Whether Without Grace Man Can Know Any Truth?
Objection 1: It would seem that without grace man can know no truth.
For, on 1 Cor. 12:3: "No man can say, the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy
Ghost," a gloss says: "Every truth, by whomsoever spoken is from the
Holy Ghost." Now the Holy Ghost dwells in us by grace. Therefore we
cannot know truth without grace.
Obj. 2: Further, Augustine says (Solil. i, 6) that "the most certain
sciences are like things lit up by the sun so as to be seen. Now God
Himself is He Who sheds the light. And reason is in the mind as sight
is in the eye. And the eyes of the mind are the senses of the soul."
Now the bodily senses, however pure, cannot see any visible object,
without the sun's light. Therefore the human mind, however perfect,
cannot, by reasoning, know any truth without Divine light: and this
pertains to the aid of grace.
Obj. 3: Further, the human mind can only understand truth by
thinking, as is clear from Augustine (De Trin. xiv, 7). But the
Apostle says (2 Cor. 3:5): "Not that we are sufficient to think
anything of ourselves, as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is from
God." Therefore man cannot, of himself, know truth without the help
of grace.
_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (Retract. i, 4): "I do not approve
having said in the prayer, O God, Who dost wish the sinless alone to
know the truth; for it may be answered that many who are not sinless
know many truths." Now man is cleansed from sin by grace, according
to Ps. 50:12: "Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right
spirit within my bowels." Therefore without grace man of himself can
know truth.
_I answer that,_ To know truth is a use or act of intellectual light,
since, according to the Apostle (Eph. 5:13): "All that is made
manifest is light." Now every use implies movement, taking movement
broadly, so as to call thinking and willing movements, as is clear
from the Philosopher (De Anima iii, 4). Now in corporeal things we
see that for movement there is required not merely the form which is
the principle of the movement or action, but there is also required
the motion of the first mover. Now the first mover in the order of
corporeal things is the heavenly body. Hence no matter how perfectly
fire has heat, it would not bring about alteration, except by the
motion of the heavenly body. But it is clear that as all corporeal
movements are reduced to the motion of the heavenly body as to the
first corporeal mover, so all movements, both corporeal and
spiritual, are reduced to the simple First Mover, Who is God. And
hence no matter how perfect a corporeal or spiritual nature is
supposed to be, it cannot proceed to its act unless it be moved by
God; but this motion is according to the plan of His providence, and
not by necessity of nature, as the motion of the heavenly body. Now
not only is every motion from God as from the First Mover, but all
formal perfection is from Him as from the First Act. And thus the act
of the intellect or of any created being whatsoever depends upon God
in two ways: first, inasmuch as it is from Him that it has the form
whereby it acts; secondly, inasmuch as it is moved by Him to act.
Now every form bestowed on created things by God has power for a
determined act, which it can bring about in proportion to its own
proper endowment; and beyond which it is powerless, except by a
superadded form, as water can only heat when heated by the fire. And
thus the human understanding has a form, viz. intelligible light,
which of itself is sufficient for knowing certain intelligible
things, viz. those we can come to know through the senses. Higher
intelligible things the human intellect cannot know, unless it be
perfected by a stronger light, viz. the light of faith or prophecy
which is called the "light of grace," inasmuch as it is added to
nature.
Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man
needs Divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act.
But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order
to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpass his
natural knowledge. And yet at times God miraculously instructs some
by His grace in things that can be known by natural reason, even as
He sometimes brings about miraculously what nature can do.
Reply Obj. 1: Every truth by whomsoever spoken is from the Holy Ghost
as bestowing the natural light, and moving us to understand and speak
the truth, but not as dwelling in us by sanctifying grace, or as
bestowing any habitual gift superadded to nature. For this only takes
place with regard to certain truths that are known and spoken, and
especially in regard to such as pertain to faith, of which the
Apostle speaks.
Reply Obj. 2: The material sun sheds its light outside us; but the
intelligible Sun, Who is God, shines within us. Hence the natural
light bestowed upon the soul is God's enlightenment, whereby we are
enlightened to see what pertains to natural knowledge; and for this
there is required no further knowledge, but only for such things as
surpass natural knowledge.
Reply Obj. 3: We always need God's help for every thought, inasmuch
as He moves the understanding to act; for actually to understand
anything is to think, as is clear from Augustine (De Trin. xiv, 7).
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