Hypothetical universalism
Hypothetical Universalism is a Reformed Limited Atonement variant doctrine which states that Christ died sufficiently for every person, thus being sent to the whole world as a sacrifice for our sins, however, His death is only efficient for those who are elect, or predestined for salvation.[1] Hypothetical Universalism systems, such as those held by Zacharias Ursinus,[2] John Calvin,[3][4] William Twisse,[5] John Davenant,[1] and the Heidelberg Catechism[6] are commonly accepted as being proper to the Reformed Tradition, especially amongst the Dutch Reformed Churches and the Reformed Anglican faction in the Church of England.[7]
History
English hypothetical universalism was advanced by John Preston, John Davenant, and James Ussher.[8] This scheme teaches that God ineffectually decrees that all men be saved by deeming an intent for the atonement for all men, but because God knows that some men will not have faith he makes an effectual decree to save those whom he predestines to salvation.[9] The primary thought in hypothetical universalism is that Christ died for the world in a universal sense (Paul Helm, Hypothetical Universalism).
Amyraldian hypothetical universalism, associated with John Cameron and Moïse Amyraut, differs by asserting that God decrees the election of some to salvation logically after the decree to provide salvation through Christ. This represents a change to the traditional infralapsarian scheme of the logical order of God's decrees, where God's decree to save some was conceived of as logically preceding his decree to provide salvation. It is the same order as that advocated by Jacobus Arminius and his followers, though Amyraldians differed from Arminians by asserting that there are two phases to God's decree to save some. First, God decrees the salvation of all through Christ, but this decree is ineffectual because some people do not have faith. God then decrees that some will have faith and be saved.[10]
References
- ^ a b Davenant, John (1650). De Morte Christi [On the Death of Christ] (PDF). England: Church of England. pp. 401–402. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2024.
The death of Christ is the universal cause of the salvation of mankind, and Christ himself is acknowledged to have died for all men sufficiently, not by reason of the mere sufficiency or of the intrinsic value, according to which the death of God is a price more than sufficient for redeeming a thousand worlds; but by reason of the Evangelical covenant confirmed with the whole human race through the merit of this death, and of the Divine ordination depending upon it, according to which, under the possible condition of faith, remission of sins and eternal life is decreed to be set before every mortal man who will believe it, on account of the merits of Christ.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Ursinus, Zacharias (1616). Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism (PDF). 1616. p. 372. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-06-28.
Christ satisfied for all, as it respects the sufficiency of the satisfaction which he made, but not as it respects the application thereof; for he fulfilled the law in a two-fold respect. First, by his own righteousness; and secondly, by making satisfaction for our sins, each of which is most perfect. But the satisfaction is made ours by an application, which is also two-fold; the former of which is made by God, when he justifies us on account of the merit of his Son, and brings it to pass that we cease from sin; the latter is accomplished by us through faith. For we apply unto ourselves, the merit of Christ, when by a true faith, we are fully persuaded that God for the sake of the satisfaction of his Son, remits unto us our sins. Without this application, the satisfaction of Christ is of no benefit to us.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Calvin, John (1539). "5". Commentary on Romans. Translated by Owen, John. Strasbourg. p. 211. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Calvin, John (1 August 1560). "2". Commentary on Acts. Geneva (published 1560). p. 64. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
Therefore, forasmuch as no man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men; neither is there any other thing which keepeth us back from entering in, save only our own unbelief.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Twisse, William (1631). The Doctrines of the Synod of Dort and Arles (PDF). Amsterdam. pp. 170–171. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Ursinus, Zacharias; Olevianus, Caspar (1563). The Heidelberg Catechism. Heidelberg. p. 15. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Haykin, Michael Anthony George; Jones, Mark (2011). Drawn into controversie: reformed theological diversity and debates within seventeenth-century British Puritanism. Reformed historical theology. Göttingen Oakville (Connect.): Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 25. ISBN 978-3-525-56945-0.
Given that there was a significant hypothetical universalist trajectory in the Reformed tradition from its beginnings, it is arguably less than useful to describe its continuance as a softening of the tradition. More importantly, the presence of various forms of hypothetical universalism as well as various approaches to a more particularistic definition renders it rather problematic to describe the tradition as "on the whole" particularistic and thereby to identify hypothetical universalism as a dissident, subordinate stream of the tradition, rather than as one significant stream (or, perhaps two!) among others, having equal claim to confessional orthodoxy.
- ^ Crisp 2014, pp. 184–185.
- ^ Crisp 2014, p. 189.
- ^ Crisp 2014, p. 185.
Bibliography
- Crisp, Oliver D. (2014). Deviant Calvinism: Broadening Reformed Theology. Augsburg Fortress. Retrieved 6 December 2015 – via Project MUSE.
- MacLeod, Donald (2014). Christ Crucified. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830896844.
- Muller, Richard A. (2008). "Review of English Hypothetical Universalism: John Preston and the Softening of Reformed Theology by Jonathan Moore". Calvin Theological Journal. 43: 149–150. quoted in Ponter, David W. (19 May 2008). "Richard Muller on Non-Amyraldian Precedents to Hypothetical Universalism". Calvin and Calvinism.
- Clark, R.Scott (2019). Canons of Dort: Unconditional Atonement?. Abounding Grace Radio. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- Turretin, F. (1675). Helvetic Consensus Formula (1675). InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830896844.