Knowing And Doing The Will Of God / Part 2

Series – July/August 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Knowing And Doing The Will Of God
Part 2

Last month we discovered that God’s sovereign will is His hidden plan that determines everything that happens in the universe – past, present and future. With this in mind, let’s now take a look at God’s revealed will for each one of us.

GOD’S Lifestyle WILL ...
God’s lifestyle or revealed will tells us how we should live. God provides an accurate, timeless and complete guide for the lives of everyone who is willing to listen. This aspect of His will is designed to be known and acted upon by all. If we disobey it, we are going to have trouble. The Scriptures can be likened to an instruction book for a cell phone or a digital camera – written to be grappled with at the outset, and constantly referred to over time, as new features present themselves to be learned and taken advantage of.

... Is Revealed
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-10).

The Jews, God’s chosen people, were given detailed instructions by Jehovah on all aspects of their lives, right down to details of diet and hygiene. In rightly interpreting the word of truth, Christians today may use many of the commandments contained in the Old Testament as guidelines for conduct; but primarily our activities are regulated by the closeness of our relationship to the Lord Jesus. Following the New Testament pattern, we should want to walk worthy of Him so as to please Him and not cause Him grief by our wayward conduct. Paul’s prayer was that in knowing the revealed will of God, the Colossian Christians would go ahead and do His will, which is a very different thing. Knowing it is one thing, doing it is quite another.

... Is Desired
Paul was very desirous that once the Colossians knew God’s will they would walk in that knowledge, being fruitful in every good work. There was no legal compulsion involved, simply the law of love. He wished above all that they should evidence spiritual fruits such as purity, love, forgiveness, compassion, endurance, humility, kindness, generosity. And we too should model them in our own lifestyles, and desire to see them lived out in others.

Another aspect of the revealed will of God is the salvation of all. Our Lord desired it, and so should we: “The Lord ... is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). This is why we continue to preach the gospel, something which is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). This is not preaching universalism, but a fervent challenge to the unbeliever to repent as a condition of salvation.

... Is Comprehensive
God’s lifestyle will for us is also comprehensive, just as His sovereign will is. We are expected to live lives that please Him, at all times and in all respects. It is an all-encompassing will, applicable in all circumstances without exception.

One particular area in which this is to be applied is in matters of sexual morality, as outlined in this verse: “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Th. 4:3). It is specifically mentioned by the Apostle Paul, because it was apparently a problem in the church in Thessalonica. It is just as much a problem for us today, with the widespread breakdown of sexual codes and the all-pervasive nature of pornography on the world-wide web. Deliberate steps need to be taken, by both young and old, to guard against it. To be sanctified means to be specially set apart for God alone, a treasured vessel kept holy just for Him. This includes our minds as well as our bodies.

... Is Perfect
“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. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2).

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12).

Whereas God’s sovereign will is perfect in its essential character, His will for our lives is also perfect, but in its intention. The goal is ever-increasing maturity in our faith, rather than sinless perfection. In a vulnerable body embedded in a sinful world, perfection would be an impossible goal. But these verses indicate that we ought not to allow ourselves to be pressed into the mould of the surrounding environment, taking our appearance from it like a chameleon. We should be nonconformists in the best sense of the word, transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and daring to be different when it matters, and thereby putting into practice the perfect will of God.

... Leads To Obedience
The obvious response to this revealed, moral, lifestyle will of God in our lives is for us to obey. This is as true in the Church under grace as it was in Old Testament times under Law. “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (Jn. 13:17). The disciple’s true joy lies in following the Master’s Word implicitly.

By Ian Livingstone

Next month: How God’s sovereign will and His revealed will for us relate to one another and work out in practice.