Sunday Sermons
The Will of God - Part 1
The Will of God
When we consider the concept of God’s will, we find that it refers first to God’s purposes for this universe including the purpose to offer salvation in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:23 “the predetermined plan”; Acts 4:27-28 “To do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur”; Ephesians 1:11 “according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will”; Revelation 4:11 “For Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created”. When we examine the Scriptures we also find that this terminology also applies to God’s revealed commands in the Bible that teach how men ought to believe and live. Romans 2:18 “And know His will”; 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”; 1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality”. Some have called the first usage, God’s Sovereign Will and the second usage, God’s Moral will.
God’s Individual Will?
Many denominations teach that there is also an individual will, that is, a detailed life-plan that God has uniquely designed for each believer. This plan encompasses every decision we make and is the basis of God’s daily guidance. This guidance is given through the indwelling Holy Spirit who progressively reveals God’s life-plan to the heart of the individual believer. Supposedly this will reveals each specific decision that should be made and it shows all of the possible alternatives, the ideal life-plan for each situation. It is a detailed plan for all decisions in a believer’s life, including specifically who to marry, where to live, what college to attend, what career to pursue, and so on. Up front one would know that the proponents of a precise individual will also admit that such a will is not found in the Bible, but rather is discovered through the agreement of inward impressions and outward signs.
Proof Texts?
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”. The KJV here reads, “He will direct thy paths” and from this some have interpreted this verse as teaching a personal leading according to a specific plan that God has for your life. Actually, this verse is talking about the blessing that will come upon people who keep God’s commandments (“in all your ways acknowledge Him”). The verse is talking about following God’s moral will and not some individual will that is not revealed in the Scriptures. The context of this passage speaks of the benefits that will come upon the person who keeps the sayings and commandments of godly parents (3:1-2). In addition, notice the warning against trusting in inward feelings and impressions (“do not lean on your own understanding”).
Colossians 1:9 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”. Notice the purpose in the context of “knowing His will”, that is, that these Christians would “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (1:10). When Paul used that same terminology in other passages, he was referring to keeping God’s revealed commandments (Ephesians 4:1ff). Ephesians 4:1 introduces the section of that epistle that is devoted to doctrinal and moral commands concerning Christian behavior. A worthy walk would conform to all of the exhortations in chapters 4,5 and 6. Paul used the same language when addressing the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:12; 4:1-3). His directions concerning how they should walk and please God are termed commandments (4:2). In addition, the things that follow Colossians 1:9 are expectations of all Christians, and not merely expectations for one individual believer. These expectations include: bearing fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened by God’s power, and being steadfast and patient.
Romans 12:1-2 “that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect”: This passage is often used to show that one must prove to find God’s individual will, yet the context of Romans chapter 12 is not specifically talking about discovering God’s individual will for decisions such as what college one should attend. Rather, the chapter is describing God’s expectations in His revealed will for all believers. Secondly the three words (“good”, “acceptable” and “perfect”) closely resemble a similar description concerning God’s revealed will in the Old Testament (Romans 7:12). Thirdly, the “will of God” in this verse is inherently connected with not being conformed to this world, but rather being renewed in your mind. That particular process is associated with following God’s revealed will in the Scriptures (Ephesians 4:22-32; James 1:25-27). The person who has renewed their mind with the Scriptures does prove or discover that God’s revealed will is the best standard to live by and that it gives them everything they need to know (2 Timothy 3:16).
Ephesians 5:15-17 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is”: Actually, instead of this verse teaching that we are to discover a hidden will for our lives, this chapter details what the will of the Lord is. The chapter is filled with doctrinal and practical expectations for all Christians (5:16,18-33). In addition, compare verse 17 with verse 10. “Understand what the will of the Lord is” is the same as “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord”, and this chapter details what pleases God and what does not.
Each of the above passages are helpful for the guidance of the believer, yet they are not teaching a subjective guidance that is separate and apart from the commands revealed in Scripture. One of the problems with the individual will of God concept, is that it claims that the commands and instructions revealed in the Scriptures are not specific enough to guide one in all of life’s decisions, yet such a claim would contradict the Bible’s claim that the Scriptures are complete and sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17 “that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work”; 2 Peter 1:3), and the claim that man can actually “live” by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
None of the above passages indicate communication of God’s will via inner impressions, in fact the Bible warns against following inner impressions (Proverbs 16:25; 28:26 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”). Notice that this is not necessary talking about the inner impressions of evil people, for the way “seems right”. “Today we commonly hear people say, ‘I did thus and such because I knew it was God’s will for me’. Or, ‘I felt in my heart God wanted me to do it’. The apostles often gave reasons for their decisions, but never in such terms” (Decision Making and the Will of God, Garry Friesen, p. 92).
Biblical Examples?
Often the proponents of the individual will concept will cite Biblical examples of where God called people to a certain vocation (king, prophet, apostle) or a certain task (Noah building the Ark, Jonah being sent to Nineveh, and so on). Yet such examples do not prove that God has a detailed life plan that is different for each individual believer. First, when God called people, it was not through inward impressions or a small still voice, rather, He actually spoke to people (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham did not wake up one morning with the “impression” that God wanted him move, rather He was given detailed and precise instruction by divine revelation. Paul did not have the “feeling” that he was being “called” to be an apostle, rather, he was told by God directly(Acts 9).
The Actual Pattern
Even when God directly spoke to individuals in the Old or New Testaments, such guidance was only provided for a handful of decisions, whereas the proponents of God’s individual will argue that such a will is supposed to cover every decision that is made. For example, even in the life of the Apostle Paul, while there were times that God directly told him what to do (Acts 9:6; 13:2; 18:9-10), yet most of the time Paul had to weigh the apparent merits of various options before settling on a course of action. Consider Acts 15:36; 20:16; Romans 1:10-13; 15:23-24; 1 Corinthians 16:4-9; 2 Corinthians 1:15-2:4. Even in the case of inspired men, cases of direct guidance for their daily decisions are clearly the exception and not the rule.
The examples in the Bible where God does directly guide individuals, whether Noah, Abraham, Peter, or Paul, were to carry out a very specific element of God’s overall plan. For example, the apostles and other inspired men in the New Testament received special revelation because of their unique offices in the church. Friesen notes, “What we have seen so far is that the examples of detailed divine guidance in Scripture are infrequent in appearance, limited in scope, and directed to persons who play a special role in the out-working of God’s program on earth” (p. 91).
Consider the means of communication. Those who contend that God has a precise plan for the life of each individual argue that supernatural revelation is not the normal experience for believers, but the examples they cite in the attempt to prove their position are all examples in which an individual was receiving supernatural revelation! For example, in the book of Acts, guidance from God came through visions (Acts 9:10-16; 10:3-8,17; 16:9-10; 18:9; 22:17-21), angelic messenger (Acts 8:26; 12:7-8; 27:23), miracles (Acts 8:39); an audible voice from God (8:29; 9:3-6; 10:19-20; 23:11), or a prophet who received direct revelation (Acts 21:10-11). There are no examples where detailed guidance was given through some other means than supernatural revelation. The point is when God gave believers more specific guidance than that found in the Scriptures, this detailed guidance always came through miraculous revelation. It never came through an “impression” or “feelings”.
Some people read the example in Acts 8 where God gave supernatural guidance (Acts 8:26 “An angel of the Lord spoke..”) to Philip leading him to preach the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch, and then try to water down this example and apply it to a modern day “impression” on the heart. That is, that God will similarly put impressions in the heart of the believer to point out individuals to whom they should approach and share the good news. Yet such a jump from a clearly miraculous event, an audible voice from heaven to do something, to a “feeling” is unwarranted. The difference between the angel of the Lord who spoke to Philip and “feelings” is huge! Yet repeatedly this is the mistake that many people make today. They read a passage about God directly speaking to someone and then try to apply that passage to a modern day, still, small voice by the Holy Spirit. The truth of the matter is that when God speaks, one is not given an impression; rather, one knows exactly what they need to do.
Often people talk about the “inner witness of the Spirit”, by this they mean a inner voice or a still, small voice, or an inner impression, inner pressure, or inner urging. In contrast, the Bible teaches that what the Spirit says to every believer is the same objective standard of truth (John 16:13). The Spirit does not talk to us through impressions, inward compelling, or a voice we feel but do not hear, rather He speaks to us through the Biblical writers (Ephesians 3:3-5; Acts 7:51; Hebrews 3:7; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com
