the lord of the rings - Why is Sauron always portrayed as being stronger than Gandalf?

My understanding is that Sauron along with the other wizards are all Maiar. They are all timeless, so no one is older than anyone else.

I would have thought that 5 Maiar (or even two in LOTR) should be stronger than a single Maiar. Especially given that Sauron has already had his physical body destroyed several times. But Gandalf and the other wizards consistently fear Sauron.

As such, why is Sauron portrayed as being stronger than Gandalf or any other Maiar?

Answer

As I understand it, the Maiar existed before men, and even before there was a land, but when land was created, they were to leave the beings that lived there alone. Sauron refused and he became a god-like creature living in the world of men (and elves and dwarfs, and so on), but the Istari (also Maiar) were sent by Iluvatar to help guide the lesser beings in the fight against Sauron. Key part there being: sent to help guide, not solve their problems.

They were bound by that command, I'm not entirely sure if their powers were actually limited when they became the Istari, but even if they weren't they refused to act like that to fulfil their mission: help men, elves, and the rest fight against their enemy.

Does that make sense?

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