One Simple Act, Many Willed Ends

Question #6: How can the Catholic affirmation that all of God’s acts are ultimately one simple act (cf. ST I.3.7; CCC 202) be compatible with the teaching that God freely wills diverse ends (e.g., creating vs. not creating)?

A core claim in Catholic theology–grounded in Summa Theologiae I.3.7 and affirmed in the Catechism (§202)–is that all of God’s acts are one, simple act. At the same time, Catholic teaching holds that God freely wills many distinct things: He might create this universe or another, or choose not to create at all. How can these seemingly diverse willed ends fit within a single, undivided divine act?

First, it is vital to note that when we say God’s acts are “one simple act,” we mean within God’s own being there is no multiplicity or sequence. God, as actus purus (pure act), does not move from one intention to another or transition between states of will. Instead, from God’s eternal vantage point, His act of willing stands as a single, unchangeable reality. No composition or division exists in His essence, since God is not made up of parts or successive “moments” of decision.

Second, the diversity we observe in creation–various acts of providence, multiple outcomes, different creative possibilities–belongs to the creaturely order. From our perspective, we see God willing a world with certain attributes, angels, and human beings, and we can imagine worlds He might have willed differently. Yet this “variety” arises from one eternal decision in God, who knows and chooses all possible effects in one sweeping, all-encompassing act. Hence, there is no internal multiplication within God’s will; it is we creatures who experience those distinct effects in space and time.

Third, Catholic theology also stresses God’s freedom in this one simple act. Because He is infinitely perfect, no external or internal constraint forces His choices. God’s will, being eternal and lacking any unrealized potential, includes the freedom to bring about or not bring about various ends, but without altering or subdividing His essence. The decision to create this universe, with these particular laws, does not entail a “new act” for God–rather, it signifies that from all eternity He freely encompasses and decrees these effects in His single, timeless volition.

Finally, speaking of “one simple act” is not a denial of real distinctions in what God ordains, but a recognition that the source of those distinctions is God’s unified, infinite power and will. Put differently, the “multiplicity” of ends is fully contained in His eternal simplicity. No matter how many effects appear within creation, God Himself undergoes no partition or change. In this way, Catholic teaching preserves both God’s utter simplicity and His free determination of diverse ends.

(see #7, #10)