Whether Christ As Man Had the Power of Producing the Inward
Sacramental Effect?
Objection 1: It seems that Christ as man had the power of producing
the interior sacramental effect. For John the Baptist said (John
1:33): "He, Who sent me to baptize in water, said to me: He upon Whom
thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, He it is
that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." But to baptize with the Holy
Ghost is to confer inwardly the grace of the Holy Ghost. And the Holy
Ghost descended upon Christ as man, not as God: for thus He Himself
gives the Holy Ghost. Therefore it seems that Christ, as man, had the
power of producing the inward sacramental effect.
Obj. 2: Further, our Lord said (Matt. 9:6): "That you may know that
the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." But forgiveness
of sins is an inward sacramental effect. Therefore it seems that
Christ as man produces the inward sacramental effect.
Obj. 3: Further, the institution of the sacraments belongs to him who
acts as principal agent in producing the inward sacramental effect.
Now it is clear that Christ instituted the sacraments. Therefore it
is He that produces the inward sacramental effect.
Obj. 4: Further, no one can confer the sacramental effect without
conferring the sacrament, except he produce the sacramental effect by
his own power. But Christ conferred the sacramental effect without
conferring the sacrament; as in the case of Magdalen to whom He said:
"Thy sins are forgiven Thee" (Luke 7:48). Therefore it seems that
Christ, as man, produces the inward sacramental effect.
Obj. 5: Further, the principal agent in causing the inward effect is
that in virtue of which the sacrament operates. But the sacraments
derive their power from Christ's Passion and through the invocation
of His Name; according to 1 Cor. 1:13: "Was Paul then crucified for
you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" Therefore Christ, as
man, produces the inward sacramental effect.
_On the contrary,_ Augustine (Isidore, Etym. vi) says: "The Divine
power in the sacraments works inwardly in producing their salutary
effect." Now the Divine power is Christ's as God, not as man.
Therefore Christ produces the inward sacramental effect, not as man
but as God.
_I answer that,_ Christ produces the inward sacramental effect, both
as God and as man, but not in the same way. For, as God, He works in
the sacraments by authority: but, as man, His operation conduces to
the inward sacramental effects meritoriously and efficiently, but
instrumentally. For it has been stated (Q. 48, AA. 1, 6; Q. 49, A. 1)
that Christ's Passion which belongs to Him in respect of His human
nature, is the cause of justification, both meritoriously and
efficiently, not as the principal cause thereof, or by His own
authority, but as an instrument, in so far as His humanity is the
instrument of His Godhead, as stated above (Q. 13, AA. 2, 3; Q. 19,
A. 1).
Nevertheless, since it is an instrument united to the Godhead in
unity of Person, it has a certain headship and efficiency in regard
to extrinsic instruments, which are the ministers of the Church and
the sacraments themselves, as has been explained above (A. 1).
Consequently, just as Christ, as God, has power of _authority_ over
the sacraments, so, as man, He has the power of ministry in chief, or
power of _excellence._ And this consists in four things. First in
this, that the merit and power of His Passion operates in the
sacraments, as stated above (Q. 62, A. 5). And because the power of
the Passion is communicated to us by faith, according to Rom. 3:25:
"Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation through faith in His
blood," which faith we proclaim by calling on the name of Christ:
therefore, secondly, Christ's power of excellence over the sacraments
consists in this, that they are sanctified by the invocation of His
name. And because the sacraments derive their power from their
institution, hence, thirdly, the excellence of Christ's power
consists in this, that He, Who gave them their power, could institute
the sacraments. And since cause does not depend on effect, but rather
conversely, it belongs to the excellence of Christ's power, that He
could bestow the sacramental effect without conferring the exterior
sacrament. Thus it is clear how to solve the objections; for the
arguments on either side are true to a certain extent, as explained
above.
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