Freewill, Too Great A Responsibilty?

[Ed Normile]

Has anyone ever wondered, if only momentarily, has God overestimated our abilities as humans to deal with his gift of freewill? I have when I see things like crimes especially terrorism occur. In my personal life I often pray for God to remove my ability to choose sin, I know he wants us to love him enough to choose obedience over sin, but sin is so attractive in certain situations. I would love to have St. Michael on standby to smack the heck out of me when I was about to choose sin, that would be easier than having to earn my salvation. As this is really a moot point what I am really asking is what are your views on this, would you like to unable to sin, or do you regard the challenge of trying to please God in all you do worth the effort and trouble, let me edit this sentence to add that I know it is definetly worth the effort and trouble in the long run as far as our salvation is concerned, but many times that is not forefront in my mind. All I can say is thank you God for the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.

ed

Edited January 24, 2010 by Ed Normile

[Veridicus]

"Oh Happy Fault; Oh necessary Sin of Adam which gained for us so great a Redeemer."

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='Veridicus' date='24 January 2010 - 04:28 PM' timestamp='1264372090' post='2043713']
"Oh Happy Fault; Oh necessary Sin of Adam which gained for us so great a Redeemer."
[/quote]

exactly. We are not God's slaves, or robots. He wants us to freely choose Him and despite the fact that we don't always do this, He will always use our bad decisions for His greater glory, even if we don't see how immediately.

Frankly, God can never win in the eyes of man. If He gives us free will, then we blame Him for not stopping the tragedies in the world. If He doesn't allow us free will, then we blame Him for enslaving us and being a monstrous tyrant.

Edited January 24, 2010 by goldenchild17

[AccountDeleted]

Yes, absolutely - oh happy fault. If we hadn't fallen and sinned so greatly against God, then we might never have known the redeeming grace of the Incarnation.

If God wants us to love Him for Himself, than anything less than free will would have been ludicrous. He gave the angels their choice and some of them chose to reject His mercy and love. He has given us the same choice. But what he has also given us in our limited little intellectual capacity (which is better than the angels in my opinion, who know it all at once and make their choice forever) is that when we err, we can repent and be reconciled. This interplay of love between the Creator and us is so sweet and so great an expression of His mercy and majesty, that who would want to be without it? Wouldn't all of us love never to sin or to offend God? And yet, it is in our weakness that His power is made perfect!

Again, oh happy fault....

[KeenanParkerII]

I'm not sure God would make such an subconscious overestimation. He is God! We were made exactly as we are supposed to be made, because it couldn't be any other way unless God willed it. However, that is not to say we've done very well with our free will.

[Veridicus]

[quote name='KeenanParkerII' date='24 January 2010 - 07:50 PM' timestamp='1264384202' post='2043843']
I'm not sure God would make such an subconscious overestimation. He is God! We were made exactly as we are supposed to be made, because it couldn't be any other way unless God willed it. However, that is not to say we've done very well with our free will.
[/quote]

Well I don't know that God has a subconscious. And I wouldn't say we are exactly as we are supposed to be currently. I am not sure if it is theologically correct to state that God wills our brokenness...kind of like saying God willed the Fall. He may have foreseen the Fall and accounted for the Fall in his economy of salvation, but I do not know that I would phrase it that he willed it. Then again, I am no Church Scholar.

Just bein semantically picky. I know what I think you mean.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Veridicus