R.L. Dabney: Christ died for all sinners in some sense

R.L. Dabney speaking as if the essential gospel doctrines of efficacious atonement, unconditional election, and unconditional reprobation were not true.

"This seems, then, to be the candid conclusion, that there is no passage in the Bible which asserts an intention to apply redemption to any others than the elect, on the part of God and Christ, but that there are passages which imply that Christ died for all sinners in some sense, as Dr. Ch. Hodge has so expressly admitted. Certainly the expiation made by Christ is so related to all, irrespective of election, that God can sincerely invite all to enjoy its benefits, that every soul in the world who desires salvation is warranted to appropriate it, and that even a Judas, had he come in earnest, would not have been cast out.

But the arguments which we adduced on the affirmative side of the question demonstrate that Christ's redeeming work was limited in intention to the elect. The Arminian dogma that He did the same redeeming work in every respect for all, is preposterous and unscriptural. But at the same time, if the Calvinistic scheme be strained as high as some are inclined, a certain amount of justice will be found against them in the Arminian objections. Therefore, In mediis tutissime ibis. The well known Calvinistic formula, that 'Christ died sufficiently for all, efficaciously for the elect,' must be taken in a sense consistent with all the passages of Scripture which are cited above" (R.L. Dabney, Systematic Theology, p. 527).