Whether Christ As Man Is the Adopted Son of God?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ as man is the adopted Son of
God. For Hilary says (De Trin. ii) speaking of Christ: "The dignity
of power is not forfeited when carnal humanity [*Some editions read
'humilitas'--'the humility or lowliness of the flesh'] is adopted."
Therefore Christ as man is the adopted Son of God.
Obj. 2: Further, Augustine says (De Praedest. Sanct. xv) that "by the
same grace that Man is Christ, as from the birth of faith every man
is a Christian." But other men are Christians by the grace of
adoption. Therefore this Man is Christ by adoption: and consequently
He would seem to be an adopted son.
Obj. 3: Further, Christ, as man, is a servant. But it is of greater
dignity to be an adopted son than to be a servant. Therefore much
more is Christ, as man, an adopted Son.
_On the contrary,_ Ambrose says (De Incarn. viii): "We do not call an
adopted son a natural son: the natural son is a true son." But Christ
is the true and natural Son of God, according to 1 John 5:20: "That
we may . . . be in His true Son, Jesus Christ." Therefore Christ, as
Man, is not an adopted Son.
_I answer that,_ Sonship belongs properly to the hypostasis or
person, not to the nature; whence in the First Part (Q. 32, A. 3) we
have stated that Filiation is a personal property. Now in Christ
there is no other than the uncreated person or hypostasis, to Whom it
belongs by nature to be the Son. But it has been said above (A. 1, ad
2), that the sonship of adoption is a participated likeness of
natural sonship: nor can a thing be said to participate in what it
has essentially. Therefore Christ, Who is the natural Son of God, can
nowise be called an adopted Son.
But according to those who suppose two persons or two hypostases or
two supposita in Christ, no reason prevents Christ being called the
adopted Son of God.
Reply Obj. 1: As sonship does not properly belong to the nature, so
neither does adoption. Consequently, when it is said that "carnal
humanity is adopted," the expression is metaphorical: and adoption is
used to signify the union of human nature to the Person of the Son.
Reply Obj. 2: This comparison of Augustine is to be referred to the
principle because, to wit, just as it is granted to any man without
meriting it to be a Christian, so did it happen that this man without
meriting it was Christ. But there is a difference on the part of the
term: because by the grace of union Christ is the natural Son;
whereas another man by habitual grace is an adopted son. Yet habitual
grace in Christ does not make one who was not a son to be an adopted
son, but is a certain effect of Filiation in the soul of Christ,
according to John 1:14: "We saw His glory . . . as it were of the
Only-begotten of the Father; full of grace and truth."
Reply Obj. 3: To be a creature, as also to be subservient or subject
to God, regards not only the person, but also the nature: but this
cannot be said of sonship. Wherefore the comparison does not hold.
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