c. Scotus’ own Solution

29. As concerns this article [n.10], it can be said that God could, of his absolute power, have given the sinner after attrition, as through a fitting disposition and merit by congruity, a grace by which the sinner’s movement would become contrition, and thus, by satisfaction, have destroyed sin, because by an act returning to God the equivalent of the good that sin took away.

30. This act could also be otherwise not due, because although (if God wished to obligate us) we be bound to God whatever we are and do, yet he, of his very great mercy, considering our weakness and difficulty in respect of good, did not wish to obligate us by way of rule save to the Decalogue; and he could then have ordained to obligate man only to the Decalogue, without incarnating Christ. Man, therefore, could then do some works of supererogation that would otherwise not be due from him, and then the whole idea of satisfaction would be saved.

31. However God, of his ordained power, has not disposed to give the sinner the first grace save in virtue of the merit of him who was without sin, namely Christ; because, as was touched on above [nn.27-28], he did not dispose to reconcile the enemy to himself save through an obedience more welcome to himself than the offence of his was displeasing to himself; and such obedience of his is the passion of Christ and its merit. And thus did he not dispose to give grace to the sinner without the passion of Christ, without which grace there cannot be satisfaction at all, because not equivalent in any way either simply or in divine acceptation. Therefore, much more of ordained power is it not possible for satisfaction to be made to God save in virtue of the passion of Christ.