Daniel Tossanus Disputation on Adam and Christ (Part 4)
Disputatio Theologica: De illo loco d. Pauli 1 Cor 15:22. Sicut in Adam omnes moriuntur: Ita et in Christo omnes vivificabuntur: Et de hac quaestione: An Christus pro omnibus sit mortuus?
Original Latin. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.
31. But the sense of these places [1 Jn. 2 and 2 Pet. 2] is that Christ gave himself (which we easily acknowledge) as a sufficient price for the whole world and for the false teachers themselves. Even so, those alone are effectually redeemed who acknowledge this grace; not those who delight themselves in their own captivity, and are rejecters of Christ, such as are the reprobate.
32. We have already warned above about those universal passages that they ought to be, in certain places, restricted to all the elect, whom the Lord has [as his own], not only in Judea but also in all parts of the world, in which sense it may also be said that “the blood of Christ is a propitiation for the whole world”—although this text we freely acknowledge to be about sufficiency.
33. Finally, it is one thing to speak about the end of Christ’s death, who died for sins and sinners, that is, in order that he would destroy sins and save sinners, though, by certain degrees, calling them to a knowledge of himself and sprinkling them by his blood through his Spirit. It is another thing to speak about the fruit, efficacy, and [actual] obtaining of that benefit, which pertains only to the elect and believers.
34. That place which among others our adversaries bring up from 1 Cor. 8:11 ought to be understood about that end [of Christ’s death]: By your knowledge, a brother perished for whom Christ died.
35. So also that passage in Heb. 10:29 about the blood of the covenant: some are said to have been sanctified who profaned that blood and brought insult to the Spirit of grace. All of this should be understood not about the efficacious sanctification which, as we noted above, is not applied to the reprobate, instead about the sanctification of one’s admission [into the church] and the external call.
36. Of course, some sanctification is visible through the ministry and use of the sacraments (says Augustine[1]), some is of invisible grace, which the Lord effects by the Holy Spirit, where there is the whole fruit of the visible sacraments. Visible sanctification profited nothing for Simon Magus, for whom invisible sanctification was lacking, etc.
37. However, it is incredible shamelessness of those critics which drives them to write that our church doctrine about the death of Christ, and its efficacy being limited to the elect and believers alone, leads people to despair, because one cannot deduce anything certain from mere particular propositions. And thus, a mind afflicted with many trials is unable to conclude or establish anything from that particular syllogism (as they form it): Christ died for some human beings; I also am a human being; Therefore, he died for me.
38. For the first wrong they make is against the Holy Spirit and Scripture because they make the doctrine of the election of certain people, which doctrine they themselves are not able to deny, and the doctrine about those for whom Christ died, to be a cause of despair. Then they misrepresent and commit the sin of lying, when they fabricate those stupid and inept arguments, which have never come into our minds.
9. We accordingly conclude with the Scriptures that all the elect or believers in Christ are saved by Christ. I believe in Christ and his gospel. And I have, beyond the use of the sacraments, the seal of the Holy Spirit by which the faithful are sealed for the day of redemption. And I know in whom I believe and what I believe. Therefore I am connected to that union whereby I will be saved and made alive.
10. But as one error begets another, our adversaries claiming that God equally loves all and that Christ died effectually for all, although they nominally admit there to be a certain number of the elect, nevertheless they undermine the whole force of divine election, and instead they move into the military camp of the Pelagians, who make foreseen faith and [foreseen] unbelief the cause of salvation and death, of election and reprobation.
[1] Quaest. in Levit. lib. 3. c. 84.