| Creation | |
| All men are created equal in Adam and are therefore equally fallen in sin. | All men are not created equal. Non-elect children of the devil are created in eternal sin, beyond any possibility of salvation. Souls conceived in eternal iniquity are unable to repent, even after experiencing many strivings of God’s Spirit. |
| Hell | |
| Hell is the ultimate tragedy of a universe subject to abstract eternal law and justice. God and the saints will forever mourn at the prospect of immortal souls suffering infinite pain in infinite time without measure and without end, in order to honor the eternal law. In fact, God will indeed hide this awful spectacle from redeemed souls by sending the wicked ‘away from’ his presence--to a subterranean corner of the universe which cannot be found (the ‘outer darkness‘). In eternity, the righteous will have no memory or knowledge of the wicked and hell. Because of this wonderful obliteration of the horrible consequences of eternal justice, their happiness will be insured. | Hell consists of the final and triumphant reign of God, the righteous angels, and the saints over wicked angels and phantom humans who laughed at the gospel of grace. Both wicked angels and men are devils. The souls of the non-elect will forever endure inward shame, caused by the everlasting contempt of a hating God. The saints will also rule over the wicked with contempt. Devils only have significance in relation to God’s purposes opposite of salvation; they were created for no other reason. |
| Ultimacy | |
| Only election to salvation is involved in God’s ultimate and active will and purposes. Damnation is a strange and horrible act required by abstract eternal justice. | Salvation to the vessels of mercy and reprobation to the vessels of wrath are equally ultimate. God’s purposes opposite of salvation are the product of his active and unitary will. In fact, the final and eternal creation will consist of Christ, the elect angels, and the redeemed saints ruling and reigning over the devil, wicked angels, and phantom human beings. |
Theology:
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