Not to sin because of free will = heresy?

[m_p_w]

The question is not about never sinning, but being able to not give in to temptations and evil thoughts.

So is it wrong to say that “I did not give in to the evil thoughts because of my free will”?

I was told that we need God’s grace to know “good vs evil”, but at the same time Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which would suggest that we are able to know “good vs evil” without the divine help.

Also I was told that by saying that I can know or not give in to evil thoughts or temptations through my free will, and without divide help is heresy called Pelagianism.

But if we need the God’s help to no give in to the temptations or to know good vs evil then do we still have free will, and what was the significance of tree of knowledge for humanity (why sometimes we give in to the evil thoughts and sometimes we do not, and we know that we did good or bad) ?

 

[Brendan_64]

Knowing good and evil results from consciences formed in accordance with what the Church teaches, but at a very basic level God has written Natural Law onto the hearts of men and therefore even someone who had never heard Scripture or Church Teaching, or who did not believe in God, can still discern at a basic level what is good and what is evil.

Pelagianism is the belief that we save ourselves through our own actions. That is different from free will to carry out actions. Of course we use our own free will to decide whether to commit evil or not.

 

[Hilarion1021]

I was told that we need God’s grace to know “good vs evil”, but at the same time Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which would suggest that we are able to know “good vs evil” without the divine help.

Adam and Eve were no more lacking in divine help than was the Blessed Mother. All three were born in original innocence, without original sin, and “full of grace.”

Both knew that it would be good to eat of a different tree and evil to eat of that tree. They knew that on account of God’s grace. They did not need to eat from the tree to know they it was wrong to eat from the tree.

 

[Hilarion1021]

So is it wrong to say that “I did not give in to the evil thoughts because of my free will”?

No. God gave us free will precisely in order to avoid sin and choose what is right. It is a grace from God that we are free to choose, and not mere slaves or automatons.

 

[ajcstr]

The question is not about never sinning, but being able to not give in to temptations and evil thoughts.

So is it wrong to say that “I did not give in to the evil thoughts because of my free will”?

I was told that we need God’s grace to know “good vs evil”, but at the same time Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which would suggest that we are able to know “good vs evil” without the divine help.

Also I was told that by saying that I can know or not give in to evil thoughts or temptations through my free will, and without divide help is heresy called Pelagianism.

But if we need the God’s help to no give in to the temptations or to know good vs evil then do we still have free will, and what was the significance of tree of knowledge for humanity (why sometimes we give in to the evil thoughts and sometimes we do not, and we know that we did good or bad) ?

From Wiki :

Pelagianism is the belief that original sin did not taint human nature and that mortal will is still capable of choosing good or evil without special divine aid. … Pelagius taught that the human will, as created with its abilities by God, was sufficient to live a sinless life, although he believed that God’s grace assisted every good work. Pelagianism has come to be identified with the view (whether taught by Pelagius or not) that human beings can earn salvation by their own efforts.

It’s a whole different thing to say you were able to resist a sin than to say you can earn your salvation.

I would guess that no matter how much will power you have, you can’t resist ALL sin EVERY time. It would probably be heretical to say that you could.

God can give us the grace to resist sin, but we use our free will to cooperate with that grace. That is the Catholic perspective at least.

 

[Hilarion1021]

I would guess that no matter how much will power you have, you can’t resist ALL sin EVERY time. It would probably be heretical to say that you could.

A very orthodox priest told me that while it is possible to live life without committing a mortal sin (St. Terese of Liseux is said to have) it is not possible to live life without committing a venial sin. Our Lady is the only exception.

 

[ajcstr]

The question is not about never sinning, but being able to not give in to temptations and evil thoughts.

It really is because the temptation/evil thought is not sinful unless you act on it.