An orderly arrangement in the decree of God is necessary for man’s comprehension of God’s purpose. Men differ in their interpretations of the order of God’s plan. Every person who believes the truth of the fall of man is a lapsarian (from the Latin word lapsus, meaning the “doctrine of the fall). We go from supralapsarian (above) to infralapsarian (below). The third stage began with James Arminius who refused to accept the supralapsarian theory taught by Theodore Beza, one of his teachers. Arminius rejected the theory and magnified the free will of man to the point of denying the sovereignty of God.

Supralapsarians give the following as the order in God’s decree: (1) God decreed to elect some to salvation and reprobate others. (2) He decreed to create both elect and nonelect. (3) He decreed to permit the fall. (4) He decreed to provide salvation for the elect. (5) He decreed to apply salvation to the elect.

Infralapsarians give the following as the order in God’s decree: (1) God decreed to create all men. (2) He decreed to permit the fall. (3) He decreed to provide salvation for men—some say all men. (4) He decreed to elect those who do believe and leave to just condemnation all who do not believe. (5) He decreed to apply salvation to those who believe.

An additional order has been brought into existence by Arminians: (1) God decreed to create. (2) He decreed to permit the fall. (3) He decreed to provide salvation for all—some have inserted the phrase, to make salvation possible for all mankind. (4) He decreed to elect all who believe. (5) He decreed to condemn all who reject Christ.

An attempt to vindicate eternal providence and justify the ways of God to men is no easy task. It is much easier to criticize than to do something constructive. God alone can produce the exquisite texture of a rose. Biblical truth always involves more than what appears on the surface.

The natural man looks upon the Word of God in the same manner as the untutored child looks upon the starlit heavens. He looks upon the statements of the Bible as a collection of isolated truths which are confusing, conflicting, and contradicting. Here is where the patient and diligent work of theology begins. Theology is a Biblical fact plus relations. It takes the regenerating Holy Spirit to bring together a collection of Divinely appointed stones to fit the prearranged tabernacle. Everything fits when in either Tabernacle or Temple each part is recognized by the born-again Jew or Gentile. The apostle John said, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:5-7).

Sin does not have an origin, as one generally thinks of origin. Sin’s beginning has a qualitatively different character from all origins. Only one verse in the Bible speaks of its exact source: “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you” (Ezek. 28:15).

Sin came from the fall, not from creation. Distinction must be made between author and purpose. Does forethought make God the author of sin? Here is where a patient and diligent work of theology begins. A true theology as a science is not to create; it is to discover facts plus relations and find out where they fit properly. Where does the death of Adam fit?

Sin is not to be found among God’s creatures in the first chapter of Genesis. Sin came into the world through the fall, but it is overruled by God for the good of His people and for His own glory. The evil of punishment for sin is of God. Job said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10). Amos said, “If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?” (Amos 3:6).

What is the relation between God and man’s sin? Imperfect conclusions have been drawn from Isaiah 45:7. Many do not consider the verse in the light of its context. Verse 6 concludes with “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Verse 7 continues, “The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being [peace] and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.” Two contrasts appear in that verse: (1) Light is contrasted with darkness. God forms the light—of nature, rational understanding, and spiritual understanding (Gen. 1:3; John 1:9; Matt. 16:17; II Cor. 4:6). Darkness is God’s creature—natural (absence of the sun, eclipses, dark clouds, thick darkness in Egypt), deprivation of Divine light (spiritual blindness), and judicial. (2) Well-being [peace] is contrasted with calamity. “Causing well-being [peace]” is spiritual among the saints and universal in the Kingdom. The creation of calamity is punishment for sin by various judgments. As darkness does not come from God who is light, so the evil of sin does not come from God who is holy.

“The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Ps. 14:2, 3). God does not find men good, wise, and holy with understanding and make them foolish, wicked and hard. He takes them as they are in their depravity and exiles them as they are.

[For additional information on this subject, read the booklet by W. E. Best entitled GOD’S ETERNAL DECREE.]

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The NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE—UPDATED EDITION is the source of all Scripture quotations in this message, unless otherwise noted.

Copyright ã   2006

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