From: Sirach 15:15-20
Free Will
[18] For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power and sees everything;
[19] his eyes are on those who fear him,
and he knows every deed of man.
[20] He has not commanded any one to be ungodly,
and he has not given any one permission to sin.
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Commentary:
15:11-20. The teacher of Israel stops to provide a few maxims about human freedom and responsibility. Verse 14 sums them up when it makes free will part of man’s make-up, a gift God bestowed on him when he created him: “God willed that man should ‘be left in the hand of his own counsel’ (Sir 15:14) so that he might of his own accord seek his creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him” (Vatican II, “Gaudium et spes”, 17); or, in the words of a Father of the Church: “The soul shows its majesty and excellence [...] by its self-control and freedom, when it is governed by its own will.
This action resembles nothing so much as the activity of a king [...]. Human nature was created to rule over all other creatures through its likeness to the king of the universe, and was made as a living image, which partakes of the dignity and name of the Archetype” (St Gregory of Nyssa, “De hominis opificio”, 4).
But, along with free will, the Lord also gave man the commandments (v. 15). The Law of God does not coerce human freedom, because it does not restrain man’s ability to choose, but it does shown him how to make best use of his free will. The commandments of the Lord protect true freedom. John Paul II spells this out “Man’s ‘genuine moral autonomy’ in no way means the rejection but rather the acceptance of the moral law, of God’s command: ‘The Lord God gave this command to the man ... ‘ (Gen 2:16). ‘Human freedom and God’s law meet and are called to intersect’, in the sense of man’s free obedience to God and of God’s completely gratuitous benevolence towards man” (“Veritatis splendor”, 41).
Although on occasions temptation can make it difficult to make decisions, man is always in a position to opt for good or evil: “Temptations can be overcome, sins can be avoided, because together with the commandments the Lord gives us the possibility of keeping them: ‘His eyes are on those who fear him, and he knows every deed of man. He has not commanded any one to be ungodly, and he has not given any one permission to sin’ (Sir 15:19-20). Keeping God’s law in particular situations can be difficult, extremely difficult, but it is never impossible. This is the constant teaching of the Church’s tradition, and was expressed by the Council of Trent: ‘But no one, however much justified, ought to consider himself exempt from the observance of the commandments, nor should he employ that rash statement, forbidden by the Fathers under anathema, that the commandments of God are impossible of observance by one who is justified. For God does not command the impossible, but in commanding he admonishes you to do what you can and to pray for what you cannot, and he gives his aid to enable you. His commandments are not burdensome (cf. 1 Jn 5:3); his yoke is easy and his burden light (cf. Mt 11:30)’” ( “Veritatis splendor”, 102).
From: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Divine wisdom