Autor: Stebbins, J. Michael

Buch: The Divine Initiative

Titel: The Divine Initiative

Stichwort: Gnade - Verdienst - Adam;

Kurzinhalt: Adam had within himself the ability to avoid sinning, but that without the help of grace he could neither will nor carry out meritorious acts

Textausschnitt: 28/3 The psychological interpretation of grace also hampered early scholastic attempts to explain the basis of the doctrine of merit, which states that good works performed with the help of grace are truly meritorious of eternal salvation. There was never any question that grace is necessary for merit; the problem lay in pinning down the reason for that necessity. In the case of fallen human nature the connection could be explained as follows. 'Merit' denotes a worthiness for reward based, in a manner determined by the giver of the reward, on one's performance. The merit that leads to eternal life is the result of faithfully carrying out God's commandments. The highest of these is the commandment to love God above all things, but such love is not possible for human beings because of nature's sin-induced debility. Thus grace - specifically, the virtue of charity - is a sine qua non for merit, for it alone can cause the will to love God as God commands. (75f; Fs)
29/3 The case of our first parents, however, proved more refractory. Theologians agreed with Augustine's view that prior to the fall Adam had within himself the ability to avoid sinning, but that without the help of grace he could neither will nor carry out meritorious acts. Since he had not yet sinned, however, and so did not need to be cured of sin's detrimental effects, they were at a loss to explain coherently how grace, conceived as gratia sanans, effected the meritoriousness of Adam's acts. One solution, advanced by Peter Lombard and others, posited the expenditure of effort as a condition of merit, noted that before the fall Adam did not have to struggle to resist temptation, and so concluded that his acts could be rendered meritorious only through grace. Another, less common solution held that Adam could not merit without grace because he was neither in via nor in patria. The awkwardness of these responses reveals rather starkly the underlying confusion resulting from the inability to grasp the supernatural character of the reward of which grace makes one worthy. (76; Fs)