Luther vs. Aquinas on Grace and Justification

Paper Summary:

This paper considers the concept of grace and how it leads to justification, or salvation, for Christians, with a focus on the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas in the "Summa Theologica". It then considers the Protestant response to the issue with the "39 Articles" and the "Westminster Confessions".

From the Paper:

"The state of grace, for Aquinas, is completely intertwined with justification. He explains this concept by arguing that grace is the consequence of Divine love, from which the sins of man are remitted and he is made worthy of eternal life. It is clearly the position of Aquinas that, without grace, no person can merit eternal life. However, Aquinas takes a position where justification requires more than just the grace of God; it requires faith and a movement of free-will against sin. Specifically, he states that man must move his mind toward God , which in itself involves a shift in man's free will where he is moved away from sin and towards justice."

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