Reply Obj. 1:  Man’s turning to God is by free-will; and thus man is bidden to turn himself to God.  But free-will can only be turned to God, when God turns it, according to Jer. 31:18:  “Convert me and I shall be converted, for Thou art the Lord, my God”; and Lam. 5:21:  “Convert us, O Lord, to Thee, and we shall be converted.”

Reply Obj. 2:  Man can do nothing unless moved by God, according to John 15:5:  “Without Me, you can do nothing.”  Hence when a man is said to do what is in him to do, this is said to be in his power according as he is moved by God.

Reply Obj. 3:  This objection regards habitual grace, for which some preparation is required, since every form requires a disposition in that which is to be its subject.  But in order that man should be moved by God, no further motion is presupposed since God is the First Mover.  Hence we need not go to infinity.

Reply Obj. 4:  It is the part of man to prepare his soul, since he does this by his free-will.  And yet he does not do this without the help of God moving him, and drawing him to Himself, as was said above. ________________________

SEVENTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 109, Art. 7]

Whether Man Can Rise from Sin Without the Help of Grace?

Objection 1:  It would seem that man can rise from sin without the help of grace.  For what is presupposed to grace, takes place without grace.  But to rise from sin is presupposed to the enlightenment of grace; since it is written (Eph. 5:14):  “Arise from the dead and Christ shall enlighten thee.”  Therefore man can rise from sin without grace.

Obj. 2:  Further, sin is opposed to virtue as illness to health, as stated above (Q. 71, A. 1, ad 3).  Now, man, by force of his nature, can rise from illness to health, without the external help of medicine, since there still remains in him the principle of life, from which the natural operation proceeds.  Hence it seems that, with equal reason, man may be restored by himself, and return from the state of sin to the state of justice without the help of external grace.

Obj. 3:  Further, every natural thing can return by itself to the act befitting its nature, as hot water returns by itself to its natural coldness, and a stone cast upwards returns by itself to its natural movement.  Now a sin is an act against nature, as is clear from Damascene (De Fide Orth. ii, 30).  Hence it seems that man by himself can return from sin to the state of justice.

On the contrary, The Apostle says (Gal. 2:21; Cf.  Gal. 3:21):  “For if there had been a law given which could give life—­then Christ died in vain,” i.e. to no purpose.  Hence with equal reason, if man has a nature, whereby he can he justified, “Christ died in vain,” i.e. to no purpose.  But this cannot fittingly be said.  Therefore by himself he cannot be justified, i.e. he cannot return from a state of sin to a state of justice.