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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
License to sin	Nathan	Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Question: I overheard a man explain the other day regarding last weeks first reading from Sirach "He has not commanded anyone to be wicked, and he has not given anyone permission to sin" that even though God does not give us permission, we do have a license. It was equated to free-will. I'm not certain how to take that and am uneasy with having a "license" to sin. I see is this wey: I go a buy a license to go deer hunting. I can choose to use it or not, but if I do, and go hunt legally, then that license says its OK for me to kill a deer. By saying we have a license to sin and we use our free will and sin to me that means that we are OK in sinning because by using our license that it's legal. I see it as those that believe that once-saved-always-saved can use that interpretation that God overlooks the sin because we are "saved". In the same manner I look at having a license to sin as God saying it's OK because we have a license. Am I seeing this the wrong way? Thanks
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Nathan: You are correct. No one has a "license" to sin. We all have Free Will so we can choose to sin, we have the ability to sin, but we never have "license" to sin, which means permission. God does not grant a license to sin. Such an idea is actually blasphemy. The Scripture quotes makes that point. No, we do not have a license (permission to sin). We have an "ability" to sin and we have the freedom to "choose" sin. Free Will does not give us "license." To begin with a license has to be granted by the proper authority. Our Free Will is not the authority of faith and morals.God is the authority, through His Church and His Word. Our Free Will allow the choice we make. We must remember that God gave us Free Will in order to choose Him. When we do not choose Him, when we sin, we are actually abusing Free Will. Free Will is ordered toward making the right choices. Any other choice, while we have the ability and freedom to make that wrong choice, is an abuse of our freedom. Our first Pope, St. Peter, reminds us: (1 Peter 2:16) Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

License to sin

Nathan

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Question:

I overheard a man explain the other day regarding last weeks first reading from Sirach "He has not commanded anyone to be wicked, and he has not given anyone permission to sin" that even though God does not give us permission, we do have a license. It was equated to free-will.

I'm not certain how to take that and am uneasy with having a "license" to sin. I see is this wey: I go a buy a license to go deer hunting. I can choose to use it or not, but if I do, and go hunt legally, then that license says its OK for me to kill a deer. By saying we have a license to sin and we use our free will and sin to me that means that we are OK in sinning because by using our license that it's legal. I see it as those that believe that once-saved-always-saved can use that interpretation that God overlooks the sin because we are "saved". In the same manner I look at having a license to sin as God saying it's OK because we have a license.

Am I seeing this the wrong way?

Thanks

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Nathan:

You are correct. No one has a "license" to sin. We all have Free Will so we can choose to sin, we have the ability to sin, but we never have "license" to sin, which means permission. God does not grant a license to sin. Such an idea is actually blasphemy. The Scripture quotes makes that point.

No, we do not have a license (permission to sin). We have an "ability" to sin and we have the freedom to "choose" sin.

Free Will does not give us "license." To begin with a license has to be granted by the proper authority. Our Free Will is not the authority of faith and morals.God is the authority, through His Church and His Word. Our Free Will allow the choice we make.

We must remember that God gave us Free Will in order to choose Him. When we do not choose Him, when we sin, we are actually abusing Free Will. Free Will is ordered toward making the right choices. Any other choice, while we have the ability and freedom to make that wrong choice, is an abuse of our freedom.

Our first Pope, St. Peter, reminds us:

(1 Peter 2:16) Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum