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Question 491

Hi, Father,  on the issue of free will! My question may sound slightly silly but God created Lucifer and the fallen angels as holy yet they chose to rebel against God. In the next life will we still have free will and does that mean we may still have the freedom to choose to remain with God or fall away? 

 

 

Answer to Question 491

From the moment Adam was created he knew what was good and what was evil; what was beneficial and salutary and what was harmful and destructive. But this knowledge was theoretical. He possessed knowledge but not experience. He knew that his aim was to reach perfection and union with God, but perfection could only be achieved through practical and experiential knowledge. We now have this experiential knowledge and when we die our knowledge of these things will be even more complete. Having possession of this knowledge I think we will be like the angels, and through the grace of God we will use our free will to remain steadfast in God. Also if we are saved then through Jesus Christ we have become one with God and we will be filled with the love of God. It would take a very stupid man to want to rebel and separate himself from this love of God.