In what sense are angels elect?
score:4
The 1657 Westminster Confession of Faith, which the Reformed Tradition subscribes to, indeed explicitly understand some angels as elect.
Quote from Chapter III (Of God's Eternal Decree) points 3 and 4:
III. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angelsf are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death.g
f I Tim. 5:21; Matt. 25:41.
g Rom. 9:22, 23; Eph. 1:5, 6; Prov. 16:4.
IV. These angels and men, thus predestinated, and fore-ordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.h
h II Tim. 2:19; John 13:18.
There is a Reformed article on 1 Tim 5:21 which addressed these 2 questions:
- Who are the “chosen angels” and what does their title imply?
- Although the Westminster Confession of Faith includes a reference to “angels,” most Calvinists are unwilling to draw comparisons with men and angels in terms of Election and Reprobation. Why is that?
The article quoted John Calvin to conclude that
“because they were elect,” the angels were prevented from falling, perhaps by an Irresistible Grace, rather than being declared Elect on account of not falling.
To reconcile the difference in that "elect" humans are Totally Depraved (which cannot be for angels), the article quoted from a book Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses: Clear Explanations for the Difficult Passages by a 4-point Calvinist Ron Rhodes (pp.255-256, emphasis mine):
“All the angels were originally created good and holy, just as God made and pronounced all His creation good (Genesis 1:31; 2:3). For God to create anything wicked would be inconsistent with His holy character. Jude 6 affirms that originally all the angels were holy creatures. God did not create Satan and the fallen angels (demons) in a state of wickedness. Though all the angels were originally created in a state of holiness, Scripture indicates that they were subjected to a period of probation. Some of the angels remained holy. Others did not--following Lucifer’s lead, they rebelled against God and fell into great sin. Once the angels were put to the test to remain loyal to God or to rebel with Lucifer, their decision seems to have been made permanent in its effect. Those angels that passed the probationary test will now always remain holy. Those who failed the probationary test are now confirmed in their evil state. This is the reason the good angels are called elect angels in 1 Timothy 5:21. They are not called elect because they sinned and then were elected unto redemption (they never sinned during the probationary period). Rather, they are called elect because God intervened to permanently confirm (elect) them in their holiness so they could not sin in the future. Good angels are now incapable of sinning. The lines have been drawn, and the lines are now absolute.”
More post
- 📝 Is a historical Jesus historically necessary?
- 📝 Protestants and Sola Scriptura adherents: When was scripture alone sufficient?
- 📝 What, if any, were the Catholic orders that opposed the Catholic Inquisition?
- 📝 Did the early Church fathers believe the Law of Moses was never able to justify?
- 📝 Does the Holy Spirit indwell the Christian, and if so, how?
- 📝 What makes a Council's conclusions authoritative?
- 📝 Is the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of "the Monarchy of the Father" consistent with the Athanasian creed?
- 📝 What is the Lutheran view on sovereign election?
- 📝 The lie of the Old Prophet
- 📝 According a Catholic interpretation of the natural law, do individuals posses a right to privacy?
- 📝 Why are demons and other fallen angels loyal to the devil according to the Bible?
- 📝 Where are the majority of Roman Catholic converts from today?
- 📝 Christian view on chimeras
- 📝 Is masturbation worse than smoking (for the Catholic Church)?
- 📝 Is Mary, "Mother of God," the mother of the Son or of the whole Trinity?
- 📝 At what point would a sin become mortal if you learned about it through self-study?
- 📝 Why is the Catholic Church called "The Roman Catholic Church"?
- 📝 According to Reformed Theology, what is the doctrinal basis for belief in New Testament tithing?
- 📝 Is there a standard definition of what 'heresy' is across Protestant denominations?
- 📝 When was Job alive?
- 📝 What does Augustine mean by the "hymns and psalms" which were introduced into the liturgy?
- 📝 Who was Darius the Mede?
- 📝 What are the beliefs of the Conservative Laestadian Church?
- 📝 On what basis do some Protestants believe the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ?
- 📝 What do churches that prohibit the use of icons think an idol is?
- 📝 Paul's analysis of Abraham's "offspring(s)" in Galatians 3
- 📝 Was the Assumption of Mary a belief in the early church?
- 📝 Was Pilate mandated to withhold the body of Jesus after the Crucifixion?
- 📝 What language(s) was Christ likely to have spoken during his mortal ministry?
- 📝 How did Baptists in the southern US justify slavery as compatible with Christianity?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 In what sense are angels elect?
- 📝 What is the fewest number of cardinal electors are needed to validly elect a pope?
- 📝 According to proponents of transubstantiation, in what sense is Jesus present "where two or three are gathered"?
- 📝 What is the Catholic perspective on why are Angels and Archangels at the bottom of the "Angelic Hierarchy"?
- 📝 What arguments from scripture are given by Baptists for the belief that one third of the angels were banished from heaven with Satan?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, what are angels and what are they for?
- 📝 What are the tongues of angels in comparison to the tongues of men?
- 📝 In what sense are "vessels of mercy prepared beforehand" in Romans 9:23?
- 📝 What major translations of the Bible are in the Public Domain?
- 📝 What are the different names of God in the Bible and what do they mean?
- 📝 What are the theological implications of "filioque"?
- 📝 What are the biblical arguments that the Bible canon is closed?
- 📝 For Catholics who object to Vatican II, what are the key issues?
- 📝 What are some countries where you can be imprisoned for reading or owning a Bible?
- 📝 What distinctive kinds of Bible translations are there?
- 📝 What are the differences between the different millenialisms?
- 📝 What are the main tenets and/or beliefs of the 'Emergent' Church?
- 📝 What is the Biblical evidence that there are ONLY three persons in the "Trinity"?
- 📝 What are the Biblical and theological problems with theistic evolution?
- 📝 What are the primary differences and implications of a propitiatory view of the atonement versus an expiatory view?
- 📝 What are the main differences between 7th Day Adventists and Catholic/Protestant churches?
- 📝 What important Mormon doctrines are taught in the book of Mormon that we couldn't find in the Bible already?
- 📝 What are the steps to become Confirmed in the Catholic church?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for withholding communion from believers who are unbaptized?
- 📝 What are the practical applications of "two will become one flesh"?
- 📝 What are the Biblical arguments against modalism?
- 📝 What are the 'Scriptures' mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15?
- 📝 What are the biblical arguments against Arianism?
- 📝 What are the major differences between Eastern and Western Orthodox Christianities?
- 📝 What are the biblical arguments against the papacy and papal succession?