'Solus Christus' and the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice

We don't talk much about the meaning of solus Christus, probably presuming that it means that Christ is our only saviour, or that there is no salvation without and outside of Christ. And while these precious ideas are included in the great Reformation principle, I feel that we are lacking a very beautiful piece of context when we tackle the debates of the Reformation. Every Christian agrees that outside and without Christ there is no salvation, and that His passive obedience is the meritorious cause of our salvation. Where the difference lies between Catholics and Protestants seems to be rooted in how we understand merit, and this is the true nature of Solus Christus- arguing that the merits of Christ in and of themselves pay all the debt of sin, both temporal and eternal and are sufficient unto salvation. This precious truth has been brought to light again in the Reformation and buried in the superstitions of the middle ages. I argue that the biggest contention between the Romanists and Protestants and where the Reformation started was with a protest against the roman system of merit developed in the medieval period. 

Firstly, let's have a look at how the roman system of merit works. Whenever one sins against God, that person owes Him a debt or compensation for the damage made, much like when we commit a crime we must pay a debt in order to compensate for our wrongdoing. All mankind owes all they have and are, to God, our very life to compensate for our sin. Beyond that, there is a second aspect of debt and an analogy may be of help: if I break the laptop of my friend, in order to compensate for the damage created I must pay another laptop or give him the necessary sum of money, and beyond that, I must also perform certain works by which the friction caused by my wrongdoing to be removed. There is the first aspect of debt in which I pay what I anyway owed, and there is the second aspect of debt in which I pay something in order to repair our relationship and remove the friction caused by my sin. Paying the debts that we owe to God (Anselm's "debt of honor") is what's termed in theology as "satisfaction". In the Anselmian view of satisfaction, punishment is what happens when the necessary compensation isn't made, or when the debts aren't payed. Punishment is the recompense for those who didn't pay their wages. When we don't give to God the debt of honor all of us must, we should either make satisfaction or bear punishment. Because we can't satisfy for our sins, nor pay the debts to God, nor bear the punishment without being eternally punished, Christ voluntarily assumes this punishment and lives a perfect life and offers it to God the Father as satisfaction in our behalf. Now, medieval theology explains in the following way the doctrine of penance: whenever we sin, we owe a debt to a holy God, which if we don't make satisfaction for, we will be punished. Due to original sin, we all owe God temporal and eternal debt. All debt temporal and eternal is taken in baptism, for instance if you were to die immediately after baptism you wouldn't suffer purgatory, but go straight to heaven. However, after baptism if you commit a mortal sin, penitential confession brings you back into a state of grace, the eternal debt is taken away again, but the temporal debt remains- for which you have to satisfy for. 17th century Catholic theologian John Hornyhold says:

"For in Baptism, he receives you into his grace and remits all the punishment due to your sins; but in Penance, he remits only the eternal punishment, still reserving some temporal pains to be suffered by the penitent, so that the penitent may satisfy on his part according to his power. In undergoing this temporal punishment consists the satisfaction of which I now speak, and which is the third part of Penance." -John Hornyhold, the Sacraments Explained

Contrary to popular catholic apologetics, the medieval church didn't understand purgatory and penance in strictly medicinal terms, but also in a punitive sense: 

"Finally, the punishment which the sinner endures disarms the vengeance of God and averts the punishments decreed against us. Thus the Apostle says: If we would judge ourselves. we should not be judged; but whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world. If all this is explained to the faithful, it must have great influence in exciting them to perform works of penance." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"But let them bear in mind that the satisfaction they impose be not only for the protection of a new life and a remedy against infirmity, but also for the atonement and punishment of past sins;" (Council of Trent, Session XIV.VIII)

This distinction between the punishment of sin and the remedy for sin is a very important one in medieval catholic theology. The punitive nature of penance could be satisfied for by another (for instance John could pay Mark's debts by taking a mass in his stead), but he couldn't procure for Mark the redemial nature of penance (this had to be done individually- John couldn't have perfect charity, faith and infused virtue in the stead of Mark). For instance, masses for the dead or for another person, alms, good works, etc were all performed in order to pay the debt of the other, but one couldn't increase the remedy in another. Thomas Aquinas says: 

"I answer that satisfactory punishment has a twofold purpose: namely, to pay the debt and to serve as a remedy for the avoidance of sin... On the other hand, as regards the payment of the debt, one man can satisfy for another, provided he be in a state of charity, so that his works may avail for satisfaction. Nor is it necessary that he who satisfies for another should undergo a greater punishment than the principal would have to undergo (as some maintain, who argue that a man profits more by his own punishment than by another's), because punishment derives its power of satisfaction chiefly from charity whereby a man bears it. And since greater charity is evidenced by a man satisfying for another than for himself, less punishment is required of him who satisfies for another than of the principal."- Supplement to the Summa Theologica, Q. 13

Our contention as Protestants has not been a denial of the medicinal nature of "penance" which consists in the purification of the heart by divine grace, and the healing of the wounds caused by sin. What the protest was directed against was the idea that my Spirit-empowered works can make satisfaction that can alleviate the debt of punishment owed by another. The disagreement was precisely over this idea of penance as having a punitive nature by which human beings had to satisfy, had debt to pay to God by their own works, that Christ's sacrifice alone was not sufficient in and of itself to pay for all our debt, but that there is still temporal debt unsatisfied by Christ which we must satisfy for by our own works, efforts, masses, indulgences (since indulgences are rooted in the roman theology of merit), and alms. This notion of unsatisfied temporal debt which brings punishment in the regenerate is at odds with the great truth of justification by faith alone. Here's probably the best case against it we can make from Scripture: 

"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those

    whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

 Blessed is the one

    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”- Romans 4:1-8

The reason this passage is very significant is because it happens after regeneration or initial justification, Abraham being justified by faith, since Paul is citing Genesis 15:6, which happens when God promises Abraham to be the father of many nations, and have offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven. But this happens after his calling in chapter 12, when we see that he was already walking with God. Likewise, David says in the Psalms "Blessed is the man to whom God imputes no sin", and this is how we are taught to treat the forgiveness of sins: 

1  Blessed is the one

    whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

2  Blessed is the one

    whose sin the Lord does not count against      them

    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,

    my bones wasted away

    through my groaning all day long. (The despair caused by sin) 

4 For day and night

    your hand was heavy on me;

    my strength was sapped

    as in the heat of summer.[b]

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you

    and did not cover up my iniquity.

    I said, “I will confess

    my transgressions to the Lord.”

    And you forgave

    the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you

    while you may be found;

    surely the rising of the mighty waters

    will not reach them.

7 You are my hiding place;

    you will protect me from trouble

    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

There is this promise that all our sin is forgiven us when we confess to God, not just some sin, not just some debt is being covered, but the whole. Why? Because "blessed is him to whom the Lord IMPUTED NO SIN". A confession done in a contrite spirit is what the Lord delights in, God forgave the guilt of our transgression and Christ covered the debt that we should have payed in recompense. Remember that in Anselm's thought punishment is produced by the absence of satisfaction. This is what the Apostle Paul says: 

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"- Romans 8:1

Why is there no condemnation? Why is there no punishment? Precisely because all debts have been satisfied. For if only the eternal debt has been satisfied, and temporal debt remains then by not satisfying it one incurrs punishment. But there is no more punishment, no more condemnation for those who are in Christ- because Christ covered all their debts and payed them to the Father. Here's another precious passage: 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."- 1 John 1:9

There is a reason Scripture uses exclusive words "no sin", "no condemnation", "purify from all unrighteousness", in order to stress the sufficiency and fulness of Christ’s work. 

Now it is time to conclude with one final point. Thomas Aquinas believe our merits and the merits of the saints applied to us by which temporal debts are covered and payed derive their satisfactory power from the passion of Christ. Roman Catholics also agree that our works in and of themselves cannot pay the debt of temporal punishment. Their efficacy must be derived from the work of Christ. Also, they can't outweigh the entire debt of sin either, which means Roman Catholics cannot have assurance of whether the temporal debt of sin is taken away- which is why the difference on the question of christian assurance is also another vital topic. The question remains: if a single drop of blood, a single tear of Christ, even the smallest bit of His passion can make our unrighteous works meritorious and capable of satisfying for sin, why can't we rely entirely on the passion of Christ as the uttermost, sole source of superabundant grace? How can Christ dwelling in you through Word and Sacrament not outweigh so greatly the temporal debt of sin? Even the slightest union with Christ can effect this- namely Christ removes all debt temporal and eternal. His merits alone, not even my Spirit-empowered merits cover the debt of sin. 

Finally, I shall end with a paragraph from Scripture which illustrates the superabundance and perfection of divine forgiveness, we are forgiven in full, our debts payed in full perfectly explained by the comparisons "like snow", "as wool" which denote perfect purity. 

“Come now, and let us reason together,” saith the Lord. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."- Isaiah 1:18