Whether Man Can Rise from Sin Without the Help of Grace?
Objection 1: It would seem that man can rise from sin without the
help of grace. For what is presupposed to grace, takes place without
grace. But to rise from sin is presupposed to the enlightenment of
grace; since it is written (Eph. 5:14): "Arise from the dead and
Christ shall enlighten thee." Therefore man can rise from sin without
grace.
Obj. 2: Further, sin is opposed to virtue as illness to health, as
stated above (Q. 71, A. 1, ad 3). Now, man, by force of his nature,
can rise from illness to health, without the external help of
medicine, since there still remains in him the principle of life,
from which the natural operation proceeds. Hence it seems that, with
equal reason, man may be restored by himself, and return from the
state of sin to the state of justice without the help of external
grace.
Obj. 3: Further, every natural thing can return by itself to the act
befitting its nature, as hot water returns by itself to its natural
coldness, and a stone cast upwards returns by itself to its natural
movement. Now a sin is an act against nature, as is clear from
Damascene (De Fide Orth. ii, 30). Hence it seems that man by himself
can return from sin to the state of justice.
_On the contrary,_ The Apostle says (Gal. 2:21; Cf. Gal. 3:21): "For
if there had been a law given which could give life--then Christ died
in vain," i.e. to no purpose. Hence with equal reason, if man has a
nature, whereby he can he justified, "Christ died in vain," i.e. to
no purpose. But this cannot fittingly be said. Therefore by himself
he cannot be justified, i.e. he cannot return from a state of sin to
a state of justice.
_I answer that,_ Man by himself can no wise rise from sin without the
help of grace. For since sin is transient as to the act and abiding
in its guilt, as stated above (Q. 87, A. 6), to rise from sin is not
the same as to cease the act of sin; but to rise from sin means that
man has restored to him what he lost by sinning. Now man incurs a
triple loss by sinning, as was clearly shown above (Q. 85, A. 1; Q.
86, A. 1; Q. 87, A. 1), viz. stain, corruption of natural good, and
debt of punishment. He incurs a stain, inasmuch as he forfeits the
lustre of grace through the deformity of sin. Natural good is
corrupted, inasmuch as man's nature is disordered by man's will not
being subject to God's; and this order being overthrown, the
consequence is that the whole nature of sinful man remains
disordered. Lastly, there is the debt of punishment, inasmuch as by
sinning man deserves everlasting damnation.
Now it is manifest that none of these three can be restored except by
God. For since the lustre of grace springs from the shedding of
Divine light, this lustre cannot be brought back, except God sheds
His light anew: hence a habitual gift is necessary, and this is the
light of grace. Likewise, the order of nature can only be restored,
i.e. man's will can only be subject to God when God draws man's will
to Himself, as stated above (A. 6). So, too, the guilt of eternal
punishment can be remitted by God alone, against Whom the offense was
committed and Who is man's Judge. And thus in order that man rise
from sin there is required the help of grace, both as regards a
habitual gift, and as regards the internal motion of God.
Reply Obj. 1: To man is bidden that which pertains to the act of
free-will, as this act is required in order that man should rise from
sin. Hence when it is said, "Arise, and Christ shall enlighten thee,"
we are not to think that the complete rising from sin precedes the
enlightenment of grace; but that when man by his free-will, moved by
God, strives to rise from sin, he receives the light of justifying
grace.
Reply Obj. 2: The natural reason is not the sufficient principle of
the health that is in man by justifying grace. This principle is
grace which is taken away by sin. Hence man cannot be restored by
himself; but he requires the light of grace to be poured upon him
anew, as if the soul were infused into a dead body for its
resurrection.
Reply Obj. 3: When nature is perfect, it can be restored by itself to
its befitting and proportionate condition; but without exterior help
it cannot be restored to what surpasses its measure. And thus human
nature undone by reason of the act of sin, remains no longer perfect,
but corrupted, as stated above (Q. 85); nor can it be restored, by
itself, to its connatural good, much less to the supernatural good of
justice.
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