God is Good
All good in us comes from God
We were made good, we choose evil due to fallen nature.
We are not depraved but we are deprived of grace filled freedom for right
I naturally want harmful things because my mind is darkened due to sin that distorts my thoughts, words, and deeds for self not Glory to God and healing of soul.
Any good is by grace helping us choose right - God is benevolent to all sufficient grace to choose right, but it is a hard and narrow road.
I cannot cooperate with God unless by grace to reorient my life - some get efficient grace.
God lets some fall away by their choosing self instead of spirit. The not elect
God pursues some all the way and enables them to choose spirit instead of self. Elect
Here's an analysis of each statement from a Catholic perspective:
1. God is Good
• Yes. This statement is true. Catholic teaching affirms that God is pre-eminently good 1. He is the source from which all goodness flows and the end to which it returns 7. God is good by His very essence, while all other beings are good by participation in His goodness 2, 3, 4, 6. The Scriptures attribute to God the very essence of goodness, as seen in Matthew 19:17, "One is good, God" 9.
2. All good in us comes from God
• Yes. This is true. Every good thing, whether in existence or in life, shares in God's goodness 13. God is the first efficient cause of all things, and the aspect of good and desirability belongs to Him 1. All creatures receive their perfect goodness from God, who is their ultimate end 3. The Holy Spirit is described as "absolute Good and Spring of Goodness" and grants new life through Christ's Resurrection 17.
3. We were made good, we choose evil due to fallen nature.
• Yes. This is true. Human beings were created in an original "state of holiness and justice," sharing in divine life 23. This state included inner harmony and freedom from suffering and death 22. However, due to original sin, human nature is wounded, subject to ignorance, suffering, death, and inclined to sin, an inclination called concupiscence 21. While human nature is not totally corrupted, it is deprived of original holiness and justice, and this inclination to evil leads to choosing evil 21.
4. We are not depraved but we are deprived of grace-filled freedom for right.
• Yes. This is true. Catholic teaching holds that human nature was not totally corrupted by original sin 21. While wounded and inclined to evil, the capacity for good remains, though it is weakened 21. We are deprived of the original holiness and justice that allowed for a grace-filled freedom to choose right without struggle 21, 23. The pursuit of virtue and detachment from vice now require discipline and perseverance, sustained by God's grace 20.
5. I naturally want harmful things because my mind is darkened due to sin that distorts my thoughts, words, and deeds for self not Glory to God and healing of soul.
• Yes. This is true. The consequences of original sin include a wounded nature, subject to ignorance and an inclination to evil (concupiscence) 21. This inclination can lead to desiring harmful things and distorting thoughts, words, and deeds towards self-centeredness rather than the glory of God and the healing of the soul. The "old self" with its practices needs to be taken off, and the "new self" put on, which is renewed in the image of its Creator 14, 15.
6. Any good is by grace helping us choose right - God is benevolent to all sufficient grace to choose right, but it is a hard and narrow road.
• Yes. This is true. Growth in virtue and the ability to choose good are necessarily sustained by God's prior gift of grace 20. God's grace does not destroy human nature but perfects it, lifting us into communion with God 14, 15. The Holy Spirit is the "Giver of Grace" 17. While God offers sufficient grace, the path to choosing right can indeed be challenging, as implied by the "hard and narrow road" metaphor.
7. I cannot cooperate with God unless by grace to reorient my life - some get efficient grace.
• Yes. This is true. Human beings, in their fallen state, require God's grace to reorient their lives towards Him. The pursuit of virtue and detachment from vice must be sustained by God's grace 20. Grace enables cooperation with God. The concept of "efficient grace" refers to grace that effectively brings about its intended effect, enabling a person to choose good and cooperate with God's will.
8. God lets some fall away by their choosing self instead of spirit. The not elect.
• Yes. This is true, understood within the context of free will. God respects human freedom. While God desires all to be saved and provides sufficient grace, individuals can freely choose to reject God's grace and pursue self instead of the Spirit 16. This choice leads to falling away. The term "not elect" refers to those who, by their own free will, do not persevere in faith and ultimately reject God's saving plan.
9. God pursues some all the way and enables them to choose spirit instead of self. Elect.
• Yes. This is true, understood within the context of God's grace and human cooperation. God's providential activities are driven by His "excessive Eros of his Goodness" towards all things 10). He actively works to draw people to Himself. For those who respond to His grace, God enables them to choose the Spirit over self. The "elect" are those whom God, in His foreknowledge and grace, has chosen for salvation, and who cooperate with that grace to persevere in faith and good works. This does not negate free will but emphasizes God's initiative and sustaining power in their salvation.
[1] Summa Theologiae I, Q. 6, A. 1, co.
[2] Catholic Encyclopedia Good
[3] Summa Contra Gentiles Book I. Chap. 40
[4] Compendium of Theology (Compendium Theologiae) Part I - Chapter 109
[5] Disputed Questions on Truth Q. 21, A. 5, C.
[6] Summa Contra Gentiles Book I. Chap. 38
[7] De Angelis seu de Substantiis Separatis (On Angels, or on Separated Substances) 93
[8] CCC 375
[9] Laudato Si 66
[10] Giving the best of yourself. A document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person (1 June 2018) 44995
[11] An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith Chapter 13
[12] Ecclesia in Asia 15
[13] Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church: Christ – Our Pascha 109
[14] Summa Theologiae III, Q. 14, A. 3, co.
[15] Summa Theologiae III, Q. 31, A. 7
[16] Summa Theologiae III, Q. 61, A. 2, co.
[17] Mediation: The Distinguishing Mark of Christianity Communio: International Catholic Review, vol. 48, no 1 (Spring 2021)
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