Infralapsarianism

Definition and Meaning

Infralapsarianism (from the Latin infra lapsum, "after the fall") is a view within Calvinist predestination teaching that explains the logical order of God's decrees, the purposes God determined from eternity. This view generally arranges the decrees in the following order:

• The decree to create humanity
• The decree to permit humanity's fall
• The decree to elect some from among fallen humanity for salvation and to leave the rest in their sin (reprobation)
• The decree of redemption for the elect and its application

Here, "order" refers not to a sequence in time but to a logical sequence. The opposing view is supralapsarianism, which holds that the decrees of election and reprobation logically precede the decrees of creation and the fall. Proponents of infralapsarianism consider it a strength of their view that election can be understood as "mercy toward sinners" and reprobation as "justice against sin." Proponents of supralapsarianism argue that their view more consistently explains how the ultimate goal of God's glory governs all the decrees.

Biblical and Historical Background

Both sides appeal to Ephesians 1:4 ("he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world") and Ephesians 1:11. They differ in how they interpret the "same lump" in the potter analogy of Romans 9:18–23: infralapsarians read it as humanity already fallen, while supralapsarians read it as humanity not yet created.

The debate was taken up in earnest among Reformed theologians after the Reformation. The Canons of Dort (1618–1619) describe election as taking place "out of the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault," language close to the infralapsarian position. The synod, however, is understood not to have condemned supralapsarianism. The Westminster Confession of Faith likewise does not decide in favor of either side, and it is generally held that both views can be accommodated within it. Within the Reformed tradition, infralapsarianism has been the more widely accepted view.

Practice in the Korean Church

In Korea, this topic is addressed mainly in systematic theology courses and theological textbooks at Presbyterian theological seminaries. It is rarely mentioned in sermons or in ordinary Bible study. Textbooks used by Presbyterian denominations that identify as Reformed generally present both views. In doing so, they reportedly often describe infralapsarianism, which is closer to the wording of the Reformed confessions, as the mainstream view.

Methodist, Holiness, and Pentecostal churches have been shaped by Wesleyan theology and Arminianism. These denominations often teach conditional election, the view that God chose individuals on the basis of His foreknowledge of their faith. As a result, they do not take up the debate over the order of the decrees at all. Among Baptists, positions on predestination vary by church and theologian.