Article 15 — Whether a man without grace is able to prepare himself for possessing grace

Fifteenth, it is asked whether a man without grace is able to prepare himself for possessing grace. (Parallel texts: In II Sent., d. 5, q. 2, a. 1; d. 28, a. 4; In IV Sent., d. 17, q. 1, a. 2, qa. 2, ad 2; SCG III.149; ST I.62.2; I-II.109.6; Quodlibet, bk. 1, q. 4, a. 2; Commentary on John, ch. 1, lect. 6; Commentary on Hebrews, ch. 12, lect. 3.)

Obj. 1: It seems that he can, for a man is incited in vain to what he is incapable of performing; but man is incited to prepare himself for grace, as in Zechariah 1:3, return to me and I will turn to you; therefore a man without grace is able to prepare himself for grace.

Obj. 2: Furthermore, this seems to be the case from Revelation 3:20, if someone should open for me, I will enter in to him; therefore it seems that it pertains to man to open his own heart to God, which is to prepare oneself for grace.

Obj. 3: Furthermore, according to Anselm, (Cf. De casu diaboli cap. 4 (PL 158, 333).) the reason as to why someone does not possess grace is not because God does not give it to him, but because man does not accept it; but this would not be the case if man were able without grace to prepare himself to possess grace; therefore man is able to prepare himself for grace by free choice.

Obj. 4: Isaiah 1:19 says if you shall will and shall listen to me, you will eat the goods of the earth; and so it is in the power of man's will to draw near to God and to be filled with grace.

On the contrary (1) is what is said in John 6:44: no one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

Furthermore (2), in Psalm 42:3 it says: send forth your light and your truth, they have led me, and so on.

Furthermore (3), by praying we ask from God that he might turn us toward himself, as is clear in Psalm 84:4: turn us O God, our salvation, and so on. But it would not be necessary for man to ask this if he were able to prepare himself for grace by free choice; therefore, it seems that man is not capable of this without grace.

I answer that it must be said that some say man is unable to prepare himself to possess grace except by some gratuitous grace: (Bonaventure, In II Sent., d. 28, a. 2, q. 1.) which indeed seems to be untrue, if by gratuitous grace they understand some habitual gift of grace, and this is for two reasons: the first is that, because of this, the preparation for grace is posited as being necessary for some reason on our part, for which sanctifying grace would be given to some and not to others. However, if not even the preparation for grace is able to exist without some habitual grace, either this grace is given to all or to none: if given to all, it doesn’t seem to be anything else than a natural gift; for all men are not found to agree in anything except in something natural; but natural things themselves can be said to belong to grace inasmuch as they are given by God to men with no preceding merits.

But if it is not given to all, it will therefore be necessary to return to preparation, and for the same reason to posit some other grace, and so on to infinity; and thus it is better to stop at the beginning. The second reason is that preparing oneself for grace is said in another way to do what is up to oneself; just as it is customary to say that if man does what is up to him, God gives him the grace. (Cf. William of Auxerre, Summa aurea, bk. 3, tract. 2, q. 5.) However, what is said to be up to someone is in his power. Hence, if man is not able to prepare himself for grace by free choice, then doing what is up to oneself will not be to prepare oneself for grace. However, if by sanctifying grace they understand divine providence, by which man is directed mercifully toward the good, then it is true that without grace man is not able to prepare himself to have sanctifying grace. This is indeed clear for two reasons. The first is that, since it is impossible for man to begin to will something afresh unless there be something that moves him; as is clear from the Philosopher in the Physics, (Aristotle, Physics 8.4, 253a11sqq. et 14, 259b3sqq.) where he says that for the motion of animals after rest, it is necessary that there precede another motion by which the soul is incited to act. Thus, when a man begins afresh to prepare himself for grace by turning his will toward God, it is necessary that he be induced by certain exterior events, such as by an exterior admonition or by bodily weakness or something else of this kind; or else by some internal instinct, according to which God works in the minds of men; or even in both ways.

However, all of these things are provided for men by divine mercy; and so it happens by divine mercy that man prepares himself for grace. The second reason is that not any motion whatsoever of the will is a sufficient preparation for grace, just as not any pain whatsoever suffices for the remission of sin; but there must be a determinate mode. Yet this mode cannot be made known to man, for the gift of grace itself exceeds man’s knowledge; for the mode of preparation with respect to a form cannot be known unless the form itself be known. However, whenever a certain mode of activity, unknown to the doer, is required in order to do something, the one performing the act needs one who rules and directs. Hence, it is clear that free choice is not able to prepare itself for grace unless it be divinely directed to this. For these two reasons God is entreated in the Scriptures with two modes of speech to perform this preparation of grace in us: in one way by asking that he convert us, such that he turn us to himself from that in which we were; and this is because of the first reason, as when it says convert us O God, our salvation; (Psalm 84:5) in the second place by asking that he direct us, as when it says direct me in your truth; (Psalm 24:5) and this is because of the second reason.

Reply Obj. 1: Therefore, to the first it must be said that it is indicated to us that we are to turn ourselves to God because we are capable of doing this, but not without divine help; hence we also ask of him in Lamentations 5:21: convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted.

Reply Obj. 2: To the second it must be said that we are able to open our hearts to God, but not without divine help; hence it is asked of him in 2 Maccabees 1:4 may the Lord open your hearts in his law and in his precepts, and may he work peace. And one must respond similarly to the others, for man is not able to prepare himself nor even to will unless God should do this in him, as has been said.