The Tensions of Grace

Part 2, Continuity and Discontinuity in Catholic and Protestant Visions of Grace

Both Catholics and Protestants balance grace in different ways in relation to the tensions I described in the last post.

I am by no means an expert in this area, but I know enough to share the basics. 

In Catholic theology, following from Thomas Aquinas, nature possesses an order and goodness that is not totally eclipsed by the fall. Creation is damaged and wounded, to be sure, but is not in a total state of ruin. Further, the goodness and order of creation is available to every human person. In this, we can say that creation is "graced," and that, overall, Catholic theology has had a much more optimistic view of the world and human beings generally. 

And yet, even in Protestant theology there are the notions of "common grace" and "prevenient grace." According to the notion of common grace, every good thing in the world is a gift from God. And these gifts are shared with all of humanity. Every sunrise. The joys of the day. All is grace. 

Relatedly, according to the doctrine of prevenient grace, God is at work in our lives up to and including the moment of our salvation (which called "sanctifying grace"). The critical point being that grace fills our entire lives, start to finish. There is a grace that brings us to grace. 

The point to observe in these Catholic and Protestant balancings is that each tries to hold in tension continuity and discontinuity. Created life is graced, a grace found in the goodness of creation and shared universally with all of humanity. All is grace, A to Z. That is the continuity. 

And yet, both Catholics and Protestants point to a discontinuity in relation to grace as well, what is called "special grace" or "sanctifying grace." This grace doesn't point to creation but toward the work of Christ, a work that heals the wound of the fall, bringing gifts that go beyond the gifts and goodness of created life.  

Like in my prior post, I'm not offering a judgment of any of this, simply pointing to how Catholics and Protestants try to balance the tensions of grace. Of course, some people might lean more heavily toward continuity and others toward discontinuity. In light of the last post, those who place the weight of grace in their creation theology will lean more toward continuity, seeing no real rupture that needs to be healed in the work of Christ. Creation is sufficiently graced, all on its own. By contrast, those who emphasize the work of Christ in gifting us "saving" and "sanctifying" grace will posit a discontinuity in grace. That is, there may be a shared, common grace but this grace is not sufficient, in itself, to heal the wound of the fall. In this view, a supranatural grace is required.