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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Sronger Will than God's	Daniel	Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Question: Dear Brother Ignatius Mary, I recently heard a priest say that our will is stronger than God's. The reason he said that is because since we can choose to do either right or wrong, that makes our will stronger. Is this theologically correct? I can see the point he was trying to make that we can sin so we have a free will. He said that because when we are weak and fall into sin, we are actually using our strong will to sin and we are actually strong willed at that time and not weak. God Bless you and thank you for your reply.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Daniel: I understand what this priest is trying to say, but he said it incorrectly. There is nothing in this universe stronger than God. The priest is trying to say that God does not always get his way. In fact, God does not get his way most of the time because every time we choose to sin we act contrary to his will. Because God allows us to choose, to have free will, to choose contrary to His will, does not mean that His will is weaker than ours. It just means that God is a gentleman and will not force himself upon us of which he has every power to do so if he wished. He does not exercise that power out of love for us. God has given us free will as a part of the image of himself. He has given us is free well so that we can choose Him, so we can choose love and truth. Although God as given us free will to choose Him, it also gives us the ability to choose contrary to His will. Free will is like pregnancy. One cannot be 99% pregnant. Either one is or is not pregnant. The same goes for free will. We either have it or we don't. Thus, God allows us to choose however we wish to choose even if that means choosing to go to hell. If God were to force us to do the right thing, even 1/2 percent of the time, we will no longer have free will and thus we would be nothing more than animals and not human beings made in the image of Him. Free Will is the ultimate act of love because love does not force. Love allows one to choose what they wish to choose. 1st Corinthians 13 tells us that "love does not demand its own way." God expect us to follow "his way," he will try to persuade us to choose "His way," but ultimately the choice is always ours. God is a gentleman, he never uses his absolute power to force anyone to do anything. 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

Sronger Will than God's

Daniel

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Question:

Dear Brother Ignatius Mary,

I recently heard a priest say that our will is stronger than God's. The reason he said that is because since we can choose to do either right or wrong, that makes our will stronger. Is this theologically correct? I can see the point he was trying to make that we can sin so we have a free will. He said that because when we are weak and fall into sin, we are actually using our strong will to sin and we are actually strong willed at that time and not weak.

God Bless you and thank you for your reply.

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

Dear Daniel:

I understand what this priest is trying to say, but he said it incorrectly. There is nothing in this universe stronger than God. The priest is trying to say that God does not always get his way. In fact, God does not get his way most of the time because every time we choose to sin we act contrary to his will. Because God allows us to choose, to have free will, to choose contrary to His will, does not mean that His will is weaker than ours. It just means that God is a gentleman and will not force himself upon us of which he has every power to do so if he wished. He does not exercise that power out of love for us.

God has given us free will as a part of the image of himself. He has given us is free well so that we can choose Him, so we can choose love and truth. Although God as given us free will to choose Him, it also gives us the ability to choose contrary to His will. Free will is like pregnancy. One cannot be 99% pregnant. Either one is or is not pregnant. The same goes for free will. We either have it or we don't. Thus, God allows us to choose however we wish to choose even if that means choosing to go to hell. If God were to force us to do the right thing, even 1/2 percent of the time, we will no longer have free will and thus we would be nothing more than animals and not human beings made in the image of Him.

Free Will is the ultimate act of love because love does not force. Love allows one to choose what they wish to choose. 1st Corinthians 13 tells us that "love does not demand its own way." God expect us to follow "his way," he will try to persuade us to choose "His way," but ultimately the choice is always ours.

God is a gentleman, he never uses his absolute power to force anyone to do anything.

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