Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Fathers: Theodoret and Cyril — the universal cause needs faith’s application
Third in place let Theodoret come forth, writing on those words of the Apostle (Romans 3:25): Whom God set forth to be a propitiatory through faith in his blood, and so on. The Lord Christ, he says, is the propitiatory, and by his blood procured our salvation, requiring from us faith alone.
From which words we gather that Christ, with his death and all his merits, has been so constituted the universal cause of our redemption, reconciliation, and salvation, the universal cause requires the application of faith
Cyril also stands in the same sentence. Explaining those words of our Savior (John 3:36) — He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who is unbelieving toward the Son will not see life — he gathers thus (book 2, chapter 74): Therefore Christ vivifies believers in himself, because, since according to nature he is life, he dwells in all the faithful through faith.
However much, then, Christ is life itself, yet he does not vivify anyone except believers — which Cyril confirmed by an excellent and most valid reason, namely because he does not dwell in human beings except in believers. As if he had said: the fountain of life does not actually vivify except those joined to himself, and the joined are held to be the faithful alone. Badly, therefore, do they argue who from either the death or the very life of Christ gather that either all or any human beings are constituted in the state of life, grace, and salvation before they are united to Christ by this bond of faith.
Latin
Tertio in loco prodeat Theodoretus, scribens in illa verba Apostoli, Rom. iii. 25. Quem proposuit Deus ut esset propitiatorium per fidem in sanguine ipsius, &c. Dominus Christus, inquit, propitiatorium est, & suo sanguine nostram salutem procuravit, solam a nobis fidem exigens. Ex quibus verbis colligimus, Christum cum morte meritisque suis omnibus sic constitutum esse causam universalem redemtionis, reconciliationis & salutis nostrae, ut priusquam fructus redemtionis & salutis hujus per Christum procuratae a quoquam participetur, oporteat, hanc causam universalem ad singulos specialiter applicari. Jam vero ut fiat haec fructuosa applicatio, quod bene monuit Theodoretus, Deus a nobis fidem exigit. Dum igitur abest fides, Christi mors in se considerata nemini confert statum actualis reconciliationis, gratiae & salutis. Cyrillus etiam in eadem sententia est constitutus, qui lib. 2. cap. 74. explicans illa verba Servatoris nostri, Johan. iii. 36. Qui credit in Filium habet vitam aeternam; qui autem incredulus est Filio, non videbit vitam, sic colligit, Vivificat igitur Christus credentes in se, quia cum secundum naturam vita sit, habitat in omnibus fidelibus per fidem. Utcunque ergo Christus sit ipsa vita, tamen non vivificat nisi credentes, quod optima & validissima ratione confirmavit Cyrillus, nimirum, quia non habitat in hominibus nisi credentibus. Quasi dixisset, Fons vitae non actu vivificat nisi sibi conjunctos, conjuncti autem habentur soli fideles. Male igitur arguunt, qui sive a morte, sive ab ipsa vita Christi colligunt aut omnes aut ullos homines in statu vitae, gratiae & salutis constitutos, priusquam hoc vinculo fidei Christo uniantur.