| Supernaturalistic | Naturalistic | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelical | Sacerdotal | |||||||||
| Particularistic | Universalistic | |||||||||
| Consistently Particularistic | Inconsistently Particularistic | |||||||||
| Supralapsarian | Infralapsarian | Amyraldian | Lutheran | Wesleyan | Pure Universalism | Anglican | Roman | Orthodox Greek | Remonstrant | Pelagian |
| Election of some to eternal life with God. | Permission of Fall – guilt, corruption, and total inability. | Permission of Fall – corruption, guilt, and moral inability. | Permission of Fall – guilt, corruption, and total inability. | Permission of Fall – guilt, corruption, and total inability. | Permission of Fall | Permission of sin. | Permission of Fall – loss of supernatural righteousness. | Permission of Fall – loss of original righteousness, loss of knowledge of God and prone to evil. | Permission of Fall – (physical deterioration followed by moral). | Gift of free will by virtue of which each may do all that is required of him. |
| Permission of Fall – guilt, corruption, and total inability. | Election of some to life in Christ. | Gift of Christ to render salvation possible to all. | Gift of Christ to render satisfaction for sins of the world. | Gift of Christ to render satisfaction for sins of the world. | Predestination of all to life. | Gift of Christ to make satisfaction for the sins of all men. | Gift of Christ to reconcile sinful mankind with God. | Gift of Christ to reconcile sinful man with God. | Gift of Christ to render gift of sufficient grace possible. | Gift of the Law and Gospel to illuminate the way and persuade to walk in it.. |
| Gift of Christ to redeem the elect and ground offer to all. | Gift of Christ to redeem his elect and ground offer to all. | Gift of some for gift of moral ability. | Gift of means of grace to communicate saving grace. | Remission of original sin to all and gift to all of sufficient grace. | Gift of Christ to expiate the sin of all. | Establishment of Church as a living agent for communicating God's sufficient grace. . | Institution of the Church and the sacraments to apply satisfaction of Christ. | Establishment of the Church "for a continual supply of the benefits of the cross" | Gift of sufficient (sausive) grace to all. | Gift of Christ to (expiate past sin and to) set good example. |
| Gift of the Holy Spirit to save the redeemed. | Gift of the Holy Spirit to save the redeemed. | Gift of the Holy Spirit to work moral ability in the elect. | Predestination to life of those who do not resist the means of grace. | Predestination to life of those who improve sufficient grace. | Gift of the Spirit to supply the expiation of Christ to all. | Communication of this grace through the sacraments as indispensable channels. | Application of satisfaction of Christ through sacraments, under operation of second causes. | Instruction, Justification and edification through the ordinances of the Church. | Salvation of all who freely cooperate with this grace. | Acceptance of all who walk in right way. |
| Sanctification of all the redeemed and regenerated. | Sanctification of all the redeemed and regenerated. | Sanctification by the Spirit. | Sanctification through the means of grace. | Sanctification of all who cooperate with sufficient grace. | Salvation of all. | Salvation through the sacrament of baptism imparting life and the Eucharist nourishing it. | Building up in holy life of all to whom the sacraments are continued. | Building up in grace through the seven sacraments. | Sanctification by co-operation with grace. | Continuance in right doing through voluntary effort. |
The Order of Decrees chart, originally presented by Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1851–1921), is a structured theological framework that systematically categorizes different Christian views on God’s eternal decrees in salvation history. This chart is a visual representation of the theological distinctions concerning how God’s sovereign plan of redemption unfolds across different traditions.
Warfield was a leading Reformed theologian and a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was deeply engaged in debates over predestination, free will, and divine sovereignty. His work, particularly The Plan of Salvation, sought to clarify how different Christian traditions understand the logical order of God's decrees—His eternal plan concerning election, the fall, atonement, grace, and human response.
What Are You Looking At?
This chart is a comparative theology tool that helps clarify where different theological systems stand regarding:
- Election (God’s sovereign choice vs. human cooperation)
- The Fall (How sin affects humanity’s ability to respond to God)
- Atonement (The extent and application of Christ’s work)
- Grace (Irresistible vs. sufficient grace)
- Sanctification & Salvation (Monergistic vs. synergistic views)