Fun theological exercise regarding The Fall

[mythbuster1]

Sufficient for what? If it is by the will of God that the reprobate were unable to repent, then Calvin was right and God is insane. Indeed, the grace of God is necessary in order to do good; first, because the virtue of charity is an essential element for any meritorious act, and charity itself can never be merited; second, because sin is by nature addictive, predisposing the sinner to commit additional and worse sins, and thus without the infusion of sanctifying grace, sinners naturally tend to become worse, and only by grace can this predisposition be overcome. Even so, grace cannot rationally be called sufficient unless it can be efficacious if the creature’s will permits it, nor would it be rational for God to punish a man for failing to do what he is incapable of doing. Grace is sufficient if and only if it provides the means of obtaining and maintaining charity if the will would assent to it. For this reason, God charges with sin those who reject His mercy, not merely for their disobedience, but also for their spurning His mercy.

 

[Latin]

Thank you Mythbuster1 for your question.

The best I can do is to send you some excerpts from; THE MYSTERY OF PREDESTINATION by John Salza.

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Page 119; Quote: Hence, a sufficient grace has an operating effect only (empowering the will to act),

whereas an efficacious grace has both an operating and cooperating effect (applying the will to act).
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Sufficient grace remains an interior impulse, whereas an efficacious grace produces an exterior act.
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Again, the mystery is that with sufficient grace, man is truly able to cooperate with the grace to perform the salutary act, but freely chooses not to, and God permits him to resist.
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With efficacious grace, man is able to resist the grace but does not, because the grace causes him to freely choose the good.
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In both cases, man is completely free, but in the former, the resistance (which is an evil) comes from man, while in the latter, the cooperation (which is good) comes from God. End quote.
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Second important excerpt from The Mystery of Predestination by John Salza. Page 84.
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St. Thomas properly explains the chain of causality:

It is to be observed that where there are several agents in order, the second always acts in virtue of the first: for the agent moves the second to act.

And thus all agents act in virtue of God Himself: and therefore He is the cause of action in every agent. ST, Pt I, Q 105, Art 5.

Because God is the cause of action in every agent, even man’s free will determination to do good comes from God. End quote.
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Continue

 

[Latin]

Continuation

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Third important excerpt from The Mystery of Predestination by John Salza. Page 121.

Fr. Most identifies the metaphysical issue as follows:

Sufficient grace gives man the potency to do good, but efficacious grace is required to move him from potency to act.

Therefore, sufficient grace is insufficient to move him to act. End quote.
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Fourth important excerpt from The Mystery of Predestination by John Salza. Page 77 and 85.

Although Scripture is clear that God grants man grace that he resists, this refers to sufficient grace and not efficacious grace.

If God wills to permit a person to resist His grace, He grants him a sufficient grace, and not an efficacious grace. End quote.
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If you Mythbuster1 understand the above four excerpts, you have a good understanding of the sufficiency and the efficiency of the different graces.

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Our entrance to heaven is the product of two God’s gifts of efficacious graces, God’s call to eternal life/ heaven and God’s gift of final perseverance.
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Every receiver of the above two undeserved efficacious graces will enter to heaven with absolute certainty.
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No one deserves the above graces and no one rejects the above graces.
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If God doesn’t give the above graces to everyone then Calvin was right and God is unjust.
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With other words, if there is no Universal Salvation/ God doesn’t save Everyone then Calvin was right and God is unjust.

 

[HeDa]

We need free will to be able to love God and neighbour. Otherwise we would be programmed robots or God being the puppeteer and we the puppets. How and why the human being chooses to do evil instead of good is a mystery to many people.

 

[Rob2]

Was it a providential act or tragedy (providential meaning purposely planned by God; tragic meaning God did not will it, but allowed it).

@Hereiam , “The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” (Gen 6:6)