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A Theological Description Concerning Which Few Have Interest

This is my summary/compilation of how theologians describe God.

The works of God with respect to Himself and His creatures:

1. Immanent/Internal (ad intra)

A. Intrinsic (Remain within God)

i. Of His Being

ii. Of His Persons [Ontological & Economic Trinity?]

“opera ad extra trinitatis indivisa sunt.” [doctrine of inseperable operations]

B. Extrinsic (Refer to Things outside of God)

i. Decrees [in early Reformed work, ‘providence’ was the purposing of how the decrees would be carried out. It was called the, “parent of predestination” -Bavinck.].

I take a via media in my ordering of the decrees between the infralapsarian and supralapsarian positions.

[Within the decree—Christ as fideiussor or Christ as exprommisor?]

a. To be glorified by vessels of glory & wrath

b. To Create

c. To Permit the Fall

d. To Redeem the Elect [ie covenant of redemption]

2. Transient/External (ad extra) [execution of the decree]

A. Creation

B. Providence (in later theology) / Governance (in early theology)

Extraordinary/Special providence (WCF 5.3)

C. Redemption

In the end, all theological logic is nominal. I don’t think we can know what this parsing out actually refers to in se (in itself) in God. But I think the parsing out of concepts helps us understand how to categorize our little ectypal revelation about God.

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