Summary

In this paper, I set out Jonathan Edwards’ doctrine of the divine decrees, specifically his supralapsarian doctrine of election, which I argue consists of two logical and necessary stages. First, I argue that the logic of Edwards’ view requires that God elects Christ and only then does he elect particular individuals “in Christ” for salvation. Upon seeing the shape of Edwards’ doctrine of election, I then consider whether Edwards’ formulation fits within the recent revisionist historical narrative that suggests that his successors developed a species of hypothetical universalism. I go on argue that Edwards appears to deploy this doctrinal innovation in order to support the metaphysics underpinning his unique doctrine of union with Christ and atonement.