THE CONNECTION OF HUMAN LAW AND BELIEF IN GOD IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Abstract

This academic article aims to analyze the connection between human law and the belief in God in Aquinas's philosophy. It finds that humans can access natural law through reason. By using reason correctly, one can arrive at an understanding of fundamental moral principles, especially concerning God's existence and the unchanging order of the universe, which is free from any potentiality or change. This very perfection makes God the source of all being and order in creation. Although human laws are created to be enforced in society, they have clear limits and functions. Citizens have the right to disobey unjust laws. The distinction between the sacred and ordinary planes of existence, and the intervention of supernatural power in human affairs, implies that law is not merely a social mechanism but a reflection of the cosmic order to which humans should conform. This perspective highlights the spirit (soul) as the essence of humanity and the channel through which humans access the highest good, such as goodness itself. Through intellectual contemplation, the archetype of goodness and justice is considered the pinnacle of enlightenment. In the Bible, John 1:12 states: "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." This compares the relationship between humans and God to that of a "child and father," elevating faith from a submission born of fear to a genuine love and bond.