294. The Division of Grace: Gratum Faciens and Gratis Datum
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Lecture Notes
Main Topics #
The Division of Grace into Two Types #
- Gratia Gratum Faciens: Grace that justifies and sanctifies the person receiving it; makes one acceptable to God formally (as a form, not as an efficient cause)
- Gratia Gratis Data: Freely given grace not primarily for the sanctification of the recipient, but for the benefit of others (e.g., prophecy, healing, teaching)
- Both types are gratuitous (freely given by God), but they differ in their purpose and effect
Logical Naming Conventions #
Thomas employs a specific pattern of naming where:
- The more perfect or complete realization of a concept retains the common name
- The less perfect or less complete receives a new name
- Example: All grace is technically “gratis” (freely given), but gratia gratum faciens adds something distinctive (making one acceptable), so gratia gratis data retains the common name
- This parallels other divisions: man vs. animal (reason added to sensation), habit vs. disposition (stability added), thumb vs. fingers (opposition function)
Two Kinds of Debt #
Natural gifts lack two debts:
- Debt of merit (preceding merit of the person)
- Debt of nature (creatures ought to be subject to God)
Supernatureal gifts (grace) lack both debts, making them most properly called “grace”
Grace as Formal Cause #
- Grace makes one acceptable to God formally (as a form), not efficiently (as an efficient cause)
- Through grace, a man is justified, reordered, and worthy to be called pleasing to God
- This formal causality must be distinguished from efficient causality
The Order of Divine Things #
- “The things which are from God are ordered” (Romans 11:36)
- Grace is ordered to lead man back to God
- Some are led back to God through others, establishing a twofold division of grace:
- Grace by which a man himself is joined to God (gratum faciens)
- Grace by which one man cooperates with another for the other’s return to God (gratis data)
Key Arguments #
Against the Division Being Suitable #
Objection 1: All grace is gratis datum (freely given by God); therefore, you cannot distinguish grace gratis datum from grace gratum faciens.
Response: Grace gratum faciens adds something to the notion of grace (it makes one acceptable). Following the pattern of logical division, one species retains the common name while another receives a new name based on what distinguishes it. Thus gratia gratis data retains the common name for grace that does not have the effect of making one acceptable.
Objection 2: Natural gifts are also given gratuitously without preceding merit. Therefore, why don’t they receive the name “grace”?
Response: Natural gifts lack the first debt (merit) but not the second debt (creatures ought to be subject to God according to their nature). Supernatural gifts lack both debts, and thus more properly deserve the name “grace” in its specialized sense.
Objection 3: Every division must be by opposites. But grace gratum faciens is itself gratis datum according to Romans 3:24. Therefore, how can gratia gratis data be opposed to gratia gratum faciens?
Response: The opposition is between gratum faciens and non faciens gratum. The term “gratia gratis data” retains the common name, just as we say “number and even number” where the common name applies to both but the specific name marks the distinction.
The Formal Causality of Grace #
Grace functions as a formal cause (forma) by which a man is justified and made acceptable, not as an efficient external cause. This is clarified through the example of wood and table: the shape makes it a table (formally), while the carpenter is the efficient cause. Similarly, grace formally constitutes acceptability to God.
The Two Orders of Debt #
Thomas distinguishes between:
- Debt of Merit: Things owed to God on account of meritorious deeds of the person (belongs to natural law)
- Debt of Nature: Things owed to God by creatures on account of their nature (all creatures ought to be subject to God)
Supernatureal grace transcends both, making it purely gratuitous.
Important Definitions #
Gratia Gratum Faciens #
(Grace making acceptable) - Supernatural grace that sanctifies the person receiving it, makes them pleasing to God, and is the principle from which infused virtues flow. Ordered to the justification and perfection of the individual soul.
Gratia Gratis Data #
(Freely given grace) - Supernatural grace given for the benefit of others rather than for the sanctification of the recipient; does not necessarily justify the one who possesses it but cooperates in leading others to God. Examples include prophecy, healing, teaching, and wisdom.
Formal Cause (Causa Formalis) #
The intrinsic principle by which something is what it is; in the case of grace, what makes a person acceptable to God. Distinguished from efficient cause (external agent producing an effect).
Two-fold Debt (Duplex Debitum) #
Debt arising from merit/works (attached to the person’s actions) and debt arising from nature (what creatures owe God by their nature). Supernatural grace lacks both, making it purely gratuitous.
Examples & Illustrations #
The Light Bulb and Vision #
Berquist uses a scenario: in a dark room with one light bulb providing illumination, if someone strikes the bulb, seeing is interrupted. This demonstrates two ways interference with an operation can occur: (1) attacking the organ itself, or (2) attacking the object necessary for the operation. Similarly, interference with thinking can occur through damaging the brain (organ) or removing the sensory image (object), but this does not prove that understanding itself resides in the body.
The Triangle and Universality #
Imagining a particular triangle (isosceles, scalene, or equilateral) versus understanding “triangle” universally demonstrates the immateriality of the intellect. The imagination grasps only particulars; reason grasps universals. This universality cannot be a bodily operation, showing that understanding is not confined to the body.
Man vs. Animal #
All men are animals, but man receives a distinct name because of an additional perfection (reason). Similarly, gratia gratum faciens is a kind of grace but receives a distinct consideration because it adds something to the common notion of grace (making one acceptable). The common name applies to both, but the specific name marks the distinction.
Thumb and Fingers #
The thumb is functionally a finger but receives a special name because of its unique opposition function (capacity to oppose other fingers). This illustrates how a species of something retains the common name while another part receives a new name based on what distinguishes it. The distinction serves an explanatory purpose—it makes us understand both what they have in common and what sets one apart.
The Sacraments #
Berquist discusses how seven sacraments divide into two groups:
- Five sacraments ordered to the good of the individual receiving them (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction)
- Two sacraments ordered to the good of the Church or others (Holy Orders, Matrimony) - their primary purpose is not the sanctification of the recipient but the service to others or procreation
This parallels the division of grace: the first five correspond to gratia gratum faciens (ordered to individual sanctification), while the latter two correspond more to gratia gratis data (ordered to the common good).
Notable Quotes #
“Grace is not said to make one gratum, effectively, right, as an efficient effect, but formaliter, right, as a form, right? To it, that through this a man is what? Justified, reordered, right?” — Thomas Aquinas (cited by Berquist)
“The things which are from God are ordered.” — Romans 11:36 (cited by Thomas Aquinas)
“Since therefore grace is ordered to this, that man might be led back to what? God, huh? That’s interesting. He didn’t say that man might be led to God, but led back to God, huh?” — Berquist, emphasizing the restoration of man to God through grace
“To each one is given the manifestation of the spirit out of utility taught them, right? Of others, right?” — 1 Corinthians 12:7 (cited by Thomas Aquinas to illustrate gratia gratis data)
Questions Addressed #
Can Grace Be Divided If All Grace Is Gratuitous? #
Question: Isn’t all grace “gratis” (freely given)? How can you meaningfully divide grace into gratia gratis data and gratia gratum faciens if both are gratuitous?
Answer: Both are gratuitous, but gratia gratum faciens adds something essential to the common notion of grace—it makes one acceptable to God and justifies. Following logical division principles (as seen in Porphyry’s Isagoge), when a species has an additional distinguishing feature, it receives its own name while the other retains the common name. Gratia gratis data is properly called “grace” without qualification because it most emphasizes the gratuitous nature, while gratia gratum faciens emphasizes the effect of making acceptable.
Why Doesn’t Natural Gift Count as Grace? #
Question: Natural gifts like reason are also given without preceding merit. Why aren’t they called “grace”?
Answer: Natural gifts lack the debt of merit but not the debt of nature—creatures are ordered to be subject to God according to their nature. Supernatural gifts lack both debts entirely, making them purely gratuitous and thus most properly called “grace” in the strict sense.
How Does Grace Function as a Cause? #
Question: If grace makes us acceptable, how does it work—is it an efficient cause or something else?
Answer: Grace functions as a formal cause (forma), not an efficient cause. Just as a table’s shape (formally) makes it a table while the carpenter (efficiently) made it, grace formally constitutes acceptability to God. This formal causality must be distinguished carefully from external efficient causation.
What Is the Purpose of Gratia Gratis Data? #
Question: If gratia gratis data doesn’t sanctify the recipient, what is its purpose, and who receives it?
Answer: Gratia gratis data is given so that one person may cooperate in leading another back to God. It includes charisms like prophecy, healing, teaching, and wisdom—gifts that build up the Church and serve the common good. It is not ordered to the personal sanctification of the possessor but to the utility of others.