The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Question on WCF chapter 3

Negative vs. Positive: Yes, being one who holds to Infralapsarianism, I believe that the decree of reprobation is "negative". What this means is that God did not decree to create a certain number of humans as morally/spiritually "neutral" and then determine to make them sinful. The decree to save a certain portion of the human race was subsequent to decree the Fall, i.e., God predestinated the salvation of those whom He elected to be saved in Christ as those already fallen. To accomplish their salvation, their predestination was "positive", i.e., God has to change the nature of the individual; make them morally/spiritually alive; aka: regeneration. Contrariwise, in regard to the reprobate, God simply leaves them in their fallen state. But their reprobation is no less foreordained and thus certain than the foreordination of the elect to salvation.

The way your question is phrased makes it a little difficult to answer.

a. God never "CAUSES men to sin", i.e., God does not, indeed cannot, force the will of any individual to do that which they choose not to do. ALL the acts of men are theirs alone. Man always chooses that which is most desirable/important to him at any given time under any and all circumstances.

b. Since all men are sinful by nature and only do that which is evil (cf. Gen 6:5; 8:21; Rom 3; et al), it is totally unnecessary that God "CAUSE" anyone to sin, for all men sin most freely and most willingly. The fact that anyone does anything relatively good is due to God restraining the sinful nature of the individual (cf. Gen 20:1-7).

c. Again, the sinful acts of men are done freely and willingly but it is wrong to suggest that God simply "allows" men to commit their sinful acts. ALL THINGS are eternally foreordained by God and serve to exalt His glory, holiness, love, justice, etc. Without question the clearest expression of this truth is found in the crucifixion of Christ:

These passages demonstrate the truth that God eternally determined and foreordained all the wicked acts of men involved in the crucifixion of the LORD Jesus Christ... AND, they did so freely and willingly of their own accord. No one was forced to do anything against their will. But they were not "left alone" to do whatever they pleased, i.e., it is untrue that God was not in total control for He had eternally determined all that should happen (Isa 46:9,10).

The bottom line here is that Scripture does not teach "Deism" which emphasizes God's "transcendence" to the point of denying God's "immanence", i.e., God isn't involved in the daily affairs of men. The position has been described as God made the world like a clock which He wound up and it simply runs on its own.