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BENJAMIN B.WARFIELD -
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Biblical Theological
Seminary Library
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THE PLAN OF SALVATION
Biblical Theological
Seminary Library 200 NORTH MAIN ST. HATFIELD, PA 19440
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BHR PLAN OF SALVATION
FIVE LECTURES Delivered at The Princeton Summer School of Theology
June, 1914
By Benjamin B. Warfield A Professor in
Princeton Theological Seminary
Philadelphia Presbyterian Board of Publication
1915
Biblical Theologica
Seminary Library 200 NORTH MAIN ST. HATFIELD, PA 19440
ER 734!
Copyright, 1915, By F. M. Braselmann
To JOHN DEWITT, D.D., LL.D.
EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF CHURCH HISTORY IN PRINCETON SEMINARY
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CONTENTS
PAGE The Diferne Conceptions. . . : . . . . 11 РКСФР Т С ec) a ine 37 БЕРЕРТЕШОРА ПӘС 22 fa ye es КЕНЕ бе ЕЛИТЕ NOIRE Салатын Ae ee ТЕ se Se ee NS Wee eee ae eet ЕБС ASA
x *« Superior figures in the text refer to Notes, which will be found at the end of the volume (pages 137-144).
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THE DIFFERING CONCEPTIONS
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The Plan of Salvation
I THE DIFFERING CONCEPTIONS
HE subject to which our attention is to be
directed in this series of lectures is ordinarily
spoken of as “The Plan of Salvation." Its more technical designation is, “Тһе Order of Decrees." And this technical designation has the advantage over the more popular one, of more accurately defining the scope of the subject matter. This is not commonly confined to the processes of salvation itself, but is generally made to include the entire course of the divine dealing with man which ends in his salvation. Creation is not uncommonly comprehended in it, and of course the fall, and the condition of man brought about by the fall. This portion of the sub- ject matter may, however, possibly with some pres- sure, be looked upon as rather of the nature of a presupposition, than as a substantive part of the subject matter itself; and so no great harm will be done if we abide by the more popular designation. Its greater concreteness gives it an advantage which should not be accounted small; and above all it has the merit of throwing into emphasis the main subject, salvation. The series of the divine activities which
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THE PLAN OF SALVATION
are brought into consideration are in any event sup- posed to circle around as their center, and to have as their proximate goal, the salvation of sinful man. When the implications of this are fairly considered it may not seem to require much argument to justify the designation of the whole by the term, “Тһе Plan of Salvation."
It does not seem necessary to pause to discuss the previous question whether God, in his saving activi- ties, acts upon a plan. That God acts upon a plan in all his activities, and therefore also in his saving activities, is already given in Theism. On the es- tablishment of a personal God, this question is closed. For person means purpose: precisely what distin- guishes a person from a thing is that its modes of action are purposive, that all it does is directed to an end and proceeds through the choice of means to that end. Even the Deist, therefore, must allow that God has a plan. We may, no doubt, imagine an extreme form of Deism, in which it may be contended that God does not concern himself at all with what hap- pens in his universe; that, having created it, he turns aside from it and lets it run its own course to any end that may happen to it, without having him- self given a thought toit. It is needless to say, how- ever, that no such extreme form of Deism actually exists, though, strange to say, there are some, as we shall have occasion to observe, who appear to think that in the particular matter of the salvation of man God does act much after this irresponsible fashion.
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THE DIFFERING CONCEPTIONS