Speaking to other denominations about the Catholic doctrine of justification can be incredibly fruitful. One element of justification that can easily be misunderstood is Infused Grace. We know that the meritorious cause of justification is by way of Christ’s cross (CCC, 1992). Infused grace answers how this justification is applied to us. For this reason, it’s important to thoroughly understand and openly discuss it.
The Holy Spirit: Gratia Infusia
Before we talk about the process of infusion, let’s talk about what the term itself means. The Latin root of the term means “to pour”. God’s grace is poured into us. This is not to say that grace is a physical quantity of something that is literally poured like a potion. Rather, the language is metaphorical. It is used in accordance with the poetic language of scripture to describe God’s bestowal of grace upon the soul. 1 Timothy 1:14 says “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
The Bible also uses language associated with the act of pouring to describe the reception of grace from God. Verses like Acts 2:4 and Luke 1:28 describe people being filled with grace, truth, and the spirit. In Philippians 1:11 Paul prays for the believers of Philippi to be filled with the fruits of righteousness.
Scripture also uses the same language to describe the working of the Holy Spirit inside of the justified believer. Romans 5:5 says that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Titus 3:6 says that God has poured the Spirit on us richly through Christ Jesus.
Imputation vs. Infusion
One of the biggest topics debated among Catholics and Protestants is the question of whether righteousness is infused or imputed. Both sides believe that we receive the grace of God. The dispute is a matter of how we receive God’s grace and exactly what that entails. Before diving into the comparisons, we must first define our terms to avoid confusion.
Typically, when Protestants think of righteousness, they think of it in terms of actions or accumulated works. According to imputation, Christ Himself fulfills the law perfectly in the place of the believer. He or she becomes justified when Christ’s perfect works are imputed to them and, in return, their filthy works are imputed to Him.
The Catholic view of righteousness is not so stark. In Catholic theology, righteousness is associated with sinful human nature and not exclusive with sinful works. Scripture uses the same Greek word synonymously for justification and righteousness (Romans 10:10 and Romans 4:5). That being said, Catholics view righteousness as an actual cleansing and renewal of the soul. (Trent, Session 6 ch.7)
The Authority of Scripture
Scripture vindicates the Catholic view of infusion over imputation on multiple levels. For one, scripture makes no mention of Christ’s perfect works being imputed to the believer. Verses like 1 Corinthians 5:21 are used as proof of the doctrine: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Proponents of imputation often refer to this verse as explaining “the great exchange”, namely, Christ exchanging His works for ours. In the book Faith Alone, for example, Thomas Schreiner notes that because Christ became sin for us, we received His righteousness. He cites this as an explanation of the great exchange (217).
Some aspects of the great exchange are true if properly understood. Christ became sin for us in the sense that He was made a sacrifice on our behalf, but not that He literally became the embodiment of sin. He also bore the Cross for us. However, the verse does not imply imputation. Rather, it was because of Christ’s loving sacrifice that we receive the righteousness of God through the cleansing of His Blood.
The Importance of Natures
New Testament scholars N.T. Wright points out the Greek understanding of the word “to become” in the passage (ginomai), and rightly so. In scripture, the word ginomai means literally to become something by its very nature. Matthew 17:2 describes the nature of Christ’s clothing in the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor as changing from one state to another. His clothes became white as light in their nature.
In this same way, when God makes us righteous, our nature changes. Our souls are made clean by God upon justification. 1 John 1:9 says that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The doctrine of righteousness within Catholicism is therefore based on both the nature of grace and humanity. Actual grace is the push from God to respond positively to entrance into the divine life. Sanctifying grace is the permanent grace we receive that enables us to live out a holy life (CCC, 1997). Both require divine initiative and human response.
The very concept of grace is viewed differently in most Protestant circles. In Protestantism, grace is usually seen as God directly bestowing favor and gifts in such a way that human interaction is only involved in its reception. Catholic theology, on the contrary, understands grace not as a one-sided gift but as an actual motivator in which the individual responds to God (Acts 7:51).To the extent that we live out this grace in the circumstances of our lives, the more it increases (Romans 5:1-2).
5 thoughts on “An Exposition on Infused Grace”
Its a good defense of infusion. But infusion is confusion. Allow me to explain — tea is an infusion of tea (or more precisely the chemicals and particles of the leaves) and hot water. Once steeped, we have tea. The tea is in the water and the water is in the tea. And they are inseparable. As a side note, no one likes lukewarm tea. Hot or cold, thank you very much. Tea is therefore a con–fusion of two elements whose quality as a fusion depends not only on the goodness of the tea but the purity of the water. No one makes tea with puddle mud.
But we are sinners, and sin too is an infusion. Like leaven it infects the dough, transforming it, making it a new thing, inseparable elements combined.
But so too is righteousness like leaven. There is a parable for that, but it is a difficult one. There is a woman and there are three measures of flour. Not one. Three.
So infusion is good but admittedly a protracted process.
Much difficulty arises when we picture things happening instantaneously. Even the new birth is a process. It involves an impregnation of divine seed into the human heart. If anything like a feminine birthing in labor pains is involved it is on our part. We groan for the fulfilment of righteousness, and scripture speaks this way.
Perhaps other problems are caused by reductive theological thinking. Here the Protestants innovated nothing. Scholasticism had provided the model for centuries.
So back to the tea. How do you get good water to make a good infusion?
Protestant doctrine states the water (we) are not good, only legally good. Which is fine for pretend tea. Which little girls may drink with teddy bears.
Catholic doctrine fails to account for purification of the water, making infusion a moot doctrine unless a sanctifying grace precedes.
Both Calvinists and Catholics placed a lot on infant baptism but frankly had no answers for those baptized who grew up to be devils.
And what about the Eucharist? It is said to infuse too.
But even Hitler ate the host. I could be wrong.
Some things to think about.
Beautiful peace. Clear and concise. Welldone Briana.
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Excellent article presented in a simple and lucid style.Congrats Briana!
Thank you so much Abraham! I appreciate your positive feedback. I think it’s always a good idea to talk about justification!