Whether the Grace of Christ Is Infinite?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's grace is infinite. For
everything immeasurable is infinite. But the grace of Christ is
immeasurable; since it is written (John 3:34): "For God doth not give
the Spirit by measure to His Son [*'To His Son' is lacking in the
Vulgate], namely Christ." Therefore the grace of Christ is infinite.
Obj. 2: Further, an infinite effect betokens an infinite power which
can only spring from an infinite essence. But the effect of Christ's
grace is infinite, since it extends to the salvation of the whole
human race; for He is the propitiation for our sins . . . and for
those of the whole world, as is said (1 John 2:2). Therefore the
grace of Christ is infinite.
Obj. 3: Further, every finite thing by addition can attain to the
quantity of any other finite thing. Therefore if the grace of Christ
is finite the grace of any other man could increase to such an extent
as to reach to an equality with Christ's grace, against what is
written (Job 28:17): "Gold nor crystal cannot equal it," as Gregory
expounds it (Moral. xviii). Therefore the grace of Christ is infinite.
_On the contrary,_ Grace is something created in the soul. But every
created thing is finite, according to Wis. 11:21: "Thou hast ordered
all things in measure and number and weight." Therefore the grace of
Christ is not infinite.
_I answer that,_ As was made clear above (Q. 2, A. 10), a twofold
grace may be considered in Christ; the first being the grace of
union, which, as was said (Q. 6, A. 6), is for Him to be personally
united to the Son of God, which union has been bestowed gratis on the
human nature; and it is clear that this grace is infinite, as the
Person of God is infinite. The second is habitual grace; which may be
taken in two ways: first as a being, and in this way it must be a
finite being, since it is in the soul of Christ, as in a subject, and
Christ's soul is a creature having a finite capacity; hence the being
of grace cannot be infinite, since it cannot exceed its subject.
Secondly it may be viewed in its specific nature of grace; and thus
the grace of Christ can be termed infinite, since it is not limited,
i.e. it has whatsoever can pertain to the nature of grace, and what
pertains to the nature of grace is not bestowed on Him in a fixed
measure; seeing that "according to the purpose" of God to Whom it
pertains to measure grace, it is bestowed on Christ's soul as on a
universal principle for bestowing grace on human nature, according to
Eph. 1:5, 6, "He hath graced us in His beloved Son"; thus we might
say that the light of the sun is infinite, not indeed in being, but
in the nature of light, as having whatever can pertain to the nature
of light.
Reply Obj. 1: When it is said that the Father "doth not give the
Spirit by measure," it may be expounded of the gift which God the
Father from all eternity gave the Son, viz. the Divine Nature, which
is an infinite gift. Hence the comment of a certain gloss: "So that
the Son may be as great as the Father is." Or again, it may be
referred to the gift which is given the human nature, to be united to
the Divine Person, and this also is an infinite gift. Hence a gloss
says on this text: "As the Father begot a full and perfect Word, it
is united thus full and perfect to human nature." Thirdly, it may be
referred to habitual grace, inasmuch as the grace of Christ extends
to whatever belongs to grace. Hence Augustine expounding this (Tract.
xiv in Joan.) says: "The division of the gifts is a measurement. For
to one indeed by the Spirit is given the word of wisdom, to another
the word of knowledge." But Christ the giver does not receive by
measure.
Reply Obj. 2: The grace of Christ has an infinite effect, both
because of the aforesaid infinity of grace, and because of the unity
[*Perhaps we should read 'infinity'--Ed.] of the Divine Person, to
Whom Christ's soul is united.
Reply Obj. 3: The lesser can attain by augment to the quantity of the
greater, when both have the same kind of quantity. But the grace of
any man is compared to the grace of Christ as a particular to a
universal power; hence as the force of fire, no matter how much it
increases, can never equal the sun's strength, so the grace of a man,
no matter how much it increases, can never equal the grace of Christ.
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