Today’s term hinges on the points of last week’s term.

This week’s term: Logical and Chronological Order – Chronological means the order of events as they occur in time. Logical means the order of events as they relate to each other in cause and effect. While the teachers of the above orders of decree (see last week’s term, below) claim only to address logical order, there remains the likelihood that they regress to chronology. If this be true, whereas God is omnipresent, and His decree is singular, and there can therefore be no chronology of decree with God, the issues of Supra-, Sub-, and Inra- lapsarianism become supra-scriptural, and thus moot points. It should be duly noted that Sublapsarianism and Infralapsarianism vary only in the inversion of points three and four. They are very often considered the same.

Last week’s term: Lapsarian – A lapsarian is one who believes man fell from his first estate of innocence and holiness by the act of sinning. While various divisions of lapsarians are in error, this general view is Biblically accurate. The divisions of lapsarianism essentially address what they feel to be the logical (but not chronological) order of divine decree, as related to the fall of man thus:

The Supralapsarian Order of Decrees:

1. The decree to elect some to salvation and leave others in just reprobation.
2. The decree to create both the elect and the non-elect or the reprobate.
3. The decree to permit the fall of all men in the person of Adam.
4. The decree to provide salvation for the elect.
5. The decree to apply that purposed salvation to the elect.

The Sublapsarian Order of Decrees:

1. The decree to create both the elect and the non-elect or the reprobate.
2. The decree to permit the fall of all men in the person of Adam.
3. The decree to provide salvation for the elect.
4. The decree to elect some to salvation and leave others in just reprobation.
5. The decree to apply that purposed salvation to the elect.

The Infralapsarian Order of Decrees:

1. The decree to create both the elect and the non-elect or the reprobate.
2. The decree to permit the fall of all men in the person of Adam.
3. The decree to elect some to salvation and leave others in just reprobation.
4. The decree to provide salvation for the elect.
5. The decree to apply that purposed salvation to the elect.

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