The following are excerpts from book II (dealing with Christology) from Robert Bellarmine, Controversies of the Christian Faith (trans. Kenneth Baker; Keep The Faith, 2016).
It is Shown that Christ Also Merited Something for Himself
Now there is the final question, that is, whether Christ by his works and labors gained grace and glory not only for all of us, but also for himself. Indeed, the theological doctors in their comments on the Master in 3 sent., dist. 18, agree among themselves, and teach with one consent that Christ, besides the goods that he gained for us by his labors, also merited for himself the glory of his body, and the exaltation of his name . . . we say that Christ merited for himself all the things he received after his passion. And this is proved by express texts of Scripture. There is Phil. 2:8: And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name, etc. And also Heb. 2:9: We see Jesus crowned with glory and honor because of the sufferings of death . . . Finally, all the Fathers explained it in this way. Chrysostom in homily 7 on the letter to the Philippians said: Christ offered total obedience, and therefore also he received the highest honor, etc. There Chrysostom is exhorting the people to practice obedience and humility, and this exhortation would be quite pointless, if that “therefore” did not refer to the cause.
Ambrose on Phil 2:8 said: What and how much his humility merited, I have shown, etc. Augustine in tractate 104 on John, while treating this text said: Humility merits renown, the renown of humility is the reward, but this was done in the form of a servant. See also Cyril in book 3, chapter 2 on his Theses, Basil in book 4 on Eunomius, Augustine in book 2, chapter 5 against Maximinus, and in book 3, chapter 2; also Theophylact, Oecumenius, Primarius, Bede, Anselm, and others on this text. For, all of them conclude from these texts that Christ merited by his humility glory, not only for us, but also for himself. And certainly it is far between to follow so many of the older Fathers, Greek and Latin in their explanation of the Scriptures, than those new doctors, who seem to think they are not acting wisely unless they contradict everything. Moreover, there is also the support of reason; for, it is better all things being equal, to gain something by merit, rather than without merit.
St. Thomas responds in III, q. a. 3, that Christ had to have everything in the best way; but there are some good things so excellent, that it is better never to have lacked them, than to acquire them by merit, because the lack of them for a time detracts more from the perfection of someone, than the dignity of meriting it; and still someone cannot merit them, unless at some time he lacked them. And such things are grace, glory, knowledge, and especially the hypostatic union—all of which Christ had from the beginning. But the glory of his body, and the exaltation of his name are lesser things than the dignity of meriting, and therefore it was a better thing for him to lac them for a time, and then by merit to acquire them, than to lack the dignity of meriting. (pp. 590-91)
