When studying the New Testament concerning the topics of “the will of God”, “God’s will” and “His will”, we will find many verses teach us spiritual precepts (“a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.”) or spiritual principles (“a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.”) that the Holy Spirit uses for us to understand and experience God’s will in our lives.
A common point we find when studying verses about this subject, is that they all apply to our daily relationship and life with God. One commentator says the following concerning God’s will. “The will of God comes from the heart of God and therefore is an expression of the love of God. We may not always understand what He is doing, but we know that He is doing what is best for us. We do not live on explanations; we live on promises.”
As we faithfully trust and obey God’s Word for the many issues and situations we face in life, we will be living out and experiencing His will for our lives. Nevertheless, this trust in God’s Word which results in our obedience to do His will is a process, requires a change of thinking from the way we use to think and live which is the way secular society thinks and lives. God’s will is knowable and can be experienced in our lives through a transformation that takes place in us asRomans 12:2 tells us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” The New Living Translation.
A good example of what God’s Word teaches us regarding His will in contrast to our secular societies’ way of thinking, is with the subject of God’s standards (precepts or principles) for sexual morality. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, tells us the following. “3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
A quote from the Fire Bible explains this 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 more clearly concerning this contrast. “Although the Thessalonian believers lived in a society where sexually immoral behavior was common and acceptable, it was not acceptable for God’s people. This is still the case today, We must refuse to compromise God’s holiness and the truth of his Word. We must never lower our standards to accommodate the ideas or trends of society. In fact, to be sanctified means to be “set apart,” to remain pure, to be developed and completely devoted to God’s purposes.” When we choose to compromise God’s Word on this or any other issue, we compromise His will or purpose for our lives.
Another great portion of New Testament Scripture concerning the will of God in a believer’s life is Colossians 1:9-12, “9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
The apostle Paul writing to the Colosse congregation tells them in verse nine something very important concerning God’s will that we all can apply to ourrelationship with God for ourselves and also to other Christians. It is one thing to ask God to show us in His Word His will concerning a certain matter. However, Paul is not just asking God to give these Christians a learned or theoretical “knowledge of his will” but the word “knowledge” in the Greek here means it is an experiential knowledge of God’s will that Paul desires the believers of the Colosse church to have in their lives.
This experiential knowledge of God’s will first comes from knowing who God is, which is our intimate relationship with Him. It is not just knowing about the awesome things He does for us. The Fire Bible commentary note of this verse explains this very important point. “Knowing God’s will—his desires and plans based on his Character and purposes—results from knowing God himself and developing a deep personal relationship with him. Such a relationship grows out of spending consistent time in prayer—listening to and speaking with God—and the study of his Word. Our ability to recognize and understand God’s will comes as we apply his Word to the decisions, attitudes and actions of daily life. Only this kind of knowledge results in true spiritual wisdom and understanding that guides and transforms our hearts and lives as God desires.”
One important point about Christians gaining the experiential knowledge of God’s will for our lives, is that the very person, God, whom we are seeking to know His will, is the same person who gives us everything we need to do His will. We seek to know and experience God’s will for our lives through His Word, in prayer, and possibly through the Biblical counsel of others, but it does not stop here. Hebrews 13:20-21 tells us that God is the one who equips us “with everything good for doing his will”. Let us not “short change” ourselves by believing that we have everything we need to DO God’s will once we know what it is. Note again Colossians 3:9, Paul’s prayer is for “God to fill you with the knowledge of his will…” But how? The answer is, “…through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” This is what Hebrews 13:21 is referring to when it tells us, “...equip you with everything good for doing his will”. God will “equip” us with “all spiritual wisdom” and “understanding” found in His Word not only to know His will, but also to “do” His will.
Pastor John
Hebrews 13:20-21
20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd
of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing His will, and
may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom
be glory for ever and ever. Amen
