Defining and Knowing God’s Will

This post is a follow-up to the FBCTW College Bible study on 7/6/2008.

“My name is will, God’s will!” “It’s not in God’s will for us to be together anymore.” “I don’t know which color carpet God wants me to have?”

The term God’s will has become a rather nebulous concept within Christian circles, mostly because the term will has several meanings in and of itself. Will can refer to one’s desires, purposes, plans, intentions, and motives. The same is true of God, and when we or the Scriptures refer to His will, in one sense we refer to his desires, law, and precepts. At other times, the reference is to his purpose, plans, intentions, and counsel. Although God’s attribute of purpose is distinct from God’s other attributes, it is strongly related to his other attributes, especially that of His holiness, love, independence, omnipotence, and omniscience.

When we fail to note the distinction between God’s will of purpose from that of His desire or precept, confusion is the common result. Often times, when we think of us following God’s will, we think of some spiritual tightrope that God has set before us that if we do not precisely follow, we fall to our doom—not to mention frustrate God in his purposes. Just listen to the way many describe our place in relation to God’s will! These descriptions of God’s will make Him seem so dependent on human beings! This is simply not biblical.

First, we will cover God’s will in terms in his purposes, decrees, and plans. Then we will cover it in terms of desire, law, and precepts.

God has a unified purpose in the creation of the world and all that happens in it—and that purpose is to reveal his glory and majesty. Like the plot of a great book or movie, God’s overall purpose has many “sub-plots”—individual persons and events—that piece together to produce His masterpiece that accomplishes its chief end. The main character in His plot is Jesus Christ and the climax is His life on earth. Everything centers on this event. [Eph 3:11]

God, in his grace, involves us in his purposes and plans, but we as the creature cannot frustrate the plans of the Creator! Compared to greatness of God, I am but a drop of water compared to the vastness of earth’s oceans, and all of humanity might be slightly more than a bucket. Therefore, if I or the entire human race were to oppose God in his purposes, we would be like a penny stopping a freight train! Whatever God purposes, He does. We must know, understand, and accept this. That is why Paul says:

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 "Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36

This is the foundation of Romans 12:1-2. There is no one sovereign over God—He is the sovereign. He has no need for our advice or service to accomplish his ends. The counsel of Scripture allows for no other interpretation: Job 12:13-25, 23:13, 42:2; Psalm 33:1-22, 115:1-3, 119:89-91, 135:6, all of 139; Daniel 4:34-35; Proverbs 19:21; Acts 2:23, 4:27-28; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11. [Many others]

Whether we are in submission to or rebellion against God, God will accomplish his purpose through us—and judge us for our rebellion if that be the case.

However, when we view God’s will in terms of his desires, precepts, and law, it is clear that this is not always done. Only in terms of God desire for our behavior can we be “out of God’s will.” God consistently commands us to obey his will, so obviously He desires our obedience. However, even as believers, we consistently rebel against God’s laws! Paul confirms this in Romans 12:1-2:

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove [test, determine, or evaluate] what is that good and acceptable and perfect will [purpose] of God.

Clearly, God is commanding us through the apostle Paul to be transformed [metamorphoomai] by the renewing of our minds. God desires that our minds be transformed by the disciplines of the Christian faith: the study of the Word of God, prayer, and service in the body of Christ. This is also not always done.

This brings us some interesting questions. Does God purpose evil? Clearly by his hatred of it, God does not desire it! Therefore, how can God purpose something that He does not desire? If He does purpose evil, is not God responsible for it? How can I trust a God who is responsible for evil? If we cannot thwart God’s plans, how does that relate to our freedom of choice?

These are substantial questions that will be addressed in coming FBCTW Bible Study, and a short answer here will not do justice to the questions themselves. However, some of the questions must briefly be addressed in order to complete the topic of God’s will and purpose.

God Himself does not commit evil, nor does He tempt people to commit evil. His nature is good—and his knowledge is perfect. He knows the inclinations and motives of our hearts, even better than we do! Evil has a place in God’s overall perfect plan, and God purposefully allows men to act in evils ways, knowing exactly what they will do, with the intention to bring about a greater good and reveal a greater glory of Himself by His use of those actions!

Although the commission of sin stirs up anger is displeasure in God, in patience God permits it to exist for a greater good. How this is so lies within the unsearchable wisdom of God, and when these horrendous acts of wickedness take place, God is not obligated to reveal to us how they are a part of his plan. However, we must know they are for our [believers] and His good!

Take note of the parent who must let his child do something that might hurt him in order that the child may learn an important lesson that would not be learned if the parent kept trying to protect the child. Both the parent and the child are hurt by what takes place, but it is for the child’s good. So it is with God and us.

The story of Joseph and the crucifixion of Christ are clear examples of this. Think of how much it hurt God to see His Son experience what He did on Calvary! On the other hand, what a glorious revelation of God’s love, grace, wrath, and justice in Christ’s Work!

Now, how are we to know and be in God’s will? From Romans 12:1-2, it is clear that in order for us to know, test, examine, and prove God’s good, acceptable, and perfect purpose, we must continually be transformed by the renewal of our minds. What does “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” mean?

It means first and foremost that we must be born-again—regenerated by the power of Christ’s resurrection. That is the beginning of the metamorphosis. That means we must have trusted Christ and His work alone as the only means to a relationship with the Father and eternal life! If we have not done so, we cannot be “in God’s will.”

It means that we must study His Word so that it becomes the guiding principle of our lives. We must be in surrender to the wisdom therein.

It means that we should be in prayer, fervent and consistent prayer.

It means that we serve the body of Christ—the church—through a local congregation of genuine believers.

When we are doing these things, we are in “God’s will”—regardless of what career we may choose, or the person we marry. In fact, when we are truly conformed to Christ’s image, we tend to make wise decision in these major choices—even when God doesn’t clearly show us the decision to make. When we conform to God’s desire, we have freedom in knowing that we cannot frustrate God’s purpose.

To sum it up: To be in God’s will is to do God’s will. To do God’s will is to live like Christ. The rest falls into its place by the awesome sovereignty of God.