Article 3 — Whether Christ's grace is infinite

Third, it is asked whether Christ's grace is infinite. (Parallel texts: ST III.7.11; In I Sent., d. 17, q. 2, a. 4, ad 3; d. 44, a. 3 ad 2; In III Sent., d. 13, q. 1, a. 2, qa. 2; Commentary on John ch. 3, lect. 6; Comp. theol., ch. 215.)

Obj. 1: It seems that it is, for everything finite is measured; but Christ's grace was not measured, for the Spirit was given to Christ without measure, as it says in John 3:34; therefore Christ's grace is infinite.

Obj. 2: Furthermore, God is able to make something greater than anything finite whatsoever; but God could not give a greater grace to Christ, as the Teacher says in the Sentences; (Peter Lombard, Sentences, bk. 3, d. 13, ch. 1.) therefore Christ's grace is infinite.

Obj. 3: But one might say that this is not said to the extent that God could make a greater grace, but that Christ's soul could not receive anything greater; for his entire capacity was filled.

On the contrary, according to Augustine in the book On the Nature of Good, (Augustine, On the Nature of Good, ch. 3 (PL 42:553).) the goodness of a creature consists in mode, species, and order; and where these three are great, the goodness is great, but where they are little it is little; therefore, according to this, when a creature grows in goodness, in this manner its goodness also grows, and as a consequence the measure of its capacity is broadened; for mode follows upon measure, as Augustine says in On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis; (Augustine, On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, bk. 3, ch. 3; bk. 4, ch. 3 (PL 34:299).) and so however much grace is increased, so much more is the capacity in Christ's soul increased.

Obj. 4: Furthermore, Anselm proves in the book Why God Became Man (Augustine, Why God Became Man, bk. 2, cc. 6, 8, 14–15 (PL 158:404A).) that God must become man since satisfaction for human nature could not occur except by an infinite merit, which cannot be that of a mere man. From this it is clear that the merit of the man Christ was infinite; but the cause of merit is grace; therefore, Christ's grace is infinite, for an infinite effect cannot come forth from a finite cause.

Obj. 5: Furthermore, the charity of a wayfarer can be increased infinitely, for however much a man should make progress in this life, he can always make more progress; therefore, if Christ's grace were finite, the grace of another man could increase so much that it would be greater than Christ's grace, and so he would be better than Christ, which is inadmissible.

Obj. 6: Furthermore, either the capacity of Christ's soul is finite or it is infinite: if it is infinite, and his entire capacity is filled, then he has infinite grace; but if it is finite, and since God can make something greater than any finite thing whatsoever, then he can make a capacity greater than what Christ's soul possesses, and so he can make Christ to be better, which seems absurd.

Obj. 7: But one might say that God can make a greater capacity with respect to himself, yet which could not be received by a creature.

On the contrary, the best creature is infinitely distant from God; therefore, there are infinitely many degrees between God and the best creature; and so God can make something better than any created goodness or capacity.

Obj. 8: Furthermore, nothing finite has power over what is infinite; but Christ's grace had power over the infinite: for it had power over the salvation of infinite men and over the abolition of infinite sins; therefore, Christ's grace was infinite.

On the contrary (1), no creature is infinite, otherwise the creature would be equal to the Creator; but Christ's grace was something created; thus it was finite.

Furthermore (2), in Wisdom 11:21 it says: you have disposed all things in number, measure, and weight; but nothing infinite has a determinate measure and weight; therefore, all things made by God are finite, and so Christ's grace is not infinite.

I answer that it must be said that this question is introduced on occasion of those words that are in John 3:34: God does not give the Spirit according to measure; and so in order to know the truth of the present question, one must understand the meaning of these words.

However, such a meaning of the previously mentioned words can first occur in such a way that the Spirit is said to be given to Christ without measure, since the Holy Spirit, who is infinite in himself, filled Christ by grace. But this meaning is not according to the intention of the letter, for the previously mentioned words are introduced to distinguish between Christ on the one hand and John and all the saints on the other, as the Gloss says in the same place. (Glossa ordinaria, at John 3:34, 5.1081.) However, according to the previously mentioned meaning, Christ does not differ in this respect from creatures, for the Holy Spirit, who is the third person in the Trinity, is both infinite in himself and dwells within any one of the saints.

Thus, a different meaning is held in the Gloss, such that the previously mentioned words are referred to the eternal generation, according to which the Father gave an infinite nature to the Son, so that by "Spirit" is understood the spiritual divine nature; hence the Gloss (Glossa interlinearis, at John 3:34, 5.1081.) says in the same place that the Son is as great as the Father, for he begot a Son equal to himself. But here also the meaning does not agree with the following words, for there it is added that the Father loves the Son (John 3:35), as though the love of the Father for the Son is understood to be the reason for the previously mentioned gift.

And neither can one say that love is the reason for the eternal generation, for personal love is more from what is generated, whereas essential love pertains to the will; however, it is not granted that the Father begot the Son by means of will. (Haeretici Eunomiani ut refert Augustine, On the Trinity, bk. 15, ch. 20 (PL 42:1087); cf. Peter Lombard, Sentences, bk. 1, d. 6, ch. 1.) Therefore, another meaning is held in the Gloss, such that it refers to the union of the Word with human nature. For God's very Word, which is the divine Wisdom, is shared with each creature according to some determinate measure, inasmuch as God scatters signs of his wisdom among all of his works, according to what it says in Sirach 1:10: he poured it out, namely wisdom, over all of his works and over all flesh, and grants it according to his gift to all those who love him. But the Word itself is wholly united without measure to the human nature in Christ, such that by the "Spirit" which is not given according to measure is understood God's Word itself; hence, the Gloss says in the same place: (Glossa ordinaria, at John 3:34, addition 3, 5.1084.) since the Father begot a full and perfect Word, thus also is he fully and perfectly united to human nature.

But here also the meaning does not completely agree with the following words: for this gift, about which the previously mentioned words are speaking, is shown to be given to the Son when it adds the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hands (John 3:35). However, there is not something given to the Son by the union, but rather it is given to man that he might be the Son. Thus, the previously mentioned words seem to properly pertain to habitual grace, in which the Holy Spirit is shown to be given to Christ's soul, but presupposing the union by which that man was God's Son: however, simply speaking, this grace was finite, though in some manner infinite.

In evidence of this one must know how the finite and the infinite are understood with regard to quantity, as is clear from the Philosopher in the Physics. (Aristotle, Physics 1.3, 185b2.) However, there are two kinds of quantity, namely dimensional, which is considered according to extension, and virtual, which is understood according to intensity; for the virtue of a thing is its perfection according to what the Philosopher says in the Physics: (Aristotle, Physics 7.3, 246b28, 8.25.) anything is perfect when it attains its own virtue; and so the virtual quantity of any form is understood with respect to the manner of its own perfection. However, both quantities are diversified by many things; for under dimensional quantity are contained length, breadth, and depth, and number in potency; however, virtual quantity is distinguished into as many kinds as there are natures or forms, the manner of which perfection causes the entire measure of the quantity.

However, it happens that what is finite with respect to one quantity is infinite with respect to another. This is clear if one takes both quantities as being dimensional, for any surface can be understood as finite according to width and infinite according to length. This is also manifest if one quantity is taken as dimensional and the other as virtual; for if a white body is understood to be infinite, this whiteness will not be understood, for this reason, to be infinite intensively, but only by extension or incidentally; for something could be found whiter. Nevertheless, the same thing is clear if each quantity is virtual, for in one and the same thing different virtual quantities can be understood according to their different notions which are predicated of them; as for example, from the fact that something is called a being, virtual quantity is considered in it with respect to the perfection of existence, and it is called sensitive from the perfection of sensing, and so on for the others.

Therefore, something cannot be infinite with respect to the notion of existence, except with respect to that in which the perfection of existence is included, which can vary in infinitely many ways. Only God is infinite in this way according to essence, for his existence is not limited to some determinate perfection, but he includes in himself every manner of perfection to which the notion of existence can extend; and so he is infinite according to essence. However, this infinitude cannot belong to any creature, for the existence of any creature is limited to the perfection of its own form. Therefore, if a sensitive soul is understood to have in itself whatever can contribute in any way to the perfection of sensing, that soul will indeed be finite according to essence, for its existence is limited to some perfection of existence, namely sensible existence, which the perfection of intelligence exceeds; yet it would be infinite with respect to the notion of the sensible, for its sensitivity would be limited to no determinate kind of sensation.

I am speaking in a similar way of Christ's habitual grace which is finite according to essence, for its existence is limited to some species of existence, namely to the notion of grace: for since the perfection of a thing can be considered in infinite ways with respect to grace, none of these was lacking to Christ, but he possessed grace in himself according to every fullness and perfection to which the notion of this species, namely of grace, can extend. The Gloss clearly has this same view, which it states in the same place (Glossa ordinaria, at John 3:34, 5.1082.) saying: God gives the spirit to men according to measure, but to the Son not according to measure; rather, just as he generated his Son completely from himself, so also did he give the entire Spirit to his incarnate Son, not in a partial manner and not by subdivision, but rather universally and generally. Augustine likewise says in the Letter to Dardanus (Augustine, Letter to Dardanus, Epist. 187, ch. 13, ch. 57, n.40 (PL 33:847); sec. litteram Peter Lombard, Sentences, bk. 3, d. 13, ch. 1.) that Christ is the head in which are all the senses; but in the saints, to whom the Spirit is given according to measure, there is only touch, as it were.

Therefore, it must be said that Christ's grace was finite according to essence, but it was infinite according to the perfection of the notion of grace.

Reply Obj. 1: Therefore, the solution to the first objection is clear from what has been said.

Reply Obj. 2: To the second it must be said that since grace is finite according to essence but infinite according to the notion of grace, God can make an essence better than the essence of grace, yet not something better within the genus of grace, for Christ's grace includes all that to which the notion of grace can extend.

Reply Obj. 3: To the third it must be said that a creature's capacity is named according to the potential for receptivity that is in it. However, there are two kinds of potency for receiving that belong to a creature: one is natural, which can be completely satisfied, for this only extends to natural perfections; another is obediential potency, according to which it is able to receive something from God; and such a capacity cannot be filled, for whatever God does to a creature, it still remains in potency for receiving from God. However, its mode, which increases when its goodness increases, follows more upon the measure of received perfection than on the measure of the capacity for receiving.

Reply Obj. 4: To the fourth it must be said that form is the principle of action; however, inasmuch as it is existing in act, it is not possible that an action infinitely intense should proceed from a form whose essence is finite. Hence, Christ's merit was not infinite according to an intensity of act, for he loved and knew in a finite manner; rather, it had a certain infinitude from the circumstance of the person, which was of an infinite dignity; for however much one humbles oneself, so much is one's humility found to be praiseworthy.

Reply Obj. 5: To the fifth it must be said that although charity or the grace of a wayfarer can be increased to infinity, yet it can never attain to an equality with Christ's grace. For that some finite thing could attain to a finite quantity, however large, by continual increase has some truth, if one understands the same notion of quantity to be in each finite thing, as when we compare a line to a line or whiteness to whiteness: however, not if one understands different notions of quantity. This is manifest in dimensional quantity; for however much a line is increased in length, its width will never reach the width of a surface. This is similarly manifest in virtual or intensive quantity: for however much the knowledge of one who knows God by likeness should increase, it will never become equal to the knowledge of a possessor, who sees God essentially. In a similar way, the love of a wayfarer cannot be equal to the love of a possessor, for one is affected differently by presence and absence. Similarly, however much the grace of a man, who possesses grace according to a particular participation, should increase, it can never become equal to Christ's grace, which is full in all respects.

Reply Obj. 6: To the sixth it must be said that the capacity of Christ's soul is finite and God can make a better and greater created capacity than Christ's soul, if it should be separated from the Word according to understanding. Yet it does not follow that he can make a better Christ, for Christ has goodness from another, namely from union with the Word, and it is from this aspect of his that no greater goodness can be understood.

Reply Obj. 7: The solution to the seventh is clear from this.

Reply Obj. 8: To the eighth it must be said that Christ's soul has power over infinitely many things from the circumstance of the person, from which his merit also possesses infinity, as was previously mentioned. (Ad. 4.)