Summa Theologiae Moralis, vol. I: De Principiis

S. Th. II-II, q. 2, a. 2 and 9 ; q. 1, a. 1 ; De Verit., q. 14, a. 2, ad 10 and 13 ; a. 3, ad 10 ; a. 7, ad 3 ; III Sent., d. 23, q.

696. Thesis. For the act of faith the command of the will is also required. — The second act required for faith, namely, is the motion of the will ; this is certain because it is explicitly taught by the Vat. Counc., sess. 3, c. 3, calling faith « the obedience of the will », and indeed it follows immediately from what it defined about the freedom of faith (can. 5).

The analysis of this is as follows : the will moves to assent to revealed things and commands it on account of its own proper motive ; but the proper motive of the will is the good ; hence it moves the intellect to believe, e.g. because it is good to believe, because to believe is useful, because it is good to tend to the ultimate end by faith, because it is good not to act irrationally. « That will, says S. Thomas, De Verit., q. 14, a. 2, ad 10, which determines the intellect to believe, is not an act of charity, nor an act of hope, but a certain appetite (or simple volition) of the good promised », e.g. John VI, 69. This act of the will moving the intellect to believe is called by theologians after the Council of Orange II the pious affection of credulity, i.e. a pious inclination to believe.

697. Corollary : What it is to believe God, to believe God, and to believe in God. — From the foregoing we understand, following S. Augustine in John, tr. 29, that S. Thomas teaches (a. 2) that by the act of faith we believe God, God, and in God. For to believe is an act of the intellect commanded by the will. On the part of the intellect, God is the primary material object, and this we signify by saying : I believe God ; He is also the formal object, and this we signify by saying : I believe God, namely, with authority speaking. On the part of the will, however, this commands the act of faith by tending to God as to an end, and this we signify by saying : I believe in God. We do not do this last perfectly except through charity, and so without this faith is called imperfect or unformed.

On the contrary, by divine faith we do not believe the Church, because the Church is not the formal object of this faith, although we may believe her by human faith, or indeed by divine faith insofar as she is proposed by God Himself as the organ of faith.

698. The freedom of faith. — From the part of the motion of the will the act of faith has a property, namely, freedom, as the Council of Orange II (can. 5) and Trent (sess. 6, c. 6) already taught, and the Vatican Council defined (sess. 3, c. 3, can. 5), against the Rationalists and Hermes, who confuse faith with science.

It is a free act 1) not indeed radically, remotely, and accidentally, because we can fail to consider the motives of credibility, — or because the motives of credibility do not make us altogether certain of the revelation, as Lugo falsely teaches (as will be said in the next art., n. 703), which would explain freedom in the preambles but not in the act of faith itself ; — but

2. formally, proximately, and of itself, because, although the fact of revelation and the obligation to believe can be altogether certain and evident, nevertheless the truths to be believed are not in themselves evident for us ; hence the intellect does not necessarily assent to them, but for this the motion of the free will is required, especially

3. because we admit those truths by trusting the divine authority. From which it follows

a) the act of faith is free not only as to exercise, i.e. as to the use (like science), because we can fail to consider the motive or turn attention away from the object of belief, but also as to specification, or as to the assent, because while we consider the object, there remains the possibility of doubting, of not assenting, indeed of denying ; whence S. Thomas, a. 10 : « the act of faith... is subject to the will not only as to use, but also as to assent » ;

b) the act of faith can be meritorious, with charity, however, being present (a. 9 and 10).

The freedom of faith is given in Holy Scripture : a) once the preaching of the Gospel has been put forth, some believe, some do not believe, which is a sign of freedom (Acts XVII, 32-34 ; Rom. X, 16 ; Is. LXV) ; they do not believe because they do not seek the light but love the darkness (John III, 18-21) ;

b) believers are praised, unbelievers are reproved (Rom. IV, 3 ; Mk. XVI, 14 ; Apoc. II, 19 ; Lk. XXIV, 25 ; Acts VII, 39) ;

c) faith falls under a precept and a reward is ascribed to it, whereas infidelity is held as a grave sin worthy of eternal punishment (1 John III, 23 ; John III, 15 ; Rom. IV, 3 ; Mk. XVI, 16) ;

d) whence faith is called voluntary obedience (Rom. I, 5 ; X, 16 ; Acts VI, 7 ; 2 Cor. X, 5-6), by which it is believed from the heart, indeed with the whole heart (Rom. X, 9-10 ; Acts VIII, 37). Hence Augustine, in John tr. 26, n. 2 : « None can believe unless willing » ; and Irenaeus, adv. Haer. IV, 37, 5 : « The Lord preserved the free and self-determined choice of man not only in works but also in faith ; and for this reason, if anyone believes in Him, he has eternal life, but he who does not believe the Son does not have eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon him ».

Therefore the Church has never used force for the conversion of infidels.