“The World” & “All Men”
Continuing in our discussion of the Sixth Session of the Council of Trent, the second Chapter of the Decree addresses the advent of Jesus Christ:
Him God hath proposed as a propitiator, through faith in his blood, for our sins, and not for our sins only, but also for those of the whole world. (Trent 31)
This is a reference to a phrase that occurs several times in Scripture:
On the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and so he said: “Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold, he who takes away the sin of the world. (Joh 1:29, CPDV)
And he is the propitiation for our sins. And not only for our sins, but also for those of the whole world. (1Jo 2:2, CPDV)
What does the Apostle mean when he says that Jesus “takes away the sin of the world”? And does the word ‘world’ mean ‘all people without exception’?
Therefore, the Pharisees said among themselves: “Do you see that we are accomplishing nothing? Behold, the entire world has gone after him.” (Joh 12:19, CPDV)
Yet when we are judged, we are being corrected by the Lord, so that we might not be condemned along with this world. (1Co 11:32, CPDV)
If the world hates you, brothers, do not be surprised. (1Jo 3:13, CPDV)
In these verses, the word ‘world’ cannot mean ‘all without exception’. It must mean ‘all people without distinction‘. And this makes perfect sense in context: in John 1:29, John is speaking to Jews, who believed that God only loved the Jewish nation; they would have been shocked to learn that his love extended to any of the Gentiles. But this is what Paul refers to as the ‘mystery of the Gospel’ (Eph 3:4-6), that God has a chosen people even among the Gentiles (Act 13:49).
The Council continues in Chapter 3:
But, though He died for all, yet do not all receive the benefit of His death, but those only unto whom the merit of His passion is communicated. (Trent 31-32)
This is a reference to another phrase that also occurs in Scripture:
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to arrive at an acknowledgment of the truth. (1Ti 4:3-4, CPDV)
Who are the ‘all men’ that Paul is referring to? The answer is given in the two previous verses:
And so I beg you, first of all, to make supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings for all men, for kings, and for all who are in high places, so that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and chastity. (1Ti 4:1-2)
The phrase ‘all who are in high places’ cannot mean ‘all without exception’. Like the word ‘world’ it must mean ‘all without distinction’. And this is consistent with what God has revealed about himself: if God wanted all men without exception to be saved then all men without exception would be saved. To say anything less would be blasphemous.
As the Christian Confession of Faith teaches:
e. God does not have any love toward the reprobate or any desire to save them, for God does not show love at the expense of His justice. The good things that God gives to them in this life lead only to their destruction, increasing their guilt for their thanklessness to God. Jesus Christ did not die for the reprobate in any sense, and they do not benefit in any sense from His death. Scripture, in speaking of God’s love for “all men” and “the world” is not speaking of all men without exception. Rather, these words refer to God’s love for all men without distinction — that is, regardless of their nationality or status. [Psa 2:4-5; 5:5-6; 11:5; 73:11-12; 92:7; Pro 3:32-33; 11:20; 12:2; 16:4-5; 17:15; Joh 3:16; 15:22; 17:9; Rom 9:13; 1Ti 2:4; 1Pe 2:8; 1Jo 2:2; 4:10] (Christian Confession of Faith, II.D.2.e)
As noted above, there is a kind of universalism in the Gospel, in that the Gospel is directed to all men without distinction. But is this the kind of Universalism that the Council is referring to in Chapters One and Two?
The Third Chapter of the Decree opens with these words:
But, though He died for all, yet do not all receive the benefit of His death, but those only unto whom the merit of His passion is communicated. (Trent 32)
The Council obviously believed that the work of Christ is intended for all men without exception. It’s telling that the Council of Trent would open it’s examination of the doctrine of Justification with a pronouncement of this unbiblical universalism. This is where the ‘damnable poison’ of Free Will that we talked about last week begins to infect the Council’s theological system. It “seeks to make the creature independent of the Creator and seeks to make the Potter depend on the clay, according to the devil’s lie, ‘You shall be as God.'” If God intended to save all men without exception, but failed, will he be eternally sad that he couldn’t accomplish his purpose? This is obviously blasphemous.
The true God of Scripture is very different. He accomplishes whatever he desires (Dan 4:35). As the Christian Confession of Faith teaches:
Because God sovereignly orders all things, He is able to keep all His promises. Because God is a God of truth, He is faithful to keep all His promises. [Deu 7:8-10; Jos 21:44-45; 23:14; 2Sa 23:3-5; Psa 89:24-37; 132:11; Isa 45:23; 46:9-11; 54:9-10; Jer 33:20-21,25-26; Act 13:32-33; Rom 15:8-9; 2Co 1:19-20; 1Th 5:24; Tit 1:1-3; Heb 6:13-20; 2Pe 3:9-13] (Christian Confession of Faith, II.C.4)
References
Catholic Public Domain Version of the Holy Bible. Ed and trans. Ronald L. Conte Jr. 2009. Web. SacredBible.org
Christian Confession of Faith. True Gospel Ministry, 2003. Web. The Gospel & Its Enemies.
Trent, The Council of: The canons and decrees of the sacred and oecumenical Council of Trent. Ed. and trans. J. Waterworth. London: Dolman, 1848. Web. Hanover Historical Texts Project.
The Gospel & Its Enemies 