Finer Definitions for Supralapsarian and Infralapsarian

The definitions of Infralapsarian and Supralapsarian must be finely defined and made clear. Some and have even heard of others surprisingly having defined these terms in the general meaning of the term so that one means by Infra a sort of Arminian while the Supra is understood as a Calvinist. In their much finer definitions I think is that by infra one means the eternal purpose of God to save some... men unto glory in election and to damn others unto condemnation in reprobation out of the mass considered within the mind of God created and fallen. The objects here are created and fallen. Supralapsarians however state that the objects of Gods election and reprobation was without consideration of them having been created and fallen. Thus Supralapsarianism is the eternal purpose of God to save some men unto glory in election and to damn the others unto condemnation in reprobation without consideration of status of the mass of clay. Gods free elective choice was not moved by neither mans goodness nor of mans badness but purely based upon Gods own good and perfect pleasure. As Herman Hoeksema makes clear as I will try is that what comes first in the order of the decree comes last within history so that Gods eternal purposes will indelibly be revealed at the last day. Both Infralapsarian and Supralapsarian are within the compounds of Calvinism when defined in their most finer definitions.

On the Covenant of Grace 3

Essentially the Covenant of Grace is Unconditional and Eternal. Because it is Unconditional therefore it not based upon man's own willing or work. The promises of God ensures that the Creature will recieve the gifts of salvation. Through my reading of David J. Engelsma's book Covenant and Election in the Reformed Tradition I have learned that the Covenant of Grace is governed by God's election what this means is that God's free elective choice essentially gives the scope and intent of the Covenant so that it is not for anyone outside of the elect and therefore is not conditional. Because God's election is not based upon man's goodness or badness (unconditional) therefore God's covenant promises being interwined with election is also unconditional. In Genesis 15 we read how God establishes His covenant with Abraham - this covenant is seen to be apart from works. Nor was Abraham involved in this covenant. Abraham recieved the circumcision after he recieved the covenant not before. So as Paul says it depends not on the one who willeth or who runs, but on Him who chooses sovereignly and most freely.
Because the Covenant was made in eternity past, it therefore means it is unchanging. Nothing in this world will cause the covenant that God so wills to establish to break. God is faithful Romans 3 says. This is the purpose of the world to display this covenant life that God has within himself and which he graciously gives most freely to His elect people in Christ to enjoy by the power of the Holy Spirit. Truly it is because of this that the atonement is effectual and will fail in its purposes.
In summary there is only one covenant that is being established throughout salvation history. The covenant is made between God and Christ and all those in Him as sureties or promises so that the covenant includes election salvation and all things that pertains to eternal life. Praise God.
It is important to understand the Covenant aspect of Calvinism for from it all the other doctrines make more sense and also one is able to respond/answer those who see that the covenant is conditional and seperated from divine election. Anyways I hope I have given some help for those who are wanting understand this part of theology. I am by no means able to explain sufficiently enough this doctrine.

On the Covenant of Grace 2

"The covenant which is eternal is unconditional and not based upon anything found in the creature."

On the Covenant of Grace

I want to start a brief series on the Covenant of Grace to see how my thoughts progress. Hopefully the truth Lord Willing will present itself more and more clearly.

The unconditional covenant was made in eternity past and has been established throughout the history of salvation until the fullness of time had come in which this covenant was made complete in the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him the saints recieve the gifts of salvation.

The Knowledge of God and His Sovereignty and All-sufficiency

Often the knowledge of God is miscontrued in the form of how a creature thinks. As the creature thinks of something outside of itself onto the action to follow so to God's knowledge is often considered as Him having to rely on something outside of Himself. This is often confused as God's 'foreknowledge' in which the philosopher would say that God looks into the future and therefore knows what will happen and thus decrees the outcome of the event. However with God He simply knows the event, not because He looked into the future and so by that determined the event to occur. This has been coined by James R. White as the passive knowledge of God (or something like that). Reformed Dogmatics however presents the issue the other way around, rather than saying that God is ever contingent upon something outside of Himself - God is in fact all sufficient in His sovereignty, and in His power, and knowledge. He is the eternal active God who is never not active as a dumb idol - this is the related idea of the truth that All of God's works within Himself is the basis for His works outside of Himself. As Herman Hoeksema says, "With man one may distinguish between the part of his knowledge that at a given moment is actually before his consciousness and the other part that remains below the threshold of his conscious mind. But with God there is no such distinction. There is no subconsciousness in him. With respect to his knowledge, he is pure activity. Nor is there nay time element in God's knowledge. Man reasons from premises to a conclusion, but with God all premises and conclusions are eternally before his divine mind in their proper logical relation. Thus the knowledge of God is self-existent and independent. He  does not derive knowledge from the things that are , but instead knows all things in their very essence and all their relations from himself." With this said, His knowledge is has been distinguished between two types one is Natural knowledge which is the knowledge God has with Himself - this is the knowledge that seems to be what Scripture says all of God's works are known to Him, and then there is His free knowledge in which is based on His decree or counsel.