“Those He Predestined He Also Called” (Rom 8:30): Aquinas on the Liberating Grace of Conversion
Thomas Aquinas’s account of the ongoing conversion of the moral life is shaped by a catena of scriptural texts from the Old and New Testament, from the Gospel and the Pauline letters, all of which, for him, underline the primacy of God’s grace and our need for divine help to attain the true freedom...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Journal of Moral Theology, Inc.
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Moral Theology |
| Online Access: | https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/24528-those-he-predestined-he-also-called-rom-8-30-aquinas-on-the-liberating-grace-of-conversion |
| Summary: | Thomas Aquinas’s account of the ongoing conversion of the moral life is shaped by a catena of scriptural texts from the Old and New Testament, from the Gospel and the Pauline letters, all of which, for him, underline the primacy of God’s grace and our need for divine help to attain the true freedom of salvation. Thomas understands God’s grace to be liberating rather than coercive, beginning with the gift of conversion and leading God’s children in the freedom of a loving servitude that perseveres with filial fear and hope against temptation, towards the goal of eternal life. An outline of Thomas’s teaching on the grace of conversion in the Summa Theologiae is followed by an examination of his use of several Scriptural texts frequently associated with discussions of conversion in his biblical commentaries and other works: Lamentations (5:21), John (6:44), and Romans (6:23, 8:15 and 8:30). Thomas’s reflection on these texts deeply informs his mature account of conversion as a progressive journey powered by grace from beginning to end, through moral struggle towards freedom and final beatitude for God’s adopted children. |
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| ISSN: | 2166-2851 2166-2118 |