24. Christ's Nature, Grace, and the Heretical Objection

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Heretical Objection and Its Refutation #

• Father Dressler’s Syllogism: “No human being can be God; Jesus Christ is a human being; therefore, Jesus Christ is not God”
• Logical Analysis: The form of the argument is valid; the defect lies in the matter (the premises)
• The Equivocation: “Human being” is used in two senses—as human nature vs. human person—creating a fallacy of four terms
• Thomas’s Three Uses of Philosophy in Theology: (1) for preambula fidei (things knowable by reason and faith), (2) for likenesses and images, (3) to answer objections through proper distinctions

The Distinction Between Nature and Person (Hypostasis) #

• Human Nature: That by which one is a human being; does not include all properties of an individual
• Human Person/Individual Substance: The concrete individual that possesses nature but is not identical to it
• The Example of Properties: A human being possesses human nature but is also a geometer, logician, white, healthy, etc.—properties that do not belong to human nature itself
• Application to Christ: The divine person (Son of God) assumes human nature without the human nature becoming divine in essence
• Key Insight: Christ is God by his divine nature and person, but his soul is not divine by essence; it becomes divine through grace (participation)

The Problem of Divine Immutability and “Becoming” #

• The Paradox: Scripture says “the Word was made flesh” and “became man,” yet God never changes
• The Word “Became” Problem: “Becoming” ordinarily signifies change, but God cannot change
• The Resolution Through Analogy: When God “becomes” man, this does not signify change in God but rather something being drawn and terminated at the divine person
• The Point and Lines Analogy: A point that is the end of line A can become the end of line B without the point itself changing; similarly, the divine person draws human nature to itself
• The Father and Son Height Analogy: A father becomes shorter than his son without shrinking; the son’s growth makes the relational statement true without change in the father
• Aristotle’s Categories of Change: Change in relation does not require change in the subject itself; this is distinct from change in quantity, quality, or place

Habitual Grace in Christ #

Why Grace Must Exist in Christ’s Soul #

Thomas provides three reasons:

1. Union with the Word: The soul united to God receives the greatest influx of divine grace. The closer something receptive is to the cause flowing divine influence, the more it participates in that influence. Christ’s soul cannot be closer to the source of grace than to be united to God in the same person.

2. Nobility of the Soul’s Operations: Christ’s human operations must attain most nearly to God through knowledge and love (in his human nature, not divine nature). To achieve this elevation by human means alone is impossible; grace is necessary to perfect human nature for such operations.

3. Relation to the Human Race: Christ as mediator between God and humanity must have grace overflowing into others (John 1:16). His grace is not for himself alone but for the redemption and sanctification of all people.

Addressing Objections #

• Objection 1: Christ is God by truth, not by participation, so he needs no grace. Response: The human soul is not divine by essence; it becomes divine through grace. The distinction between the two natures remains even in the hypostatic union.
• Objection 2: Christ inherited eternal life by being the natural Son of God and had the power to do all good by being the Word; therefore he needs no additional grace. Response: Christ needs grace not for inheritance or power in the divine sense, but to elevate his human soul to achieve divine operations through human knowledge and love.
• Objection 3: An inanimate instrument (like a hammer) needs no habit for proper use; Christ’s humanity is an instrument of divinity; therefore Christ needs no habitual grace. Response: Christ’s humanity is not an inanimate instrument but an instrument animated by a rational soul that acts. Therefore, habitual grace is necessary for the suitability of human action.

Key Arguments #

Logical Refutation of the Heretical Objection #

• The syllogism has valid form (first figure) but defective matter
• The major premise (“No human being can be God”) is true only if “human being” means “by virtue of human nature”
• The minor premise (“Jesus Christ is a human being”) is true in that Christ has human nature
• But the minor premise is false if “human being” means “human person”
• Since the terms are equivocal, the syllogism commits the fallacy of four terms despite its formal validity
• Resolution: By the distinction between nature and person, the divine person can possess human nature without that nature being divine

For Habitual Grace in Christ #

• Proximity principle: The closer a receptive being is to the source of an influence, the more it participates in that influence
• Elevation principle: Human nature requires grace to be elevated to divine operations (knowledge and love of God)
• Mediation principle: Christ’s role as mediator requires grace to overflow to others for their sanctification

Important Definitions #

Grace (gratia) #

• Definition: A partaking of the divine nature in a rational creature (from 2 Peter 1:4)
• Habitual Grace: A permanent quality of the soul enabling supernatural operation
• Grace of Union (gratia unionis): The personal being freely given to human nature in the person of the Word (mentioned as already discussed)

Human Nature vs. Human Person #

• Human Nature: That by which one is a human being; the essence that makes something human
• Human Person/Hypostasis (ὑπόστασις): The individual substance, the concrete particular that possesses nature
• Key Distinction: A person possesses nature but is not identical to it; a person has properties beyond what belongs to the nature itself

Becoming (in theology) #

• In theological language, “becoming” can signify a change of relation rather than a change in the subject
• When applied to God and the incarnation, it does not signify change in God but rather the drawing of human nature to the divine person

Examples & Illustrations #

The Point and Lines Analogy #

• A point (x) is the terminus of line A
• When line B is drawn to the same point, that point becomes the terminus of line B
• The point itself has not changed; it was there before and remains unchanged
• Application: The divine person draws human nature to itself, making the person both God and man, without change in the divine nature

The Father and Son Height Analogy #

• A father is initially taller than his son
• As the son grows, he eventually becomes taller than his father
• It is true to say “the father has become shorter than the son,” yet the father has not shrunk
• The change is in the son; the relational statement is true without any change in the father
• Application: God “became man” through the assumption of human nature by the divine person, without change in God himself

The Hammer and Tool Analogy #

• A hammer does not need a habit (virtue) to be used well by a craftsman
• The habit is founded in the principal agent (the craftsman), not in the instrument itself
• Initial Objection: If Christ’s humanity is an instrument of divinity, it needs no habitual grace
• Response: Christ’s humanity is not an inanimate tool; it is animated by a rational soul that acts, and therefore requires habitual grace for the suitability of its operations

Notable Quotes #

“No human being can be God, and Jesus was a human being. It’s as simple as that.” - Father Dressler (the heretical objection)

“Grace is a certain partaking of the divine nature in a rational creature.” - 2 Peter 1:4 (definition of grace, cited by Thomas)

“The Word was made flesh.” - John 1:14 (Scripture passage discussed regarding divine immutability and becoming)

“Of his fullness we have all received grace for grace.” - John 1:16 (cited regarding Christ’s grace overflowing to others)

“The humanity of Christ is an instrument of his divinity, not as an inanimate instrument, which in no way acts, but as an instrument animated by a rational soul, which thus acts.” - Thomas Aquinas (key distinction for understanding grace in Christ)

“The soul of Christ is not through what it is, through its essence, divine.” - Thomas Aquinas (resolution of the apparent contradiction)

Questions Addressed #

1. How can Christ be both God and human if no human being can be God?

   • Through the distinction between human nature and human person; the divine person assumes human nature without the nature being divine

2. How can God “become” man without undergoing change?

   • “Becoming” in this context signifies a change of relation, not change in God; human nature is drawn to the pre-existing divine person

3. Why must Christ have habitual grace in his soul?

   • For three reasons: his union with the Word (proximity to the source of grace), the elevation of his human operations to divine knowledge and love, and his role as mediator whose grace overflows to others

4. If Christ is the instrument of God’s divinity, does he need habitual grace?

   • Yes, because he is not an inanimate instrument but an animate one with a rational soul that acts and requires perfection by grace