The Will of God

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B

BLC

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#1
Feb 28, 2009
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#1
The Will of God

Should we as believers know what the will of God is? What do we have that can help know and understand the will of God?

Is it the will of God for us to sin? No! I hope no one said yes.

Is it the will of God to have peace and joy in the Holy Spirit? Yes!

Is it the will of God to eat pizza on Friday nights? Maybe for some people but not all.

Is it the will of God to react to your parents and be bitter toward them? No, it is not!

Is it the will of God to shower everyday, to put on clean clothes and to eat the meals that have been prepared for us? Yes it is and we should do what we can to help those who are not able to do that.

Is it the will of God to be thankful in all things? Yes, and may we learn to do that when adversity comes.

Is it the will of God to love God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength? Yes, and may we always love Him because He first loved us.

Is it the will of God to be stubborn and obstinate and difficult to live with? No, and may God deal with us so those things will always be far from our heart.

Is it the will of God that I have a date for Saturday night? Maybe and maybe not, but don't get upset if it doesn't happen because it might be the wisdom of God.

Is it the will of God for you to lay your life down for your friend and get them through a rocky time in their life? Yes, and may God give you the grace you need to comfort your friend during that time.

Is it the will of God for you to get a divorce? I hope you will find a way to be reconciled and not have to go through such a painful thing as divorce.

Is it the will of God to tell others about the love of God and to share the gospel of Christ with the lost? I know it is and I pray that we will do it as often as we can on purpose.

Is it the wisdom of God for me to end this post and let others contribute in the will of God? YES!
 
T

Thaddaeus

Banned
#2
Jan 31, 2009
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there is several scriptures that tell us the will of God but I think that The will of God is
Joh 6:40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Mt 18:14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
that none perish
 
wattie

wattie

Senior Member
#3
Feb 24, 2009
3,037
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#3
Agree above

Also-- church membership.... sharing your faith... looking after the needs of the poor... but most baseline... is salvation and then joyful service.
 
B

BLC

Banned
#4
Feb 28, 2009
711
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Phil 2:12,13 'Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure'.

You and I are are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling by cooperating with God all the way through, as He works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (the will of God). God worked His salvation in our lives by grace when we believed and now He wants us to work it out with fear and trembling. The fear and trembling part pertains to the believer knowing that he is incapable of doing this on his own or with his own ability and has to totally rely upon grace and the work of God in him to carry this out with the end result that the believer has a focus to will (desire) and to do (energized) of God's good pleasure. God's good pleasure are those things that we have been instructed to do by the word of God. When we do them by faith God will provide the power to do it and He is pleased because we trusted and relied upon Him instead of the energy of our flesh. Doing the will of God takes the emphasis off of us and puts it on God and all we do is cooperate all the way through.

Rom 12:1,2 'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God'.

We know that the will of God is according to what God's word has taught us. By His mercies we present ourselves (bodies), to what we have been taught by faith, as a living, holy and acceptable sacrifice to God. By doing this we refuse to be conformed to this world and we position ourselves to be transformed by being renewed in our mind. When we follow through and obey by faith what we have been taught, we will prove the will of God to be good (honorable), acceptable (pleasing) and perfect (complete).
 
R

Reesegirl

Guest
#5
#5
Amen BLC. In looking at Romans 12:1-2 a little deeper, we find three types of the will of God: namely, the good will, the acceptable will, and the perfect will, and in the Christian life, they necessarily follow that progression.

We can find the good will proclaimed in Luke 2:14, when the angels brought news that Jesus was born, they said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." So why did Jesus come? Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Salvation of lost souls IS the good will of God.

We find this, as well as the acceptable will of God, defined in 2 Timothy 1:3-4, which says, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." So we see that, if the good will of God is salvation, the next step, the acceptable will, is to "come unto the knowledge of the truth." So what is the truth? When Jesus was praying to the Father on our behalf in John 17:17, he prayed, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

So being made acceptable through the word of God, we are then prepared to press on to perfection: the perfect will of God. Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [acceptable will of God], that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Then consider James 2:22, "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"

So to recap, the good will of God is salvation. The acceptable will is the knowledge of the truth, or the knowing the word of God, and the perfect will is doing the work. You cannot have the perfect will without first having the acceptable will, because you cannot know how to do the work of God without the word of God to tell you what God requires (see again 2 Timothy 3:16-17). And you cannot get the acceptable will without first being saved, because 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Without the Holy Spirit as your guide, you can't even comprehend the word of God. So to be in the will of God, you must first be born again (John 3:3). Then you must search the scriptures (John 5:39). Then do the work (James 1:23-25).

Just as a final note, the perfect will is sometimes confusing to many people. Notice, that doing the work is not part of salvation, it is simply the fruit of being saved, looking into the "perfect law of liberty" [aka the word of God, James 1:25] and doing those things that you find there. Also, being perfect is something that no christian does all of the time (see Romans 7). But rather, as Galations 5:16-17 says, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

I pray this helps shed some light on the subject. If you have questions about this reply, please feel free to ask me about it.
 
B

BLC

Banned
#6
Feb 28, 2009
711
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Reesegirl said:
Amen BLC. In looking at Romans 12:1-2 a little deeper, we find three types of the will of God: namely, the good will, the acceptable will, and the perfect will, and in the Christian life, they necessarily follow that progression.

We can find the good will proclaimed in Luke 2:14, when the angels brought news that Jesus was born, they said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." So why did Jesus come? Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Salvation of lost souls IS the good will of God.

We find this, as well as the acceptable will of God, defined in 2 Timothy 1:3-4, which says, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." So we see that, if the good will of God is salvation, the next step, the acceptable will, is to "come unto the knowledge of the truth." So what is the truth? When Jesus was praying to the Father on our behalf in John 17:17, he prayed, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

So being made acceptable through the word of God, we are then prepared to press on to perfection: the perfect will of God. Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [acceptable will of God], that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Then consider James 2:22, "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"

So to recap, the good will of God is salvation. The acceptable will is the knowledge of the truth, or the knowing the word of God, and the perfect will is doing the work. You cannot have the perfect will without first having the acceptable will, because you cannot know how to do the work of God without the word of God to tell you what God requires (see again 2 Timothy 3:16-17). And you cannot get the acceptable will without first being saved, because 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Without the Holy Spirit as your guide, you can't even comprehend the word of God. So to be in the will of God, you must first be born again (John 3:3). Then you must search the scriptures (John 5:39). Then do the work (James 1:23-25).

Just as a final note, the perfect will is sometimes confusing to many people. Notice, that doing the work is not part of salvation, it is simply the fruit of being saved, looking into the "perfect law of liberty" [aka the word of God, James 1:25] and doing those things that you find there. Also, being perfect is something that no christian does all of the time (see Romans 7). But rather, as Galations 5:16-17 says, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

I pray this helps shed some light on the subject. If you have questions about this reply, please feel free to ask me about it.
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That is so good and so rich and filled with so much good fruit. To taste and eat what you have said makes me hunger after God in my heart.
 
A

aprodigal1

Guest
#7
#7
To answer the question biblically, God has 2 wills:

Will#1 There is the moral will of God or (revealed will) that we find in the scriptures 2 Tim. 3:16-17 and Ps. 119:105. These are the absolutes that we should never question or doubt, for example:

I Ti. 2:4 He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I Pe. 2:15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the
ignorance of foolish men.

I Thess. 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification....

__________________________________________________________________________

Will#2 Then there is God’s sovereign will (His plan). Deut. 29:29a Eph. 1:11 Rom. 9:18-19,22 1:10 15:32 I Co. 1:1 4:19 12:18 II Ti. 1:1 Heb. 10:9

This aspect of God’s will refers to His providentially working all things according to His perfect eternal purpose (decrees). Eph. 1:11 Romans 8:28 Who works all things after the counsel of his will.
 
B

BLU

Banned
#9
Jul 26, 2009
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#9
And the covenant is the will of God, also. For a man to have a will to be in effect mens that the man must die before it becomes enforced. Since Jesus and God are one, and Jesus died, then the people he died for become heirs to his will. Hence, eternal life.
 
pickles

pickles

Senior Member
#10
Apr 20, 2009
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#10
I have always seen his will in the word, my heart and his spirit. God bless, pickles
 
B

BLU

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#11
Jul 26, 2009
153
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#11
Even read the first chapter of Hebrews.
 
G

Graybeard

Guest
#12
#12
BLC said:
The Will of God

Is it the will of God for you to get a divorce? I hope you will find a way to be reconciled and not have to go through such a painful thing as divorce.
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Just curious as to why you did not add yes or no to the above statement as you have with all the other points....Is it the will of God to get a divorce??...NO!
 
B

BLC

Banned
#13
Feb 28, 2009
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#13
Graybeard said:
Just curious as to why you did not add yes or no to the above statement as you have with all the other points....Is it the will of God to get a divorce??...NO!
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I really don't have an answer except it was not intentional or deliberate. Let it be as you have said.
 
B

BLU

Banned
#14
Jul 26, 2009
153
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#14
I never heard of an acceptable will! Is this just something you made up. There is only one will which is: (Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It is God that does the accepting. One can have knowledge of God but that does not mean one is going to be saved and accepted by god. Even Satan has the knowledge. It is complicated because god can have Satan do His works also.


So to recap, the good will of God is salvation. The acceptable will is the knowledge of the truth, or the knowing the word of God, and the perfect will is doing the work. You cannot have the perfect will without first having the acceptable will, because you cannot know how to do the work of God without the word of God to tell you what God requires
 
R

Reesegirl

Guest
#15
#15
Hi BLU. No, these three are implied manifestations of the will of God within the verse: I am not saying that God has three separate and distinct wills. The will of God is found in the word of God, But Romans 12:2 gives us three descriptions: "...that ye may prove what is that good [will of God], and acceptable [will of God], and perfect, will of God." [parenthasis added]. As you can see in the last post, the "good" will refers to salvation, the "acceptable" to searching out God's word, and the perfect to doing those things found in God's word.

In saying that you cannot have the acceptable will without the good will, I do not mean that an unsaved person cannot understand the Gospel, but rather, that they will not be able to understand the wisdom within the word of God itself. Consider the following verses:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." ~I Corinthians 2:14

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." ~I Corinthians 1:18-21

"To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken." ~Isaiah 28:12-13

The Holy Spirit, given as a seal at the moment of salvation, (Ephesians 1:13) is also our guide in the word of God (John 16:13). Without that Spirit, we are in our natural state, and as in 1 Cor 2:14, cannot understand the things of God. Notice that most of the Bible is not written as an outreach to unsaved people. It tells us the history of God's workings with mankind from the beginning of time in Genesis 1:1 until the end of this world in Revelations. It tells us about the God we belong to, it shows us his great love for those who are called by his name, and also the wrath that he will pour out on those who are not. It shows us how he wants to be served, how he will chastise his children, but also how he comforts, strengthens and uplifts his children. But to the unsaved, the message is "ye must be born again" (John 3:7), "be ye reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Until a man receives Jesus Christ as his Savior, the rest of the Bible is not only useless to him, but foolishness. He is already abiding in unbelief (John 3:18). If he does not believe God concerning his Son who died in his stead, why should he believe God about anything else? Sure, he might be able to read some Proverbs, and maybe even fix up his life a little on his own using bits of the word of God as a manual, but without Jesus Christ, even that is useless, "For what shall it profit a man, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Mark 8:36-37. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6

I hope this helps to clarify to some degree. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions, as this is by no means a comprehensive study. It may help to search out the uses of the words "good" "acceptable" and "perfect" throughout the Scriptures as well, as I seem to recall that helping me a lot when I was studying this the first time.
 
B

BLU

Banned
#16
Jul 26, 2009
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#16
REESE GIRL, I disagree and they are not 3 manifestations as you think they are (Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God .That God has accepted us into his good and perfect will. His will is good, we are accepted into the perfect will which is also good. as opposed to the will of man. remember, call no man good only God is good.
 
F

faithwarrior

Guest
#17
#17
The Will of God is that we obey His commands.
 
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