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Objection 1: It would seem that lifeless faith does not become
living, or living faith lifeless. For, according to 1 Cor.
13:10, "when that which is perfect is come, that which is in
part shall be done away." Now lifeless faith is imperfect in
comparison with living faith. Therefore when living faith comes,
lifeless faith is done away, so that they are not one identical habit.
Objection 2: Further, a dead thing does not become a living thing.
Now lifeless faith is dead, according to James 2:20: "Faith
without works is dead." Therefore lifeless faith cannot become
living.
Objection 3: Further, God's grace, by its advent, has no less
effect in a believer than in an unbeliever. Now by coming to an
unbeliever it causes the habit of faith. Therefore when it comes to a
believer, who hitherto had the habit of lifeless faith, it causes
another habit of faith in him.
Objection 4: Further, as Boethius says (In Categ. Arist.
i), "accidents cannot be altered." Now faith is an accident.
Therefore the same faith cannot be at one time living, and at
another, lifeless.
On the contrary, A gloss on the words, "Faith without works is
dead" (James 2:20) adds, "by which it lives once more."
Therefore faith which was lifeless and without form hitherto, becomes
formed and living.
I answer that, There have been various opinions on this question.
For some [William of Auxerre, Sum. Aur. III, iii, 15]
have said that living and lifeless faith are distinct habits, but that
when living faith comes, lifeless faith is done away, and that, in
like manner, when a man sins mortally after having living faith, a new
habit of lifeless faith is infused into him by God. But it seems
unfitting that grace should deprive man of a gift of God by coming to
him, and that a gift of God should be infused into man, on account of
a mortal sin.
Consequently others [Alexander of Hales, Sum. Theol. iii,
64] have said that living and lifeless faith are indeed distinct
habits, but that, all the same, when living faith comes the habit of
lifeless faith is not taken away, and that it remains together with the
habit of living faith in the same subject. Yet again it seems
unreasonable that the habit of lifeless faith should remain inactive in
a person having living faith.
We must therefore hold differently that living and lifeless faith are
one and the same habit. The reason is that a habit is differentiated
by that which directly pertains to that habit. Now since faith is a
perfection of the intellect, that pertains directly to faith, which
pertains to the intellect. Again, what pertains to the will, does
not pertain directly to faith, so as to be able to differentiate the
habit of faith. But the distinction of living from lifeless faith is
in respect of something pertaining to the will, i.e. charity, and
not in respect of something pertaining to the intellect. Therefore
living and lifeless faith are not distinct habits.
Reply to Objection 1: The saying of the Apostle refers to those
imperfect things from which imperfection is inseparable, for then,
when the perfect comes the imperfect must needs be done away. Thus
with the advent of clear vision, faith is done away, because it is
essentially "of the things that appear not." When, however,
imperfection is not inseparable from the imperfect thing, the same
identical thing which was imperfect becomes perfect. Thus childhood is
not essential to man and consequently the same identical subject who was
a child, becomes a man. Now lifelessness is not essential to faith,
but is accidental thereto as stated above. Therefore lifeless faith
itself becomes living.
Reply to Objection 2: That which makes an animal live is
inseparable from an animal, because it is its substantial form, viz.
the soul: consequently a dead thing cannot become a living thing, and
a living and a dead thing differ specifically. On the other hand that
which gives faith its form, or makes it live, is not essential to
faith. Hence there is no comparison.
Reply to Objection 3: Grace causes faith not only when faith begins
anew to be in a man, but also as long as faith lasts. For it has been
said above (FP, Question 104, Article 1; FS, Question
109, Article 9) that God is always working man's
justification, even as the sun is always lighting up the air. Hence
grace is not less effective when it comes to a believer than when it
comes to an unbeliever: since it causes faith in both, in the former
by confirming and perfecting it, in the latter by creating it anew.
We might also reply that it is accidental, namely on account of the
disposition of the subject, that grace does not cause faith in one who
has it already: just as, on the other hand, a second mortal sin does
not take away grace from one who has already lost it through a previous
mortal sin.
Reply to Objection 4: When living faith becomes lifeless, faith is
not changed, but its subject, the soul, which at one time has faith
without charity, and at another time, with charity.
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