Logical order of God's decrees: Difference between revisions

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Most supralapsarians would have held to the general claim that the result or final intention of the divine decree is the manifestation of God's glory particularly through the application of divine mercy upon some and divine justice upon others. God's mercy is shown to some in both the forgiveness of those guilty of imputed and actual sin and the bestowal of eternal life. On the other hand, God's justice is shown in the permitting of those who are guilty of imputed and actual sin to continue on their chosen path and the bestowal of divine judgment for their unrepentant disobedience. As the manifestation of glory through mercy and justice is the final intention, given the dictum, it is the last set of elements to come to pass within history, or last in execution. What is not clear is how supralapsarians saw the means playing out to this final end.

Infralapsarians regarded the Fall as an occasion for election and reprobation, choosing some out of a fallen mass and passing by others. In the supralapsarian view, Twisse maintained that the Fall did not occasion election or reprobation. But he also did not believe that the gulf between infra- and supralapsarians was that extensive, thus stating that the differences between the two were “meerely"meerely Logicall."<ref>{{harvnb|Twisse|1653|loc=i. 4}}</ref> Although he did not believe that the Fall occasioned election and reprobation, he did not maintain that election and reprobation had no regard for the Fall whatsoever.

He cited [[Thomas Aquinas]] repeatedly to the effect that “reprobation"reprobation includeth the will of God of permitting sin, and of inferring damnation for sin.”"<ref>{{harvnb|Twisse|1631|p=305}}</ref> Concomitant to this, he claimed that “God"God neither damnes nor decrees to damne any man, but for sinne and finall perseverance therein”therein".<ref>{{harvnb|Twisse|1653|loc=i. 34}}</ref>

It may seem that Twisse was performing double-talk at this point as a supralapsarian, but Twisse himself maintained that “not"not one of our divines, that I know, doth maintaine that God did ever purpose to inflict damnation, but for sin."<ref>{{harvnb|Twisse|1653|loc=i. 14}}</ref> What needs to be made clear at this point is that Twisse did not separate the object decreed from how it is that it comes to pass (modus res) and, that the one divine decree had several elements each with its own integrity. The decree is unconditional and will be fulfilled accordingly, but fulfillment does not carry the same means in each object within the one decree: differing objects within the decree have differing modes of agency and thus differing modes of fulfillment.

Election and reprobation are within the decree intended for the final end, but the means through which this final end is brought about is not immediately present within the eternal decree itself. This is manifested within history. Reprobation is thus not an ordination to damnation nakedly considered. It is a decree to deny saving grace within time. In such a state, an individual sinner would receive punishment for their sins. The decree does not necessitate them to sin (as choices the creature makes are contingent and belong to them) nor does it directly prevent them from saving faith and repentance. Reprobation is not an act of divine justice, but a decree that divine justice will be given to some createable and fallible persons who in time will be fallen. Election for Twisse, unlike that of the infralapsarians, is itself not an act of grace, but an election for some createable and fallible persons to receive grace leading to saving faith and repentance while fallen in time. Equally then, election thus was not an act of mercy, as it is with infralapsarians, but a determination that some will receive mercy in time. Election, reprobation, the Fall, mercy, and justice are coordinate elements within the one divine decree. Election and reprobation do not occasion the Fall, nor does the Fall occasion election and reprobation, but they are coordinate elements logically ordered for purpose of manifesting divine glory.{{efn|Twisse, concerning both how supralapsarians have been understood historically and just how consistent Twisse was in relating the decree to the object decreed, was a supralapsarian and a [[hypothetical universalist]].