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Examined Doctrine

Thomas Aquinas on Justification

1225 – 1274 · SCHOLASTIC
STANDARD SCHOLARLY ACCOUNTAFFIRMS°
STANCE

By infused grace, mediated sacramentally

THE POSITION

Justification is by grace infused into the soul, ordinarily mediated through the sacraments, genuinely transforming the person.

SCRIPTURE
ROMANS 3:24 · BSB

24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

NOBODY ELSE HOLDS THIS

Forensic — righteousness imputed, not infusedJACOBUS ARMINIUS · CALVIN · JONATHAN EDWARDS · THE CHURCH OF ELEVEN22 STATEMENT OF FAITH · JOSH HOWERTON · TIM KELLER · SECOND LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION · LUTHER · JOHN MACARTHUR · PHILIP MELANCHTHON · GAVIN ORTLUND · JOHN OWEN · JUSTIN PETERS · JOHN PIPER · R.C. SPROUL · CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON · WESLEY · WESTMINSTER CONFESSION · ZWINGLI
Includes being made righteous, not only declaredAUGUSTINE · CHRYSOSTOM
See all 25 figures on justification →

ABOUT THIS FIGURE

Dominican friar, author of the Summa Theologiae. Synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine; the reference point for later Catholic theology.

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"Thomas Aquinas on Justification", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/aquinas/justification (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/aquinas/justification).

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