Question Two: On Those Having Faith

St. Thomas, II-II, q. 5.

723. Angels and the first man were created in faith. - The reason is that on the one hand they did not enjoy the vision of God in Himself, and on the other hand they were destined for this vision; whence they had to know it by faith, so that they could tend to it as to the supernatural end (n. 707).

724. In the other life faith does not remain. - In the blessed faith does not remain, because they see (I Cor. XIII, 9-10); nevertheless it remains in the souls of purgatory. - But in the damned it is made void, because there remains in them no aptitude nor tendency to the supernatural end; for they are definitively turned away from the ultimate end and confirmed in evil.

Nor say according to Jas. II, 19: "The demons believe and tremble." For they do not properly believe or adhere to revealed truths by supernatural grace from a pious affection of credulity, on account of the authority alone of God revealing, because God is worthy of faith and because they will to trust Him speaking; - but they admit them only by rational knowledge and quasi-historical certitude, because from the perspicacity of their intellect they have such manifest indications that they are revealed by God not lying, and therefore that His testimony concerning them is in fact true, that they are convinced concerning them and cannot doubt, namely, on account of the evidence of the testimony (cf. n. 689, 2). Namely, they do not doubt but adhere, yet on account of signs and reasons inducing them, not on account of the very authority of God revealing.

725. Faith is lost not through any mortal sin whatever, as the Council of Trent defined, sess. 6, can. 28, and as is supposed in the Scriptures, I Cor. XIII, 2; Jas. II, 14; but only through a sin directly contrary to it (I Tim. I, 19), namely, through infidelity (Council of Trent, sess. 6, c. 15), even if it is occupied only with one point. For he who denies the authority of God revealing in one thing cannot receive it in another, because always and in all things it is of equal weight and value. Hence if a heretic adheres to other articles, this now happens not by divine faith on account of the authority of God, but either by human faith or by his own opinion.