🤔 Infralapsarianism: Pre-Doomed Saved Sinners or Divine Domino Effect? 🎲

🤔 Infralapsarianism: Pre-Doomed Saved Sinners or Divine Domino Effect? 🎲

Infralapsarianism: The mouthful of a term that makes you sound either highly educated or like someone sneezed while saying “iPhone.” This theological concept within the labyrinthine hallways of Reformed theology is a bit like deciding to eat dessert before dinner—God decides to save some souls first and then decides the order of events, including letting sin enter the world.

Expanded Definition

Infralapsarianism argues that God’s divine decree follows a precise sequence. It’s like the cosmic draft for the soul Superbowl:

1. First Pick: God decides He will save certain people (the elect).
2. Second Pick: Sin, the antagonist in our cosmic drama, is allowed into the world.
3. Third Round: God sent His team captain, Jesus Christ, to save those selected.
4. Wildcard Round: The rest will face judgment.

Meaning

This helps portray God not just as a celestial CEO but as someone who rather likes a bit of planning and has a celestially good reason for His steps. You could say God was setting the stage, game-planning, and making sure the kaleidoscope of redemption was as colorful as possible—an omnipotent strategist, if you will.

Synonyms

• Sub-lapsarianism (indeed, another head-scratcher)

Antonyms

• Supralapsarianism: Because there must always be that popular high school jock who does everything first.
• Universalism: Everybody gets a heavenly participation trophy.

Key Takeaways

• The Saved Order: God first saves some people before allowing sin.
• Stepwise: It involves a divine sequence.
• Ultimate Plan: It’s part of His big-picture cosmological strategy.

Importance

Understanding Infralapsarianism can give a different view of life’s biggest crises. Feeling like you’re stuck in an existential traffic jam? Remember: It’s all part of God’s pre-approved travel plan.

Types of Theological Views

• Infralapsarianism: Saving happens before the entrance of sin.
• Supralapsarianism: Sin is factored first, followed by the plan for salvation, because starting with a problem can make Jesus look even more heroic.

Examples

• Baking a Cake: God picking the ingredients (the elect) before starting the oven (sin).
• Movie Sequel Order: Script the heroes’ happy ending first before setting up any villains.

Funny Humor-Filled Quotes

1. “If life is a stage, Infralapsarianism is God putting the standing ovation in place before the show begins.”
2. “Sounds a bit like God signed up some VIPs for the eternal perks before allowing the dance floor to open.”

Suggested Literature

• Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
• The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner.
• The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck (While not explicitly Reformed theology, it provides an intriguingly broad perspective).

Related Terms with Definitions

• Predestination: The divine foreordaining of all that happens, especially salvation.
• Election: God’s choosing of individuals for salvation.
• Supralapsarianism: God decides everything before anything else, including people’s destinies and then allows sin.

Comparing to Related Terms (Pros and Cons)

• Infralapsarianism (Cons): Feels a bit like spoiled nepotism—“Get elected before addressing the problem of sin.”

• Supralapsarianism (Pros): It’s like watching the director’s cut; you see the grand design before the chaos.

Quizzes

Witty Farewell

Thanks for diving deep into the divine! Till next time, remember: Even God’s plans come in “before” and “after.” 😇

Author: Theo Daring
Date: 2023-10-13

Inspirational farewell phrase: “The journey of understanding can be as heavenly orchestrated as the destination. So keep diving into the deep (theological) end!”