Whether by His Own Natural Powers and Without Grace Man Can Love God
Above All Things?
Objection 1: It would seem that without grace man cannot love God
above all things by his own natural powers. For to love God above all
things is the proper and principal act of charity. Now man cannot of
himself possess charity, since the "charity of God is poured forth in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost Who is given to us," as is said Rom.
5:5. Therefore man by his natural powers alone cannot love God above
all things.
Obj. 2: Further, no nature can rise above itself. But to love God
above all things is to tend above oneself. Therefore without the help
of grace no created nature can love God above itself.
Obj. 3: Further, to God, Who is the Highest Good, is due the best
love, which is that He be loved above all things. Now without grace
man is not capable of giving God the best love, which is His due;
otherwise it would be useless to add grace. Hence man, without grace
and with his natural powers alone, cannot love God above all things.
_On the contrary,_ As some maintain, man was first made with only
natural endowments; and in this state it is manifest that he loved
God to some extent. But he did not love God equally with himself, or
less than himself, otherwise he would have sinned. Therefore he loved
God above himself. Therefore man, by his natural powers alone, can
love God more than himself and above all things.
_I answer that,_ As was said above (I, Q. 60, A. 5), where the
various opinions concerning the natural love of the angels were set
forth, man in a state of perfect nature, could by his natural power,
do the good natural to him without the addition of any gratuitous
gift, though not without the help of God moving him. Now to love God
above all things is natural to man and to every nature, not only
rational but irrational, and even to inanimate nature according to
the manner of love which can belong to each creature. And the reason
of this is that it is natural to all to seek and love things
according as they are naturally fit (to be sought and loved) since
"all things act according as they are naturally fit" as stated in
_Phys._ ii, 8. Now it is manifest that the good of the part is for
the good of the whole; hence everything, by its natural appetite and
love, loves its own proper good on account of the common good of the
whole universe, which is God. Hence Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv)
that "God leads everything to love of Himself." Hence in the state of
perfect nature man referred the love of himself and of all other
things to the love of God as to its end; and thus he loved God more
than himself and above all things. But in the state of corrupt nature
man falls short of this in the appetite of his rational will, which,
unless it is cured by God's grace, follows its private good, on
account of the corruption of nature. And hence we must say that in
the state of perfect nature man did not need the gift of grace added
to his natural endowments, in order to love God above all things
naturally, although he needed God's help to move him to it; but in
the state of corrupt nature man needs, even for this, the help of
grace to heal his nature.
Reply Obj. 1: Charity loves God above all things in a higher way than
nature does. For nature loves God above all things inasmuch as He is
the beginning and the end of natural good; whereas charity loves Him,
as He is the object of beatitude, and inasmuch as man has a spiritual
fellowship with God. Moreover charity adds to natural love of God a
certain quickness and joy, in the same way that every habit of virtue
adds to the good act which is done merely by the natural reason of a
man who has not the habit of virtue.
Reply Obj. 2: When it is said that nature cannot rise above itself,
we must not understand this as if it could not be drawn to any object
above itself, for it is clear that our intellect by its natural
knowledge can know things above itself, as is shown in our natural
knowledge of God. But we are to understand that nature cannot rise to
an act exceeding the proportion of its strength. Now to love God
above all things is not such an act; for it is natural to every
creature, as was said above.
Reply Obj. 3: Love is said to be best, both with respect to degree of
love, and with regard to the motive of loving, and the mode of love.
And thus the highest degree of love is that whereby charity loves God
as the giver of beatitude, as was said above.
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