§ 2. On the truths necessarily to be believed

Up to this point it has been proved that actual faith is necessary for an adult man by necessity of means. Now at once the question arises: What are the truths of faith which must be believed by necessity of means?

499. Proposition 1. By at least implicit faith all things must be believed, whatever God has revealed to us and proposed to us through his Church. This is clear from what was said above, n. 484, concerning the material object of faith. But this implicit faith does not suffice; in addition, explicit faith must be had at least concerning certain truths. Hence it is established:

Proposition 2. Explicit faith a) in God existing and b) rewarding was always necessary for all adults by necessity of means.

Thus almost all theologians teach, and it is drawn a) from the words of St. Paul:²⁵ "He who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder to those who seek him." b) From the fact that Innocent XI condemned proposition (22): "Only faith in one God seems necessary by necessity of means, but not explicit faith in the rewarder."²⁶ c) It follows from the very nature of faith that these two articles must be believed explicitly. For all men must come to God, in whom alone man's beatitude consists, as was proved above, n. 20 sqq. But no one can come to God unless a) he knows him to exist; but only by faith is it known that God (as he is in himself) exists. Therefore faith in God's existence is necessary for obtaining beatitude. Besides, b) in order that man may come, he must have a motive; this is supernatural remuneration in the other life. Moreover, since the virtues to be exercised, without which beatitude cannot be obtained, are so difficult, it is most fitting that all believe that God will reward each one according to his works. - Even in the Old Testament it was necessary for all adults to believe these two truths.

Corollary. Since faith in these two truths is necessary by necessity of means and therefore is a necessary means of salvation, never, not even in the article of death, can an adult who is ignorant of these articles of faith be baptized or sacramentally absolved.

499. Controversy. Whether besides these two truths others also must be explicitly believed by necessity of means, theologians do not agree. St. Thomas²⁷ and with him several Thomists and several other theologians alleged by St. Alphonsus²⁸ seem to teach that explicit faith in Christ the Redeemer and in the Most Holy Trinity is necessary by necessity of means. But several others absolutely deny this, e.g. Suarez, Lugo, Chr. Pesch, Bouquillon, Gutberlet, and also at least probably certain Thomists, such as Dominic Soto, Gotti, Sylvius, etc. Martin, in the work cited above, broadly defends the affirmative opinion, to which St. Paul seems to favor when writing: "But the justice of God [i.e. our justification] through the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all who believe in him; for there is no distinction."²⁹ In a similar sense St. John says (17:3): "This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

This affirmative opinion must be followed in practice. Hence the Holy Office on January 25, 1703, declared that before baptism is conferred, "the missionary is bound to explain to an adult, even dying, who is not wholly incapable, the mysteries of faith which are necessary by necessity of means, as especially the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation."³⁰ It is established in addition from proposition (64) condemned by Innocent XI: "A man is capable of absolution, however much he labors under ignorance of the mysteries of faith, and even if through negligence, even culpable negligence, he does not know the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ."³¹ - Notwithstanding these decisions, since the negative opinion is at least extrinsically solidly probable, and since the sacraments are for men, in the article of death any man who is judged to have the intention of receiving the sacrament of baptism or of penance must be baptized or absolved conditionally, even if he does not have explicit faith in the mysteries of the Incarnation and of the Most Holy Trinity, provided that he at least explicitly believes God existing and rewarding. But outside the article of death the sacrament of baptism, or even of penance, cannot licitly be conferred on an adult man who is ignorant of the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation. Indeed, according to St. Alphonsus,³² a penitent burdened with grave sin, who has confessed several times without knowledge of these mysteries, must repeat confessions so made. For the rest, it must be kept before the eyes that explicit faith in these mysteries is not the same as perfect knowledge of them. But perfect knowledge is by no means necessarily required. Therefore, when the case occurs, if there is doubt concerning the sufficient faith of some dying person, let the priest (or another man) say these or similar things to him: "Let us briefly elicit an act of faith under this form: I believe in God, one and three, the just judge of the good and the wicked; I hope that I shall be saved by the merits of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God." But if the dying person consents, then let him immediately be baptized or absolved.

²⁵ Hebr. 11, 6.

²⁶ Denz. n. 1172.

²⁷ S. theol. 2, 2, q. 2, a. 7 and 8; De verit. q. 14, a. 11; dist. 25, q. 2, a. 2, sol. 2.

²⁸ Cf. St. Alph., Theol. mor. l. 2, n. 2, where the holy Doctor calls this opinion the more common and more probable.

²⁹ Rom. 3, 22.

³⁰ Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 254. This decision of the Holy Office was confirmed by Benedict XIV, Const. "Postremo mense" n. 41, February 28, 1747, and was issued again on March 30, 1898. Cf. also the decision of the Holy Office, May 12, 1703, ad 2 (Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 256).

³¹ Denz. n. 1214.

³² Theol. mor. l. 2, n. 2.