The Will of God

In general, the Bible refers to the will of God in three different senses. In some passages, "the will of God" is another way of saying "the law of God". The apostle Paul considers knowing God's law to be equal with knowing God's will. Since God's law instructs us in how we should live, the law may rightly be called "the will of God." "Law" basically means "instruction" and includes the entire writing Word of God. Therefore, God's will refers to His plans and purposes for us and the world.

"The will of God" is also used for anything that is expressed as God's desire. This is what we call God's "perfect will" because it is what God ideally wants for us - His best and highest purpose.

The "will of God" may refer to what God permits or allows to happen, even though He does not specifically cause or even desire it to happen. This could be referred to as God's "permissive will." In reality, much that happens in the world is contrary to God's perfect will. For example, God is opposed to sinful rebellion, lust, violence, hatred and resistance against Him, yet He permits evil to continue for the present time. God does no force anyone to believe in Him or to accept His Son, Jesus. It is our choice whether or not we entrust our lives to Jesus. We are free to refuse a personal relationship with Him and remain spiritually lost and condemned for eternity. Another example is how God allows many troubles and evils to affect our lives in this present world, which continues to suffer from from the results of humankind's rebellion against God. These things are not necessarily His desire or highest purpose.

Responding to the will of God: The Bible's teaching about God's will is more than doctrine or spiritual principles. His will relates to our lives in a practical way in everyday living. First, we must learn what God's perfect will is, which means we must study His Word so that we know what is revealed to us in the Bible (including His law). Because we live in evil times, we must understand "what the Lord's will is (Eph. 5:17). Nothing He ham planned for us will contradict what He has already revealed in His Word.

Once we know what God has already shown us in His Word about how He wants us to live, we must set our hearts and minds to following His ill and purpose for our lives. The psalm writer, for example, asked God to teach him "to do your will" (Psalm 143:10). Then he restates this same thought in different words. He prays, "lead me on level ground," which means that  he wants God's help to do what is right. Paul prayed that Christians would be filled with the knowledge of God's will, in order that they "may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way" (Col. 1:9-10).

Christ calls His followers to pray for God's will to be done. That means we must deeply desire for God's perfect plans to be accomplished in our lives, in our families and in the world. We show that desire by actually doing what we know God wants us to do. If this is our prayer and commitment, then we can be sure that both our present and our future are in God's protective care. However, if we hold on to any sin or rebellion in our lives, then we must realize that God will not answer our prayers. We cannot expect God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven unless we are attempting to do His will in our own lives.

Finally, we must not use God's will as an excuse for our lack of interest or for not taking our responsibility seriously in fighting the battle against sin. That is to say, we must not live with the attitude that things are simply the way God intends and there is nothing we can do about it. Our battle against sin, evil, spiritual laziness and compromise must be constant. It is satan, not God, who is responsible for the cruelty and injustice that currently exists in the world; and it is satan who causes much of the pain and suffering people experience. Just as Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, so it clearly is God's will for His followers to wage war against evil. We do this in part by spreading His message in the power of the Holy Spirit and by standing our ground against the forces of evil in the spirit realm.