Lecture 91

91. Divine Justice and Distributive Order in God

Summary
This lecture examines whether justice belongs to God, focusing on Thomas Aquinas’s distinction between commutative justice (exchange between equals) and distributive justice (distribution by a governor according to merit). Berquist explains why commutative justice does not apply to God while distributive justice supremely characterizes God’s ordering of the universe. The lecture also addresses objections about God’s will, God’s nature, and whether justice can be attributed to a being that owes nothing to anyone.

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Two Kinds of Justice #

  • Commutative Justice (iustitia commutativa): Rightness in exchanges and mutual dealings between equals; what is directive of exchanges or communications (buying, selling, etc.)
    • Does NOT belong to God since God owes nothing to creatures and nothing can be returned to Him
    • Based on Aristotle’s analysis in Nicomachean Ethics, Book 5
  • Distributive Justice (iustitia distributiva): Rightness in distribution by a governor or dispenser who gives to each according to their worth and dignity
    • DOES belong to God supremely
    • Expressed in God’s ordering of the universe according to His wisdom and goodness
    • Each creature receives what is suitable to it according to its nature and dignity

Divine Justice as Order #

  • Justice in God is not a separate virtue but an expression of His will ordered by His wisdom
  • The order of the universe—both in natural things and voluntary things—manifests God’s justice
  • God distributes to all creatures what belongs to them according to their worth and dignity, preserving each in its own order and power
  • This reflects Pseudo-Dionysius’s understanding: God’s true justice consists in distributing to all what is suitable to each according to their nature

Key Arguments #

Objection 1: Justice is divided against temperance #

  • Problem: Temperance is not found in God; therefore neither is justice
  • Response: Temperance concerns what is pleasing to the body; God has no body. But justice resides in the will, which does belong to God
  • Implication: The order of virtues differs in creatures (concerned with passions) versus God (concerned with reason and will)

Objection 2: God acts according to His will, not justice #

  • Problem: Whoever does things at his own will does not operate according to justice. God does all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians); therefore justice is not attributed to God
  • Response: God’s will is ordered by His wisdom, which is His law. What God wills, He wills justly

Objection 3: God owes nothing to anyone #

  • Problem: The act of justice is to render what is owed to another. God is debtor to no one; therefore justice does not belong to God
  • Response: Justice means giving to each what is owed to it by its nature and condition. God renders what is owed to creatures by giving them what their nature requires

Objection 4: Justice belongs to acts, not essence #

  • Problem: Whatever is in God is His very essence. But justice regards acts, not essence (per Boethius); therefore justice does not belong to God
  • Response: In God, the act and essence coincide; but this distinction reflects the order of theological consideration, not a real distinction in God

Important Definitions #

Justice in God #

Distributive Justice: The divine ordering of creation according to wisdom and goodness, giving to each creature what accords with its nature, worth, and dignity. This is the proper sense in which justice belongs to God.

Divine Order #

The arrangement of all things in the universe according to God’s wisdom, both in natural things (the order of nature) and voluntary things (the order of acts), manifesting God’s distributive justice.

Examples & Illustrations #

Distributive Justice in Human Context #

  • A father as head of household distributes different goods to different children according to their needs and natures (not the same to boys and girls, big and little)
  • A ruler or governor distributes goods to citizens according to merit and need
  • These human examples illustrate how distributive justice works and provide an analogy for understanding divine justice

God’s Distributive Justice #

  • God gives different natures and capacities to different creatures according to what suits each
  • God ordained human nature to be assumed by the Word, giving it a unique dignity and good
  • God distributes grace and glory to creatures according to their capacity and merit

Questions Addressed #

Does Justice Belong to God? #

Resolution: Yes, distributive justice belongs to God supremely. God orders all creation according to His wisdom and goodness, giving to each creature what is suitable to its nature and dignity. Commutative justice does not apply to God since He owes nothing to creatures and nothing can be returned to Him.

Why Discuss Justice Before Mercy? #

Answer: Justice resides in the will (a virtue), while mercy appears to belong to emotion or passion (pity). Since virtues of the will are more properly attributed to God than passions, justice is discussed first. However, God’s mercy may be even more primary in some senses, though justice is more clearly attributed to Him.

Theological Context #

This discussion sets up the transition to examining divine mercy (Question 21) and their relationship. The foundation of divine justice established here will show how mercy and justice work together in God’s providence, rather than being opposed to each other.