Modified-Amyraldian-Sublapsatian-Single Election

Brother David Park

Servant of Jesus Christ

12.11.2021

11:20pm

(Revised 12.14.2021 at 10:48am)

Below was my position regarding the decrees:

Amyraldianism/Modified Calvinism/4.5 Calvinism

1. God decrees the fall of man

2. 2. God decrees to provide universal atonement

3. 3. God decrees to elect some for salvation

1. Christ died for the sins of all people. (Unlimited)

2. However, in order for a the atonement to be efficient or applied to a person, they must believe. (Condition)

3. Because all people are totally depraved, God knew no one would choose him so he elected some to be saved by giving them faith. (Limited)

In short, the offer of salvation is universal—to all who will believe (Romans 10:11, 13). But Christ’s atonement is limited in some respect—it is effective only for those who believe (John 3:18).

Or in other words, we have an unlimited/limited atonement. Christ’s death was sufficient for all, but only efficient/applied to the elect.

However, here is something I just thought of that makes more sense to me. I have named this Modified-Amyraldian-Sublapsarian-Single-Election

1. Jesus Christ (the incarnation of God the Son) foreordained as the all-sufficient propitiation of God for human sins, and the only merit that saves sinners. (Unlimited). 

Ephesians 1:4

"For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love."

2. God decrees who will be saved before the foundations of the World were even created. God created the world for man, not man for the World. (Limited)

Revelation 13:8

"All who dwell on earth will worship the Beast, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain."

3. God decrees that after man is created there will be the fall. (He does this because he gets the most Glory from a fallen world which he will redeem in real time). 

4. God decrees the salvation and redemption of all who he chose to save from the second decree (Man chooses God because God chose Him to believe from the beginning before even the world was created).

John 6:37

"All that the Father gives me will come to me..."

Thus, the atonement has been sufficient for all, but only effective and applied to the elect.

Amyraldism is primarily characterized by "hypothetical universalism," or "unlimited/limited" atonement, which asserts that Christ died for the sins of all people and not just the elect. Therefore, this requirment is satisfied by the first decree that I listed - Christ having been appointed to die for the sins of the world and being the only means of salvation.

And because God knew that not all would respond in faith to Christ’s atonement (due to man’s total depravity), He elected some to whom He would impart saving faith. This is something that I did not include but it is implied in the fact of Jesus choosing to save some before the foundations of the earth were created. If some would have chosen Him on their own, he would not have had to have chosen some.

What is also implied but not stated is that Christ’s death on the cross makes salvation possible to all, but not all will exercise the faith needed to be saved after the fall of mankind, only those whom God had chosen to be saved through exercising the faith that was given to them which is needed in order to be saved.

Henceforth, although the salvivic power of Atonement is sufficient for all, it is only applied and efficacious for those who choose to believe as a result of the faith that God has given to those whom he has chosen to be saved from before the foundations of the earth.

The bona fide offer to all is nevertheless a real genuine offer - it is a real condition based on accepting Christ as Savior. But because of man's fallen condition and total depravity, God knew that none would be saved and because of this God chose some according to his infinite and wise counsel which is a mystery.

The other thing to consider is that when God created Lucifer and gave him life, this inherently also gave Lucifer the ability to obey or disobey. There was no sin or possibility of sin, only the concept of sin prior to God creating another being with a will that would enable the being to obey or disobey. Sin only became a possibilty after God created beings with free wills. And sin is simply no other than an act of disobedience - sin is disobedience to God.

Lucifer as well as Adam and Eve are the only ones who ever had libertarian freewill. But after Lucifer, Adam and Eve sinned, Satan and human beings no longer had libertarian freewill, since all are now inclined to do according to their sinful nature's. As a result, although God wishes all to be saved, not all can be saved, and in reality the possibility of all to be saved became an intrinsic impossibility the moment God created free willed beings. But the impossibility is not a result of God's incapabilities, but because of the fact that God would receive the greater Glory from creating free willed beings who would disobey rather than always obey.

Thus, God was capable of allowing once good beings to make ill usage of their good natures, while ultimately being able to still make good usage even of their evil wills for the good of some and for his own glory which He purposed and foreordained.

God allowed all of this because he is infinity wise and good, and can use even what is evil to bring about the ultimate good. By allowing these things, God shows his sovereignty and receives the most glory through His act of redemption and his love is exemplified through his act of sacrificing Christ on the cross. Love is perfected and shown through sacrifice, and without sin their would have never been a need for a sacrifice, or in other words, an act that would reflect the depths of his love for his creation.