39. The Supernatural Prerogatives of Jesus Christ as Man
What gifts or graces did the humanity of Jesus Christ receive as a result of its unity with the Person of the Word? God sanctifies virtuous people by means of grace and gives them the accompanying virtues and gifts, which form their interior life. What main gifts or graces did God give to Jesus Christ as man? The interior life of Jesus, that is, his fullness of grace, his immunity from all sin, and his knowledge and love of God depend on his union with the divinity.
To answer this question, we will study the created supernatural gifts that, by reason of the hypostatic union, enrich the interior life of Jesus as true man.
21. Jesus Christ’s Immunity to Sin
21a) Jesus Christ was Free from Sin
Jesus Christ did not inherit original sin and did not commit any personal sin (de fide).
The Council of Ephesus taught that “as he was sinless, he had no need of any offering.”1
Sacred Scripture attests to the fact that Jesus was conceived without original sin: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). It also affirms that he never committed any sin whatsoever in passages such as “He made him to be sin who knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning” (Heb 4:15), and “Which of you convict me of sin?” (Jn 8:46).
Sacred Tradition extensively confirms this doctrine. Thus, Origen taught: “He did not know sin, nor was there malice in his lips, because he did not know sin.”2 Jesus Christ could not have been in the state of original sin because he was conceived by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Neither could he commit sin, because to sin is to separate oneself from God. Separation from God was impossible for Jesus because of the permanence of the hypostatic union.
21b) Jesus Christ Had No Disordered Concupiscence
Jesus Christ was free of disordered concupiscence (de fide).
The disorder of concupiscence is an effect of original sin. Jesus, conceived without original sin, could not experience this disorder.
21c) Jesus Christ Could Not Sin
Jesus Christ is incapable of sinning, which goes to show that not only did he not commit any sin, but he also could not possibly sin (sent. fidei prox.).
The theological reasons that support this statement are easy to understand, since any action of Jesus Christ is proper to the divine Person. If God could not sin, neither could Jesus Christ. Besides, we have already seen that the human will of Jesus Christ was absolutely subordinated to the divine will, and the latter cannot sin. A final reason that Jesus Christ could not sin is that he already enjoyed the beatific vision.
22. Christ’s Grace
The nature of Jesus Christ is holy in itself because, by the hypostatic union, the divinity took full possession of the humanity, which then became perfectly united to God (without undergoing any change in human nature). Sanctity consists in precisely such unity. This type of sanctity is called substantial sanctity.
Grace, moreover, sanctified the soul of Jesus. Scripture calls him “full of grace” (Jn 1:14). Further, since Jesus was enjoying the beatific vision, the created grace that he received was infinite and, therefore, could not increase.
In addition to grace, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:38). Pius XII, in the encyclical Mystici Corporis, asserted that “the Holy Spirit dwells in him in such fullness of grace that it is impossible to imagine any increase in it.”3
Jesus Christ also received the virtues that accompany grace, excluding, of course, all aspects that might contradict his perfection. Due to the fact that he enjoyed the beatific vision, he could not receive faith or hope, inasmuch as they imply believing in God (whom one does not see) and hoping in God (whom one does not yet possess). He received them, however, as far as their secondary objects were concerned. For example, he had hope in the glorification of his body. He also enjoyed the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This type of sanctity in Jesus is called accidental sanctity.
The created grace of Jesus Christ is called capital grace (from caput, “head”) because it is transmitted from him to the members of his Mystical Body, the Church. Pius XII taught: “From him originates all the light with which all the faithful of the body of the Church are enlightened supernaturally, and all the graces by which they are sanctified are derived from him, as Christ was Holy.”4
Jesus Christ, head of the Church, gives grace to all her members, whether they are members actually through Baptism or only potentially through a desire to be converted.
23. Christ’s Knowledge
23a) Jesus Christ’s Human Knowledge
Aside from divine knowledge, Jesus Christ possessed human knowledge (de fide).
The Church teaches that Jesus Christ is “perfect man, subsistent with a rational soul,”5 affirming that Jesus Christ possessed all the operations proper to all rational creatures, among them, human science.
Sacred Scripture expresses it this way: “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Lk 2:52).
If Jesus Christ possessed the capacity to know with his natural faculties (and we know it is proper to human perfection to make use of such faculties), then we have to conclude that the Lord knew things in a natural way.
Jesus Christ had all the knowledge fitting his dignity that was not contrary to the end of Redemption. Thus, we affirm that Jesus Christ had natural human knowledge (acquired knowledge), infused knowledge, and the direct vision of God.
23b) Beatific Vision
Jesus Christ enjoyed the beatific vision from the very first moment of his existence (sent. certa).
Sacred Scripture shows Jesus saying, “But you [the disciples] have not known him [the Father]; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word” (Jn 8:55).
Pius XII taught that Jesus Christ had “even that knowledge that we call Beatific Vision; … he possessed it with such fullness that it surpassed in extension and clarity the beatific contemplation of the blessed in heaven. He had it from the very moment of his conception in the womb of the Mother of God.”6 The reasons for this are, first, the hypostatic union and, second, the fullness of grace of Jesus’ human nature that makes him superior to any saint in heaven.
23c) Jesus’ Infused Knowledge
Jesus Christ possessed infused knowledge (sent. comm.).
The knowledge attained by the angels is infused by God (infused knowledge). Our first parents also acquired their knowledge in this way. Thus, Jesus Christ, the first-born of all creatures, should also have infused knowledge.
23d) Christ’s Knowledge: Extension and Certainty
Jesus Christ’s knowledge was always free from positive ignorance and from error.
The Church, in agreement with St. Gregory the Great, teaches that “any limitation of the knowledge of the soul of Christ is inadmissible.”7
Sacred Scripture asserts that he is “full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14) and “filled with wisdom” (Lk 2:40).
The intrinsic reason why it is impossible for Jesus to suffer from ignorance or error is the hypostatic union. By it, Jesus Christ enjoyed the beatific vision and knew God One and Triune with all his perfections. Moreover, he possessed infused knowledge of the natural truths and of the truths God revealed to mankind. He also knew the necessary particulars of every moment through his acquired knowledge.
24. The Power of Jesus Christ
We know that the human will of Christ, though always subordinated to the divine will, freely commanded the fulfillment of operations proper to a human being: wanting, sleeping, and dominating the body. We know, too, that the divine will is omnipotent, since it is the will of God.
Now, the divine omnipotence—one of the divine attributes really and intimately identified with the divine essence—is an infinite attribute and, thus, cannot be communicated to any finite creature, even the humanity of Christ.
The human will of Jesus Christ by itself, therefore, is not capable of performing miracles. United to the Person of the Word, however, it is capable of performing them as an instrument of the divinity. We may recall that the many miracles narrated in Sacred Scripture are precisely theandric (or divine-human) operations.
Footnotes:
1. DS 261.
2. Origen, Comm. in Ioann. 28.18.
3. DS 2288.
4. DS 2288; cf. CCC, 1997.
5. DS 76; cf. CCC, 472–474.
6. DS 2289.
7. DS 3467.
To answer this question, we will study the created supernatural gifts that, by reason of the hypostatic union, enrich the interior life of Jesus as true man.
21. Jesus Christ’s Immunity to Sin
21a) Jesus Christ was Free from Sin
Jesus Christ did not inherit original sin and did not commit any personal sin (de fide).
The Council of Ephesus taught that “as he was sinless, he had no need of any offering.”1
Sacred Scripture attests to the fact that Jesus was conceived without original sin: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). It also affirms that he never committed any sin whatsoever in passages such as “He made him to be sin who knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning” (Heb 4:15), and “Which of you convict me of sin?” (Jn 8:46).
Sacred Tradition extensively confirms this doctrine. Thus, Origen taught: “He did not know sin, nor was there malice in his lips, because he did not know sin.”2 Jesus Christ could not have been in the state of original sin because he was conceived by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Neither could he commit sin, because to sin is to separate oneself from God. Separation from God was impossible for Jesus because of the permanence of the hypostatic union.
21b) Jesus Christ Had No Disordered Concupiscence
Jesus Christ was free of disordered concupiscence (de fide).
The disorder of concupiscence is an effect of original sin. Jesus, conceived without original sin, could not experience this disorder.
21c) Jesus Christ Could Not Sin
Jesus Christ is incapable of sinning, which goes to show that not only did he not commit any sin, but he also could not possibly sin (sent. fidei prox.).
The theological reasons that support this statement are easy to understand, since any action of Jesus Christ is proper to the divine Person. If God could not sin, neither could Jesus Christ. Besides, we have already seen that the human will of Jesus Christ was absolutely subordinated to the divine will, and the latter cannot sin. A final reason that Jesus Christ could not sin is that he already enjoyed the beatific vision.
22. Christ’s Grace
The nature of Jesus Christ is holy in itself because, by the hypostatic union, the divinity took full possession of the humanity, which then became perfectly united to God (without undergoing any change in human nature). Sanctity consists in precisely such unity. This type of sanctity is called substantial sanctity.
Grace, moreover, sanctified the soul of Jesus. Scripture calls him “full of grace” (Jn 1:14). Further, since Jesus was enjoying the beatific vision, the created grace that he received was infinite and, therefore, could not increase.
In addition to grace, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:38). Pius XII, in the encyclical Mystici Corporis, asserted that “the Holy Spirit dwells in him in such fullness of grace that it is impossible to imagine any increase in it.”3
Jesus Christ also received the virtues that accompany grace, excluding, of course, all aspects that might contradict his perfection. Due to the fact that he enjoyed the beatific vision, he could not receive faith or hope, inasmuch as they imply believing in God (whom one does not see) and hoping in God (whom one does not yet possess). He received them, however, as far as their secondary objects were concerned. For example, he had hope in the glorification of his body. He also enjoyed the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This type of sanctity in Jesus is called accidental sanctity.
The created grace of Jesus Christ is called capital grace (from caput, “head”) because it is transmitted from him to the members of his Mystical Body, the Church. Pius XII taught: “From him originates all the light with which all the faithful of the body of the Church are enlightened supernaturally, and all the graces by which they are sanctified are derived from him, as Christ was Holy.”4
Jesus Christ, head of the Church, gives grace to all her members, whether they are members actually through Baptism or only potentially through a desire to be converted.
23. Christ’s Knowledge
23a) Jesus Christ’s Human Knowledge
Aside from divine knowledge, Jesus Christ possessed human knowledge (de fide).
The Church teaches that Jesus Christ is “perfect man, subsistent with a rational soul,”5 affirming that Jesus Christ possessed all the operations proper to all rational creatures, among them, human science.
Sacred Scripture expresses it this way: “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Lk 2:52).
If Jesus Christ possessed the capacity to know with his natural faculties (and we know it is proper to human perfection to make use of such faculties), then we have to conclude that the Lord knew things in a natural way.
Jesus Christ had all the knowledge fitting his dignity that was not contrary to the end of Redemption. Thus, we affirm that Jesus Christ had natural human knowledge (acquired knowledge), infused knowledge, and the direct vision of God.
23b) Beatific Vision
Jesus Christ enjoyed the beatific vision from the very first moment of his existence (sent. certa).
Sacred Scripture shows Jesus saying, “But you [the disciples] have not known him [the Father]; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word” (Jn 8:55).
Pius XII taught that Jesus Christ had “even that knowledge that we call Beatific Vision; … he possessed it with such fullness that it surpassed in extension and clarity the beatific contemplation of the blessed in heaven. He had it from the very moment of his conception in the womb of the Mother of God.”6 The reasons for this are, first, the hypostatic union and, second, the fullness of grace of Jesus’ human nature that makes him superior to any saint in heaven.
23c) Jesus’ Infused Knowledge
Jesus Christ possessed infused knowledge (sent. comm.).
The knowledge attained by the angels is infused by God (infused knowledge). Our first parents also acquired their knowledge in this way. Thus, Jesus Christ, the first-born of all creatures, should also have infused knowledge.
23d) Christ’s Knowledge: Extension and Certainty
Jesus Christ’s knowledge was always free from positive ignorance and from error.
The Church, in agreement with St. Gregory the Great, teaches that “any limitation of the knowledge of the soul of Christ is inadmissible.”7
Sacred Scripture asserts that he is “full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14) and “filled with wisdom” (Lk 2:40).
The intrinsic reason why it is impossible for Jesus to suffer from ignorance or error is the hypostatic union. By it, Jesus Christ enjoyed the beatific vision and knew God One and Triune with all his perfections. Moreover, he possessed infused knowledge of the natural truths and of the truths God revealed to mankind. He also knew the necessary particulars of every moment through his acquired knowledge.
24. The Power of Jesus Christ
We know that the human will of Christ, though always subordinated to the divine will, freely commanded the fulfillment of operations proper to a human being: wanting, sleeping, and dominating the body. We know, too, that the divine will is omnipotent, since it is the will of God.
Now, the divine omnipotence—one of the divine attributes really and intimately identified with the divine essence—is an infinite attribute and, thus, cannot be communicated to any finite creature, even the humanity of Christ.
The human will of Jesus Christ by itself, therefore, is not capable of performing miracles. United to the Person of the Word, however, it is capable of performing them as an instrument of the divinity. We may recall that the many miracles narrated in Sacred Scripture are precisely theandric (or divine-human) operations.
Footnotes:
1. DS 261.
2. Origen, Comm. in Ioann. 28.18.
3. DS 2288.
4. DS 2288; cf. CCC, 1997.
5. DS 76; cf. CCC, 472–474.
6. DS 2289.
7. DS 3467.