2. Likewise, "faith has no merit where human reason provides proof"; if therefore he foretold to them, then from the fact that they saw happen what he had said, they experienced it to be true: therefore they were devoid of the merit of faith.
I respond: It must be said that the Apostles had faith, but nevertheless not fully explicit nor perfectly firm, as is evident, because in no way did they wish to believe the resurrection. It must be said therefore that the Lord foretold to them his passion so that they might already believe in that of which they previously knew nothing. He also spoke for the strengthening of faith, so that, seeing the passion and wavering, they might remember that he suffered willingly and as God. Whence they saw one thing and believed another, because they saw that a man had suffered, and they believed that, willing to suffer, as God he had laid down his life. And the sign of this was his prediction, but not a compelling reason that would take away merit.
49. Question IV. Likewise it is asked concerning what he says, that the devil had no jurisdiction whatsoever over Christ.
1. Therefore it seems that the Lord acted unjustly in that he permitted him to be oppressed by the devil.
2. Likewise he says that he does this on account of the commandment of the Father: therefore if he was bound to obey, then he died from obligation, not from pure liberality.
I respond: It must be said that to punish someone unwilling for his own fault, this is a matter of wrath and severity; to punish someone willing for his own fault, this is a matter of justice and truth: to punish someone willing for another's fault, this is a matter of wondrous dispensation and condescension. Because therefore Christ was punished and willingly punished for our salvation: it pleased God to lay upon him the iniquities of us all, and for our transgressions he himself was punished. He was offered, because he himself willed it ; and therefore no injustice was done on God's part, but on the part of the devil. And therefore, because he unjustly usurped dominion over Christ, by this very fact he justly lost the dominion that he had over the members of Christ.
2. To the objection that he was bound to die: it must be said that there is a debt of merit and a debt of precept. The sinner is bound to die because he merited it; but Christ, because the Father commanded him. But this debt is not repugnant to liberality when it is done out of love; and so Christ acted, and therefore he says: That the world may know that I love the Father.