St. Thomas AquinasThe Summa TheologicaTranslated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Index [<<
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OF THE CAUSE OF FAITH (TWO ARTICLES)(1) Whether faith is infused into man by God? (2) Whether lifeless faith is a gift of God? Index [<<
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Whether faith is infused into man by God? Objection 1: It would seem that faith is not infused
into man by God. For Augustine says (De Trin. xiv) that "science begets
faith in us, and nourishes, defends and strengthens it." Now those things
which science begets in us seem to be acquired rather than infused. Therefore
faith does not seem to be in us by Divine infusion.
Objection 2: Further, that to which man attains
by hearing and seeing, seems to be acquired by him. Now man attains to
belief, both by seeing miracles, and by hearing the teachings of faith:
for it is written (Jn.
4:53): "The father . . . knew that it was at the same hour, that Jesus
said to him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house";
and (Rm. 10:17)
it is said that "faith is through hearing." Therefore man attains to faith
by acquiring it.
Objection 3: Further, that which depends on a man's
will can be acquired by him. But "faith depends on the believer's will,"
according to Augustine (De Praedest. Sanct. v). Therefore faith can be
acquired by man.
On the contrary, It is written (Eph.
2:8,9): "By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves
. . . that no man may glory . . . for it is the gift of God."
I answer that, Two things are requisite for faith.
First, that the things which are of faith should be proposed to man: this
is necessary in order that man believe anything explicitly. The second
thing requisite for faith is the assent of the believer to the things which
are proposed to him. Accordingly, as regards the first of these, faith
must needs be from God. Because those things which are of faith surpass
human reason, hence they do not come to man's knowledge, unless God reveal
them. To some, indeed, they are revealed by God immediately, as those things
which were revealed to the apostles and prophets, while to some they are
proposed by God in sending preachers of the faith, according to Rm. 10:15:
"How shall they preach, unless they be sent?"
As regards the second, viz. man's assent to the things
which are of faith, we may observe a twofold cause, one of external inducement,
such as seeing a miracle, or being persuaded by someone to embrace the
faith: neither of which is a sufficient cause, since of those who see the
same miracle, or who hear the same sermon, some believe, and some do not.
Hence we must assert another internal cause, which moves man inwardly to
assent to matters of faith.
The Pelagians held that this cause was nothing else than
man's free-will: and consequently they said that the beginning of faith
is from ourselves, inasmuch as, to wit, it is in our power to be ready
to assent to things which are of faith, but that the consummation of faith
is from God, Who proposes to us the things we have to believe. But this
is false, for, since man, by assenting to matters of faith, is raised above
his nature, this must needs accrue to him from some supernatural principle
moving him inwardly; and this is God. Therefore faith, as regards the assent
which is the chief act of faith, is from God moving man inwardly by grace.
Reply to Objection 1: Science begets and nourishes
faith, by way of external persuasion afforded by science; but the chief
and proper cause of faith is that which moves man inwardly to assent.
Reply to Objection 2: This argument again refers
to the cause that proposes outwardly the things that are of faith, or persuades
man to believe by words or deeds.
Reply to Objection 3: To believe does indeed depend on the will of the believer: but man's will needs to be prepared by God with grace, in order that he may be raised to things which are above his nature, as stated above (Question [2], Article [3]). Index [<<
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Whether lifeless faith is a gift of God? Objection 1: It would seem that lifeless faith
is not a gift of God. For it is written (Dt.
32:4) that "the works of God are perfect." Now lifeless faith is something
imperfect. Therefore it is not the work of God.
Objection 2: Further, just as an act is said to
be deformed through lacking its due form, so too is faith called lifeless
[informis] when it lacks the form due to it. Now the deformed act of sin
is not from God, as stated above (FS, Question
[79], Article [2], ad 2).
Therefore neither is lifeless faith from God.
Objection 3: Further, whomsoever God heals, He
heals wholly: for it is written (Jn.
7:23): "If a man receive circumcision on the sabbath-day, that the
law of Moses may not be broken; are you angry at Me because I have healed
the whole man on the sabbath-day?" Now faith heals man from unbelief. Therefore
whoever receives from God the gift of faith, is at the same time healed
from all his sins. But this is not done except by living faith. Therefore
living faith alone is a gift of God: and consequently lifeless faith is
not from God.
On the contrary, A gloss on 1 Cor. 13:2 says that
"the faith which lacks charity is a gift of God." Now this is lifeless
faith. Therefore lifeless faith is a gift of God.
I answer that, Lifelessness is a privation. Now
it must be noted that privation is sometimes essential to the species,
whereas sometimes it is not, but supervenes in a thing already possessed
of its proper species: thus privation of the due equilibrium of the humors
is essential to the species of sickness, while darkness is not essential
to a diaphanous body, but supervenes in it. Since, therefore, when we assign
the cause of a thing, we intend to assign the cause of that thing as existing
in its proper species, it follows that what is not the cause of privation,
cannot be assigned as the cause of the thing to which that privation belongs
as being essential to its species. For we cannot assign as the cause of
a sickness, something which is not the cause of a disturbance in the humors:
though we can assign as cause of a diaphanous body, something which is
not the cause of the darkness, which is not essential to the diaphanous
body.
Now the lifelessness of faith is not essential to the species
of faith, since faith is said to be lifeless through lack of an extrinsic
form, as stated above (Question [4],
Article [4]). Consequently the cause
of lifeless faith is that which is the cause of faith strictly so called:
and this is God, as stated above (Article
[1]). It follows, therefore, that lifeless faith is a gift of God.
Reply to Objection 1: Lifeless faith, though it
is not simply perfect with the perfection of a virtue, is, nevertheless,
perfect with a perfection that suffices for the essential notion of faith.
Reply to Objection 2: The deformity of an act is
essential to the act's species, considered as a moral act, as stated above
(FP, Question
[48], Article [1], ad 2;
FS, Question [18], Article [5]): for an act is
said to be deformed through being deprived of an intrinsic form, viz. the
due commensuration of the act's circumstances. Hence we cannot say that
God is the cause of a deformed act, for He is not the cause of its deformity,
though He is the cause of the act as such.
We may also reply that deformity denotes not only privation
of a due form, but also a contrary disposition, wherefore deformity is
compared to the act, as falsehood is to faith. Hence, just as the deformed
act is not from God, so neither is a false faith; and as lifeless faith
is from God, so too, acts that are good generically, though not quickened
by charity, as is frequently the case in sinners, are from God.
Reply to Objection 3: He who receives faith from
God without charity, is healed from unbelief, not entirely (because the
sin of his previous unbelief is not removed) but in part, namely, in the
point of ceasing from committing such and such a sin. Thus it happens frequently
that a man desists from one act of sin, through God causing him thus to
desist, without desisting from another act of sin, through the instigation
of his own malice. And in this way sometimes it is granted by God to a
man to believe, and yet he is not granted the gift of charity: even so
the gift of prophecy, or the like, is given to some without charity.
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