Sublapsarian

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a Calvinist theological position holding that God decreed the Fall of humankind before choosing whom to save ; a person who adheres to this doctrinal view of predestination
2. Relating to the doctrine that divine election of the saved came after God permitted the human fall into sin ; an adherent of this particular predestinarian scheme within Reformed theology
3. Of or concerning the view that God ordained the Fall first and then predestined some individuals to salvation ; one who subscribes to that theological stance on election and reprobation

Etymology: Sublapsarian is formed from the Latin prefix "sub-" meaning "under" or "after," and "lapsus," the past participle of "labi," "to slip or fall." The "lapsus" element refers to the Fall of Man, the biblical fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. The word therefore describes a position on the order of God's decrees: sublapsarians hold that God decided to elect or reject individuals after, or below, the foreseen Fall, rather than before it. That distinction is the whole point of the term. It names one side of a dispute within Calvinist theology between supralapsarians, who place the decree of election before the Fall, and sublapsarians, who place it after. Sublapsarianism is the more common position among Reformed Christians, and the difference is one of logical sequence in God's decisions rather than of outcome.

Antonyms: supralapsarian