God's Grace and Human Action
God's Grace and Human Action

Author: Joseph P. Wawrykow

Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess

Published: 1996-01-08

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 026809683X

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Offering a fresh approach to one significant aspect of the soteriology of Thomas Aquinas, God's Grace and Human Action brings new scholarship and insights to the issue of merit in Aquinas's theology. Through a careful historical analysis, Joseph P. Wawrykow delineates the precise function of merit in Aquinas's account of salvation. Wawrykow accounts for the changes in Thomas's teaching on merit from the early Scriptum on the Sentences of Peter Lombard to the later Summa theologiae in two ways. First, he demonstrates how the teaching of the Summa theologiae discloses the impact of Thomas's profound encounter with the later writings of Augustine on predestination and grace. Second, Wawrykow notes the implications of Thomas's mature theological judgment that merit is best understood in the context of the plan of divine wisdom. The portrayal of merit in sapiential terms in the Summa permits Thomas to insist that the attainment of salvation through merit testifies not only to the dignity of the human person but even more to the goodness of God.

Grace
Grace

Author: Peter Groves

Publisher: Canterbury Press

Published: 2013-01-03

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1848254385

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Grace - the free, unconditional and limitless love of God - is one of the epic words of the Christian faith and a key part of what is most distinctive about it. It lies at the heart of what is proclaimed in the Gospel, but is not well understood, even by Christians. For centuries, Christians have laboured under two opposing misunderstandings: the Catholic view: We must strive to be good in order to deserve God's love,or the Protestant view: Humankind is so sinful, we can do no good at all. To set a great imbalance right, this volume explores what grace is; how it flows from an understanding of the Trinity; how it becomes visible in the life of Christ; grace in creation, human freedom and the Church; ways of thinking about grace and living the life of grace.

Grace
Grace

Author: Philip Yancey

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 0310293197

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A stunningly innovative visual edition of the award-winning What's so amazing about grace? by bestselling author Philip Yancey. This visual edition takes the text of the Gold Medallion Award-winning original and illustrates its themes and message with provocative full-color photography and illustrations. You'll 'experience grace' as you interact with its engaging visual content.

God's Action in the World
God's Action in the World

Author: Maurice Wiles

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2010-10-01

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 1608999858

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Does God act in the world? Does he affect what happens to us in the varied experiences of our daily life? If so, in what ways and by what means? In an age when so many of the particular cases in which communities or individuals find themselves led to speak of God's acting prove to be cases which appear to others both morally and spiritually unacceptable, we need to give thought to the deeper underlying issue. Can God be said to act in the world at all? Does God even exist? The nature of God's action is clearly of the utmost importance for Christians, because they claim that God does act in the world and has acted specifically in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But how does his action here relate to his action elsewhere? How do we discern it? These questions lead Professor Wiles to discuss the nature of creation, the origin of evil, providence in public and private history, and finally God's action in Christ and in us. Concerned to give a consistent overall interpretation, he provides answers which at the same time question much current Christian thinking.

Moved by God to Act
Moved by God to Act

Author: Wm. Carter Aikin

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2014-01-03

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1630871141

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Moved by God to Act offers a fresh description of Christian moral action as a moment of connection between divine and human agency. Through an ecumenical consideration of a variety of resources, this book gives an accessible description of the work of God's grace not only in individual Christian agency but also within the dynamics of Christian community. Moved by God to Act brings the contemporary theological ethics of community into dialogue with the pneumatology of Thomas Aquinas. The ethic emerging from this dialogue lifts up the centrality of God's grace in Christian community while at the same time offering a detailed articulation of the human being as naturally and beautifully drawn into cooperation with God's grace in the ethical life. The book concludes by showing how Aquinas stands in substantial harmony with the contemporary authors discussed, offering a proper description of God's agency in individual Christian human agency and the dynamics of the "body" of the Christian community to which the contemporary discourse so rightly points. Moved by God to Act is an attempt to speak to the work of God in the life and day-to-day action of Christians and Christian communities as moved to act by the Holy Spirit.

God Ahead of Us
God Ahead of Us

Author: Paul O'Callaghan

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2014-12-01

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 1451489749

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Pope Francis has stated that his own vocation as a Christian came to him as an awareness that “God is ahead of us,” that God thinks about us and looks after us before we even realize it. This is the essence of grace, a love story that begins with God. The present book is an introduction and exploration of that story—of the Christian life as not about humans looking for God, but God seeking us out. The story that unfolds demonstrates that grace is not something secondary or superficial but primary and constitutive, from crucial beginnings in election and creation to the divine actions of justification and renewal, fostering a life of virtue and obedience. Within this context, the book explores the issues of the relationship of grace and freedom, the dynamics of justification, the true meaning of merit, life as a son or daughter of God, the action of the Holy Spirit, the sacraments and the Church, the role of the ascetical life, and the eschatological horizon of the life of grace. In an accessible account, the author narrates the doctrine of grace as directed towards and explained by the fact that God has destined humans to spend eternity in communion with the Triune creator.

Eclipse of Grace
Eclipse of Grace

Author: Nicholas Adams

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-02-19

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1118465873

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Eclipse of Grace offers original insights into the roots of modern theology by introducing systematic theologians and Christian ethicists to Hegel through a focus on three of his seminal texts: Phenomenology of Spirit, Science of Logic, and Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion. Presents brilliant and original insights into Hegel’s significance for modern theology Argues that, theologically, Hegel has been misconstrued and that much more can be gained by focusing on the logic that he develops out of an engagement with Christian doctrines Features an original structure organized as a set of commentaries on individual Hegel texts, and not just presenting overviews of his entire corpus Offers detailed engagement with Hegel’s texts rather than relying on generalizations about Hegelian philosophy Provides an illuminating, accessible and lucid account of the thinking of the major figures in modern German philosophy and theology

Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith

Author: Andrew Wommack

Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers

Published: 2011-06-24

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1680313967

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Popular Bible teacher and host of the Gospel Truth broadcast, Andrew Wommack takes on one of the biggest controversies of the church, the freedom of God's grace verses the faith of the believer. Wommack reveals that God's power is not released from only grace or only faith. God's blessings come through a balance of both grace and faith. Addressing many of the misconceptions believers are taught in the Church today, this book opens up the Scriptures revealing the vital connection between grace and faith. Many believers think they walk in both grace and faith when actually they are misusing one or both of these principles. Wommack addresses: * Some believers willingly sin believing Gods grace will cover them, while the blessing of grace is not to sin, but to release guilt and condemnation when they make a mistake. * Other believers think they must "work" their faith by ritualistic prayer, confession, or Bible study. Although all these things are good, Jesus Christ set believers free from works of the law. God wants a relationship where He can communicate directly to each believer. * Grace and faith work together. When believers receive the unmerited favor or grace of God, they can release their faith without doubt or reservation and receive God's blessings. Andrew Wommack in his logical, practical style brings believers back on track in their Christian walk through living in the balance of grace and faith.

Perfecting Human Actions
Perfecting Human Actions

Author: John Michael Rziha

Publisher: CUA Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0813216729

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During the last few centuries, a practical dichotomy between God and humans has developed within moral theory. As a result, moral theory tends to focus only on humans where human autonomy is foundational or only on God where divine commands capriciously rule. However, the moral theology of Thomas Aquinas overcomes this dichotomy. For Thomas, humans reach their perfection by participating in God's wisdom and love. Perfecting Human Actions explores the ways humans participate in eternal law--God's wisdom that guides and moves all things to their proper action. The book begins with a thoughtful examination of the philosophic recovery of the notion of participation in Thomistic metaphysics. It then explains Thomas's theological understanding of the notion of participation to show how humans are related to God. It is discovered that when performing human actions, humans participate in the eternal law in two ways: as moved and governed by it, and cognitively. In reference to participation as moved and governed, humans are directed by God to their proper end of eternal happiness. This mode of participation can be increased by perfecting the natural inclinations through virtue, grace, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In reference to cognitive participation, humans as rational creatures can know their proper end and how to attain it. Through this knowledge of moral truths, the intellect participates in the eternal law. Cognitive participation is perfected by the intellectual virtues (especially faith) and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (especially wisdom). The book concludes by showing how the notion of human participation in the eternal law is a much better foundation for moral theory than the contemporary notion of autonomy. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Rziha is associate professor of theology at Benedictine College. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: " A] competent and indeed masterful study. . . . Rziha's book is to be welcomed as not just an important, but indeed an overdue contribution to the contemporary recovery of Aquinas's moral theory. More importantly, this study is of surpassing importance in advancing the correct understanding of the relationship between human freedom and natural law. . . . Rziha's lucidly written and well-documented study displays all the characteristics of a competent and learned interpretation of the thought of the doctor communis according to the highest standards of current Aquinas scholarship."--Reinhard Hutter, Thomist "Rziha explores at length the two modes by which human participate in God's eternal law: as moved and governed by it and as having knowledge of it. . . . T]his book proves to be something of a comprehensive course in Thomistic thought. This project is supported by extensive and meticulous footnote reverences to texts of Aquinas." --Janine Marie Idziak, Speculum

The Theology of Thomas Aquinas
The Theology of Thomas Aquinas

Author: Rik Van Nieuwenhove

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 9780268043643

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A Choice Outstanding Academic Book "Readers will be grateful for this excellent comprehensive survey of Aquinas' theology. It is a compendium in the best sense of the word, both introduction for beginners and a reliable source of information for advanced scholars. Even experts in Thomist thought will highly appreciate the great number of original and stimulating essays which provide new views and interpretations of seemingly well known texts." --Ulrich Horst, O.P., Ludwig Maximilian University This comprehensive volume provides an in-depth overview of every major aspect of Thomas Aquinas's theology. Contributors offer fresh and compelling readings of Aquinas on the Trinity, creation theology, theory of analogy, anthropology, predestination and human freedom, evil and original sin, Christology and grace, soteriology, eschatology, sacramentology, ecclesiology, moral theology, the relation between theology and philosophy, and scriptural exegesis. Contributors to The Theology of Thomas Aquinas come from seven different countries and a variety of specialties within the discipline of theology. Their diverse perspectives add considerable merit to the depth and breadth of this project. Contributors both outline the thought of Aquinas in its own right and bring it into dialogue with present theological concerns. The high quality of these essays make this volume a valuable reference tool.