Distinguish between sanctifying grace and actual grace, and explain their roles.

• A. There is no difference.
• B. Sanctifying grace is temporary; actual grace permanently transforms the soul.
• C. Grace is only a human effect.
• D. Sanctifying grace is a habitual, divine life infused in the soul through baptism; actual grace is God's temporally intervening help; both cooperate to sustain and grow holiness.

Answer: (D)

Two kinds of grace operate in the soul and they work together to sustain and grow holiness. Sanctifying grace is a habitual, divine life infused into the soul—primarily through baptism—that configures us to God and makes us partakers of His life. It is enduring and stable, a real transformation that can be lost through mortal sin and then restored by repentance and the sacraments. Actual grace, on the other hand, is God's temporary, gratuitous help given at particular moments to enlighten the mind, strengthen the will, or move the heart toward good. It is not a permanent state in the soul, but a timely assistance that accompanies our use of the grace we already possess.

Together, sanctifying grace provides the ongoing divine life, while actual grace supplies the moment-by-moment aid needed to cooperate with that life and grow in holiness. The other descriptions miss this crucial distinction: sanctifying grace isn’t temporary, actual grace isn’t a permanent transformation, and grace isn’t merely a human effect.