What is free will? Is God free to do only good, can He do evil? If He cannot do evil, how can He be truly free? If God does not have free will, how can we expect to have it? God’s desires are for the good, and had our first parents followed His law, so would ours. But, as the Exsultet has it:
O happy fault,
O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!
For though we were utterly lost, and although we deserved only the punishment for our crimes prescribed in the Law, God sent His only-begotten Son that we should live.
Before we were made, God knew us and our fate. But that does not mean that we are robots programmed by God. We have the power, which, alas we frequently exercise, to reject Him. Made in the image of God, we are limited by our fallen nature. In telling us that God is our Father, Jesus tells us much. God wants our love
Since the Bible clearly teaches us that the unbeliever is restricted to making sinful choices (1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 3:10-12; Rom. 6:14-20), we must conclude that anyone who believes in God (John 3:16; 3:36) does so because God has granted that he believe (Phil. 1:29), has caused him to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3), and chosen him for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13). But does that mean that the moment we receive Him, we are sinless? Does it mean we cease from sinning? No.
Nice though it would be were that the case, we retain our free will. There is some dispute in Calvinist circles about ‘irresistible Grace’, with some holding that although Grace is offered to all, only the ‘elect’ will receive it, and they have no choice. What puzzles me in all such disputes is that no one turns to see what the Fathers have written. St Cyril of Alexandria, whose commentary on John repays the effort of reading, has quite a few things to say about this:
‘But having said above, No man can come to Me, except the Father Which sent Me draw him,He shows that it is not a compulsory nor forcible drawing, adding, Every man that hath heard of My Father and hath learned, cometh unto Me.
For where there is hearing and learning and the benefit of instruction, there is faith, to wit by persuasion and not of necessity: and the knowledge of Christ is given by the Father to them that are worthy, helpful as of love, rather than constraining. For the word of doctrine requires that free-will and free choice be preserved to the soul of man, in order that it may ask the just rewards of its good deeds, and if it have fallen from right, and from heedlessness have transgressed the Will of the Lawgiver, it may receive the doom of its transgression and that most reasonable. (Commentary of the Gospel of John, Bk. IV, Chap. 1)’
‘He says that He so kept His disciples, and had such care for them, that none of them was lost save one, whom He called the son of perdition; as though he were doomed to destruction of his own choice, or rather his own wickedness and impiety. For it is inconceivable that the traitor disciple was by a Divine and irresistible decree entangled, as it were, in the snare of the fowler, and brought within the devil’s noose; for then would he surely have been guiltless when he succumbed to the verdict of heaven. For who shall oppose the decree of God? And now he is condemned and accursed, and it would have been better for him if he had never been born. And why? Surely the wretched man met his doom as a consequence of his own volitions, and is not convicted by destiny. He that was so enamored of destruction may well be called a son of perdition, inasmuch as he merited ruin and corruption, and ever awaits the day of perdition as fraught with anguish and lamentation. (Commentary on the Gospel of John, Bk. XI, Chap. 9)’
St John of Damascus is also a font of good sense on this matter:
‘We must recognize that while God foreknows all things, He does not predestine all things. He foreknows the things that depend upon us, but He does not predestine those things. He does not will the doing of evil, nor does He compel virtue. (The Fount of Knowledge, Bk. III: 2,30)’
‘God Himself has given us the power of doing good. And He made us self-determining so that the good might be produced both from Himself and from us. Whenever a choice is made that prefers the good, God is cooperating in the good in such a way that we do thing that are, while consistent with our nature, yet above our nature. (The Two Wills in Christ, 19)’
God’s Grace does not take away our free will and force us to do something He wants; were that so, he could force us all, and there would have been no need of the Incarnation. No, God’s grace helps us to fulfill His commandments. Adam knew grace but he could still exercise his will. As it was with the old Adam, so it is for those saved by the Second Adam.
I’ve always found what St Irenaus of Lyons has said regarding freewill
“Humanity was free from the beginning. For God is freedom and humanity was made in the image of God.”
Many of the Church Fathers maintain that God was taking a real risk on his part. He laid the emphasis on Salvation through Love. God can do everything but force man to love him. The gift of Grace saves, but only in an encounter with love.
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Like all good fathers, God wishes to evoke love by giving it. The response is up to us.
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PS Ommission
I’ve always found what St Irenaus of Lyons has said regarding freewill helpful
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A key concept, in my mind, at least. And an amazing one, that God intended us to be free.
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The theological discourses that I’ve read state that God is goodness, I also think that CS Lewis touched on this a bit, and because he IS goodness then he cannot do evil because it is illogical, much like God couldn’t make a circle a square. It would cease be a circle.
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A complex issue that also declares when God acts in natural disasters, life is a free gift from God; therefore it is not evil when he takes it or commands others to do so, because a greater good can come from God’s actions.
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“What puzzles me in all such disputes is that no one turns to see what the Fathers have written.”
Those Fathers are generally catholic and have a agenda, ….plus they are unsaved. Even though, ive seen many people quote them, even born again people.
The bible has everything and is good for learning and correction. Anything else is extra biblical.
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Tells you that the New Testament exists and what books are in it does it? No, the Church told you that, via those Church Fathers who might ease your ignorance.
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Where are those church Fathers when you need them? I wonder how they would react to the state of affairs of their church now?
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They are where they always are – available for your guidance.
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Someone in the Holy See needs to channel one of them for help. Oh, that’s rite…why don’t your cadres of holymen enlist the help of these dead cathols, seeing as how they are up there ready to lend a hand?
Ill tell you what they do at my gathering….they pray to Christ about anything. Things have been going OK as far as I know.
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Like good brother Chalcedon said, God just knows who will come to salvation from the beginning. Then, Jesus said men are drawn to him by the Father. OK, so what? Moral of story is…..seek him while it is yet day, because men cant work in the darkness.
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I was reminded, by someone, I forgot, that god inhabits eternity. He doesn’t have time, as we do, and we cant imagine what its like. To Him, he can look down and see the future and the past.
Here is what im trying to say;
The saved are in heaven(paradise) rite now with god. Oh gosh, I can only imagine what im doing. Ive got ten to one that im on the eternal naughty step.
Not only does he know who is saved, but we are with him now, in our new bodies. How is this possible? Well, if He inhabits eternity, He is everywhere, from the creation to the New lerusalem. He is the Alpha and Omega. People say ….” I cant wait to get to heaven”. Not knowing that we(the saved) are in heaven. I cant even wrap my head around that.
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The key here is that God is eternity, He created all that there is. This God who is so far above us, loves us and wants us to be with Him – just wow!
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Yeah, that’s rite. Wow. You know what the deal is?….hes tired of yes angels. He wants someone his equal. A bride made of the same stuff he is….and that’s us….and the Devil cant stand it. We are to joint heirs of gods kingdom and all that there is. First thing im going to do is create a pastrami /burger stand that gives free food.
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I don’t think any creature could be the equal of the Creator.
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C, seems the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences are using their free will to do as they please instead of doing as they ought. Just as with Jeffery Sachs, why would they do such? What do you think they hope to accomplish with their Biological Extinction conference? Do you think their guilt over Galileo is the reason they continue to listen to the likes of Dr. Paul Ehrlich? I know my echo chamber seems to be full of lifesitenews.com articles, should I shield my eyes from all of them? Are they all trash? AND, do you really believe that Pope Francis knows nothing of this, and would condemn this conference if he did know?
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vatican-invites-pro-abortion-population-bomb-author-to-speak-at-biological
Lord have mercy.
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Maggie Sullivan makes some good comments below the above article, such as this:
“Ehrlich believes that it is a good thing that millions and millions of children have been murdered by abortion and he has clearly stated he believes hundreds of millions more of God’s precious should be murdered by abortion ……..just wondering what good do you think he will bring to this conference?
This is like inviting Heinrich Himmler to a conference on protecting the lives of Jewish children……….having Ehrlich speak at this conference in these times where Frances had intentionally sown confusion among the faithful has the potential of leading well meaning people into seeing population control as a climate-change-environmental issue where we need to “control” the birth of children to save the planet………at best this is a scandal and may possibly be an attempt to destroy human life and to bow down in obedience to climate-change-environmental-worship.”
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I’d tend to agree, but then clearly not everyone in the Church is on side here.
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No but it does seem that the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is.
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Surely it is better to hear what ‘the other side’ have to say?
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Unless the Vatican has been living under a rock [which is probably where they should live] for the last 50 years all that Paul Ehrlich and Jeffrey Sachs and the UN believe and teach with religious zeal is widely known even to neophytes such as myself. It has been in the public record for years. Do they not have the ability to read and pass judgment or do they need to soak themselves in a bath of this venomous bile?
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Who are we to judge? Frankly I have given up following what the Vatican is doing and am getting on with my own prayer life – I don’t find the former helps the latter, though I keep hoping the latter might help the former!
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Now who’s putting their head under the sand? 🙂
Might it be that the former and the latter are one and the same with identiccal mindsets?
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I think praying for the Pope better for him, my prayer life and my blood pressure than trying to understand what is happening in an environment where actual reliable news as opposed to polemical speculation is hard to get!
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No doubt that that copious prayers for the Pope and the Church are needed at this time more than ever. But do you not think that simple facts of attendees at conferences is mere polemical speculation? How about the singing of verses of the Koran that deny Christ is God being sung in an Irish Catholic parish or that in Canada they are about to allow Muslims to give sermons in their Churches? Seems that voices and a clamoring of resistence to these things ought to be resonating around the Church if we want to keep the Church. Maybe Pope Francis finds it far more dangerous to allow the Knights of Malta to regulate their own internal affairs rather than get involved in these petty little scandals. 🙂
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I don’t deny they happen, but I don’t see that speculation from a hermeneutic of suspicion is in any way useful
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I think suspicion has long been breached we are now dealing with an unprecedented revolution of epic proportion to dismantle the barque of Peter lock, stock and barrel. We can resist or we can twist the writings, actions and spoken words to understand these things within the hermeneutic of mental gymnastics. I prefer a hermeneutic of reality.
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Sorry, I meant to say that the Canadians are going to allow unmonitored sermons in their schools not churches [at least at this point]. 🙂
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And the back-lash continues: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/experts-blast-vaticans-scandalous-decision-to-host-pro-abort-population-bom
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And the Maltese bishops are free willing it also!
“1. The Maltese bishops have fallen completely for the canonically and ecclesiologically false view that an individual’s assessment of his or her own readiness to receive holy Communion (see c. 916) controls a minister’s decision to administer the sacrament (see c. 915). In Malta now, anyone who approaches for the sacraments should be recognized as being “at peace with God”. Objective evidence to the contrary is simply no longer relevant. Canon 916 is thus eviscerated, Canon 915 is effectively repudiated.”
FALSE VIEW…CONTROLS A MINISTER’S DECISION…! The individual penitent now is in charge of the sacraments. Tradition and Sacred Scripture be damned.
http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/5345/the_maltese_disaster.aspx
Lord have mercy.
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None of this looks very good Steve – but what are we to do – form our own Church?
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We could express a valid concern to our priest and bishop that Pope Francis answer the dubia before this is unstoppable. Our voices will and do matter.
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No problem with that. But I think we know what the result will be – nothing.
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In the comments below the above article, Fr. Peter Morello states: “The arbiter of moral good or evil today is conscience. AL promotes this. It fits new Age Apotheosis. Card Mueller of the CDF, now the Pontiff’s Pinata can still somehow say, despite the Pontiff’s unexplained dismissals of Mueller’s staff and transference of Priest sexual abuse cases from the CDF to the Congregation for the Clergy, that AL is theologically sound posing no danger to the faith, and instead takes aim at Cardinals Burke, Brandmueller, Caffarra, Meisner as out of turn for requesting the Pontiff’s clarification of the Dubia. Rather than take aim at the Pontiff’s policies the once traditional stalwart Card Mueller reinforces the Maltese moral debacle. Like others I’ve lampooned the Francis Effect. Now it seems it is something real and dreadful.”
But, C you may have some interest in the comment of Greg C. who seems to be a student of yours.
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No idea who Greg is, but he seems to me very sound in refusing to join the panic. Which bit of what he says do you disagree with?
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As with the “Spirit of Vatican II” the process of discernment Greg talks about will be the practice for about a month, then all will just demand the sacrament.
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Deacon Nick Donnelly goes into more depth: https://www.ewtn.co.uk/news/commonwealth/divorced-remarried-can-receive-communion-if-at-peace-with-god-say-maltese-bishops
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But Nick starts off saying what the diocese is saying – and that, as Greg points out isn’t what is being said. This is what is going to destroy unity – the insistence by those determined to read into what the Pope says what they believe he really believes.
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Deacon Nick says even after the discernment, “By allowing divorced and civilly “remarried” couples to be sexually active and to receive the sacrament of reconciliation and Holy Communion the bishops of Malta have abrogated the following binding magisterial documents of the Catholic Church:”
Even after the discernment, in other words, the Catholic Church does and has never allowed this.
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the Catholic Church does NOT and has never allowed this.
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And now it is. Is it your contention that the Church does not have the power to change its teaching in this way. If so, the Pope and the Bishops appear not to agree with you. So who do we take as Magisterial, bloggers or the Magisterium?
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That is the whole reason for the dubia. And now it is. Correct. You are correct about my contention. Who is Magisterial? Cardinal Burke, et al.
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That is schism. The Magisterium without the Pope is not the Magisterial, surely?
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And any pope teaching heresy is not Magisterial, surely!
This quote is from Fr. Z’s article: http://wdtprs.com/blog/2017/01/important-interview-with-card-caffarra-about-the-dubia-and-amoris-laetitia-confusion/
Cardinal Caffarra states in the interview:
“I received a letter from a parish priest that’s a perfect photograph of what’s been happening. He wrote me, ‘In spiritual direction and in confession I don’t know what to say anymore. To the penitent who tells me that he lives with all the effects as the husband with a woman who is divorced and now I go to Communion’, I propose a certain path in order to correct this situation. But the penitent stops me and responds immediately, ‘Look, Father, the Pope said that I can receive Communion without living in continence.’ I can’t take this kind of situation any longer. [NB] The Church can ask many of things of me, but not that I betray my conscience. And my conscience objects to a supposed papal teaching to admit to Communion under certain circumstances, those who live as husband and wife without being married.’ This is what the priest wrote to me. The situation of many pastors of souls, and I intend mainly parish priests, is this: they are carrying a load on their shoulders that’s too heavy to carry. This is what I am thinking of when I talk about a great confusion. And while I am talking about parish priests, many faithful are even more confused. We are talking about questions that are not secondary. We’re not talking about whether eating fish violates the law of abstinence or not. We are talking about the most serious questions for the life of the Church and about the eternal salvation of the faithful. Never forget, this is the supreme law of the Church, the eternal salvation of the faithful. Not any other concerns. Jesus founded His Church so that the faithful would have eternal life and have it in abundance.”
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A Deacon friend here has much the same story to tell.
But who takes the decision the Pope is not the Pope and deposes him? Until that happens he is the Pope.
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Religions (;-D Good luck with that
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