Part II (Pars Prima Secundae) Part 182 (2/2)

_On the contrary,_ On Rom. 8:30, ”Whom He called, them He also justified,” the gloss says i.e. ”by the remission of sins.” Therefore the remission of sins is justification.

_I answer that,_ Justification taken pa.s.sively implies a movement towards justice, as heating implies a movement towards heat. But since justice, by its nature, implies a certain rect.i.tude of order, it may be taken in two ways: first, inasmuch as it implies a right order in man's act, and thus justice is placed amongst the virtues--either as particular justice, which directs a man's acts by regulating them in relation to his fellowman--or as legal justice, which directs a man's acts by regulating them in their relation to the common good of society, as appears from _Ethic._ v, 1.

Secondly, justice is so-called inasmuch as it implies a certain rect.i.tude of order in the interior disposition of a man, in so far as what is highest in man is subject to G.o.d, and the inferior powers of the soul are subject to the superior, i.e. to the reason; and this disposition the Philosopher calls ”justice metaphorically speaking”

(Ethic. v, 11). Now this justice may be in man in two ways: first, by simple generation, which is from privation to form; and thus justification may belong even to such as are not in sin, when they receive this justice from G.o.d, as Adam is said to have received original justice. Secondly, this justice may be brought about in man by a movement from one contrary to the other, and thus justification implies a trans.m.u.tation from the state of injustice to the aforesaid state of justice. And it is thus we are now speaking of the justification of the unG.o.dly, according to the Apostle (Rom. 4:5): ”But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in Him that justifieth the unG.o.dly,” etc. And because movement is named after its term _whereto_ rather than from its term _whence,_ the trans.m.u.tation whereby anyone is changed by the remission of sins from the state of unG.o.dliness to the state of justice, borrows its name from its term _whereto,_ and is called ”justification of the unG.o.dly.”

Reply Obj. 1: Every sin, inasmuch as it implies the disorder of a mind not subject to G.o.d, may be called injustice, as being contrary to the aforesaid justice, according to 1 John 3:4: ”Whosoever committeth sin, committeth also iniquity; and sin is iniquity.” And thus the removal of any sin is called the justification of the unG.o.dly.

Reply Obj. 2: Faith and charity imply a special directing of the human mind to G.o.d by the intellect and will; whereas justice implies a general rect.i.tude of order. Hence this trans.m.u.tation is named after justice rather than after charity or faith.

Reply Obj. 3: Being called refers to G.o.d's help moving and exciting our mind to give up sin, and this motion of G.o.d is not the remission of sins, but its cause.

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SECOND ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 113, Art. 2]

Whether the Infusion of Grace Is Required for the Remission of Guilt, i.e., for the Justification of the UnG.o.dly?

Objection 1: It would seem that for the remission of guilt, which is the justification of the unG.o.dly, no infusion of grace is required.

For anyone may be moved from one contrary without being led to the other, if the contraries are not immediate. Now the state of guilt and the state of grace are not immediate contraries; for there is the middle state of innocence wherein a man has neither grace nor guilt.

Hence a man may be pardoned his guilt without his being brought to a state of grace.

Obj. 2: Further, the remission of guilt consists in the Divine imputation, according to Ps. 31:2: ”Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin.” Now the infusion of grace puts something into our soul, as stated above (Q. 110, A. 1). Hence the infusion of grace is not required for the remission of guilt.

Obj. 3: Further, no one can be subject to two contraries at once. Now some sins are contraries, as wastefulness and miserliness. Hence whoever is subject to the sin of wastefulness is not simultaneously subject to the sin of miserliness, yet it may happen that he has been subject to it hitherto. Hence by sinning with the vice of wastefulness he is freed from the sin of miserliness. And thus a sin is remitted without grace.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Rom. 3:24): ”Justified freely by His grace.”

_I answer that,_ by sinning a man offends G.o.d as stated above (Q. 71, A. 5). Now an offense is remitted to anyone, only when the soul of the offender is at peace with the offended. Hence sin is remitted to us, when G.o.d is at peace with us, and this peace consists in the love whereby G.o.d loves us. Now G.o.d's love, considered on the part of the Divine act, is eternal and unchangeable; whereas, as regards the effect it imprints on us, it is sometimes interrupted, inasmuch as we sometimes fall short of it and once more require it. Now the effect of the Divine love in us, which is taken away by sin, is grace, whereby a man is made worthy of eternal life, from which sin shuts him out. Hence we could not conceive the remission of guilt, without the infusion of grace.

Reply Obj. 1: More is required for an offender to pardon an offense, than for one who has committed no offense, not to be hated. For it may happen amongst men that one man neither hates nor loves another.

But if the other offends him, then the forgiveness of the offense can only spring from a special goodwill. Now G.o.d's goodwill is said to be restored to man by the gift of grace; and hence although a man before sinning may be without grace and without guilt, yet that he is without guilt after sinning can only be because he has grace.

Reply Obj. 2: As G.o.d's love consists not merely in the act of the Divine will but also implies a certain effect of grace, as stated above (Q. 110, A. 1), so likewise, when G.o.d does not impute sin to a man, there is implied a certain effect in him to whom the sin is not imputed; for it proceeds from the Divine love, that sin is not imputed to a man by G.o.d.

Reply Obj. 3: As Augustine says (De Nup. et Concup. i, 26), if to leave off sinning was the same as to have no sin, it would be enough if Scripture warned us thus: ”'My son, hast thou sinned? do so no more?' Now this is not enough, but it is added: 'But for thy former sins also pray that they may be forgiven thee.'” For the act of sin pa.s.ses, but the guilt remains, as stated above (Q. 87, A. 6). Hence when anyone pa.s.ses from the sin of one vice to the sin of a contrary vice, he ceases to have the act of the former sin, but he does not cease to have the guilt, hence he may have the guilt of both sins at once. For sins are not contrary to each other on the part of their turning from G.o.d, wherein sin has its guilt.

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THIRD ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 113, Art. 3]

Whether for the Justification of the UnG.o.dly Is Required a Movement of the Free-will?

Objection 1: It would seem that no movement of the free-will is required for the justification of the unG.o.dly. For we see that by the sacrament of Baptism, infants and sometimes adults are justified without a movement of their free-will: hence Augustine says (Confess.

iv) that when one of his friends was taken with a fever, ”he lay for a long time senseless and in a deadly sweat, and when he was despaired of, he was baptized without his knowing, and was regenerated”; which is effected by sanctifying grace. Now G.o.d does not confine His power to the sacraments. Hence He can justify a man without the sacraments, and without any movement of the free-will.

Obj. 2: Further, a man has not the use of reason when asleep, and without it there can be no movement of the free-will. But Solomon received from G.o.d the gift of wisdom when asleep, as related in 3 Kings 3 and 2 Paral 1. Hence with equal reason the gift of sanctifying grace is sometimes bestowed by G.o.d on man without the movement of his free-will.

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