Two wills of Christ not contradictory?

[fineca]

Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." Luke 22:42

The Church teaches that Christ had two wills but that these two wills were never contradictory. But it seems to me that whenever in the Bible we see Christ talking about two wills (I came not to do my own will but the will of my father who sent me) those two wills seem to be different from each other, willing the opposite, as in Luke 22:42 above. How to explain this? Thanks! e

 

[jpusateri]

Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." Luke 22:42

The Church teaches that Christ had two wills but that these two wills were never contradictory. But it seems to me that whenever in the Bible we see Christ talking about two wills (I came not to do my own will but the will of my father who sent me) those two wills seem to be different from each other, willing the opposite, as in Luke 22:42 above. How to explain this? Thanks! e

You could say that Christ conformed his will to the Will of the Father. They are separate and distinct, but he chose constantly to do what the Father wanted.

We can infer from your verse that Jesus didn’t want what his Father wanted, but who would? Despite the good that his Passion would bring, Jesus has trouble with some aspect of it. Many have tried to guess what it is, but we just don’t know. The point, however, is that no matter what the problem, he will do the Father’s will not his own.

 

[fineca]

But the simple fact of having to conform the will implies that the will was contradictory to the divine will in some way, which goes against the official dogma that the wills are always in harmony and never contradictory…that is the problem

 

[fineca]

Haha I found that St.Thomas Aquinas dealt with this in Summa Theologica. His response to this very objection was:

Reply to Objection 1. The fact of any will in Christ willing something else than did the Divine will, proceeded from the Divine will, by whose permission the human nature in Christ was moved by its proper movements, as Damascene says (De Fide Orth. ii, 15,18,19).

The faith regarding this dogma as defined in the COuncil:
We confess two natural wills, not in opposition, as evil-minded heretics assert, but following His human will, and neither withstanding nor striving against, but rather being subject to, His Divine and omnipotent will."

 

[Struggling]

But the simple fact of having to conform the will implies that the will was contradictory to the divine will in some way, which goes against the official dogma that the wills are always in harmony and never contradictory…that is the problem

“desire” is different from the Free Will just as temptation is different from Sin.

Christ’s flesh of course did not desire to suffer, but his higher faculties, his Will conformed to the divine, CHOSE for Him to go through it anyway in accordance with the Will of the Father.

Will is Choice. Feelings, desires, fears, etc…are not chosen, and are not will. They are just urges or emotions. Will is choice, and though Christ’s human nature was allowed by God to suffer fear and repugnance at the thought of pain (as would be expected) Christ nevertheless chose to suffer anyway, nevertheless chose to say “your will be done”…

It’s a pseudo-paradox that is kind of interesting “I want not what I want, but what you want.” But if what I want IS whatever you want, then wouldn’t I also be getting what I want? And if I don’t get what I want, then does that mean you won’t either? But I thought I said I wanted not my want, but your want, but if I don’t get my want (which is you getting yours) then you won’t get yours, so I guess it all works out?

It is just a very deep and poetic emphasis on the total pre-eminence and dependence of the human will on the divine and their complete harmony.

 

[BillyT92679]

I believe the Church handled questions of Will adequately to combat the Monothelitists. Both Wills, like both Natures, are perfectly united to each other.