Knowing and Doing God's Will - Part III: The Preceptive Will

In this post, we will explore the preceptive will of God. This refers to God’s commands which are also known as His precepts. For some, God’s “revealed” will may be a more familiar term. God’s revealed will comes to us in the form of the Scriptures. Therefore, God’s revealed will can be found within the pages of Scripture.

God’s revealed will includes His revelation given to the writers of the Old and New Testaments. This also includes God’s moral and ethical demands known as His commandments. This does not simply refer to the 10 Commandments found in Exodus 20, but to all of God’s moral and ethical requirements found within the Scriptures. This includes God’s Law, commands, statutes, precepts, and the commands to be godly, pursue holiness, and to have a right moral and ethical character.

Again, using Deuteronomy 29:29 as a launch pad, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” This verse states that God does reveal information to His children. Why? In order that His children may obey all the words of Scripture.

Also, this is such a beautiful verse that encapsulates both the decretive will of God and the revealed will of God. Let us look at some examples found int the Scriptures that refer to the revealed will of God.

Matthew 7:21 - Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,

but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Ephesians 5:17 - Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Timothy 6:11 - ...Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

2 Peter 1:5-11 - For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:14 - This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Colossians 1:9-10 - 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. 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;

These are just a few of the many verses that speak to God’s revealed will and His commands to pursue holiness. When it comes to making decisions, following the guidance of the Scriptures are obviously the most beneficial. Psalm 37:4 says, “delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” In other words, these verses are telling us to do whatever we want. But this comes with two conditions which we will discuss in the next post.

Knowing and Doing God's Will - Part II: The Decretive Will

Before we can know God’s will, we must define God’s will. There are two aspects that make up the will of God: 1) His decretive will and 2) His prescriptive will. In Part II of our series, we will explore the first of two aspects concerning the will of God. God’s decretive will is anything that God has declared, ordained, or caused to happen. In other words, what God wants to happen...happens.

Some people may know this will as God’s “secret” will (Deut. 29:29; Is. 55:8). However, this is a common misnomer considering that the decretive will of God will inevitably become known. God’s decretive will includes all things that have happened and will come to pass in due time. Here’s what the Scriptures say concerning the decretive will of God.

Deuteronomy 29:29 - The secret things belong to the Lord our God...

2 Kings 19:25 - “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass...”

Job 42:2 - I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Psalm 115:3 - Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Psalm 135:6 - Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all

deeps.

Isaiah 14:24 - The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...”

Proverbs 16:1 - The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

Proverbs 16:9 - The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand

All of these verses speak to the decretive will of God. Also God’s sovereignty and governance fall into this category. God is always in control. He is the governor of all of His creation. If God has ordained everything that has and will come to pass, then no one can ever be outside of the decretive will of God.

When life deals a heavy blow, or when things get tough, you may have felt like you are not in the will of God. Maybe someone has even told you that you might not be “in the will of God.” But this simply is not true. You can never be “outside” of the decretive will of God. If God did not will for you to be in a tough situation then you would not be in it. God does not lead His people into tough situations only to abandon them and reveal to them that they are not in His will.

When experiencing life, whether good or bad, we can rest in the fact that God is in control and knows what He is doing. Many times humans want to be in control and often times sin in their actions when they no longer feel in control of a particular situation. But if God is in control, then why fret, worry, or be anxious? Put away these sinful behaviors, and clothe yourselves with Christ and seek the kingdom the God (Rom 13:14; Matt 6:33). In my next post, we will explore the second aspect of God’s will - the prescriptive will.

Knowing and Doing the Will of God - Part I: Introduction

While riding down the interstate the other day, I was talking to my wife about our future. We were discussing whether or not for me to continue with my schooling or to pursue other employment opportunities. My wife suggested that I just “focus” on school and get finished in the next year. Just as she said this, I looked up at the car in front of me which happened to be...a Ford Focus. At this point, I realized (if I was the least bit mystical in my Christianity) that I could take this to mean that God wanted me to “focus” on school since I was, indeed, driving behind a Ford Focus.

As I began to reflect on this episode a little further, how did I make decisions in the past? Did I seek God’s wisdom through His written revelation found within the pages of Scripture? Or did I look for signs and special feelings? To be honest, I looked for sings and special feelings.

The first major decision I remember making was after high school. Which college should I go to? I really wanted to pursue a Biblical Studies degree at Mississippi College. But, I was really interested in the music program at the University of Southern Mississippi. I remember visiting these two colleges and asking God to “speak” to me about which college to attend. Of course, now, I wish I could go back and ask myself, “What are you looking for or expecting to sense or hear from God? Warm and fuzzies? A sense of peace? The ‘still small’ voice?” And, if I were to “hear” from God, what would God “speaking” to me sound like? How would I be able to recognize God’s voice?

The next major decision came while dating Melanie. Is this the girl that God has called me to be with for the rest of my life? How do I know that Melanie is “the one?” One night while sitting on a park bench at school, I pleaded with God to show me if Melanie was the right girl for me to marry. Again, if I could go back in time, what was I wanting God to show me?

As I reflected on these various situations, I realized that far too many Christians are making their decisions based on this very confusing and unsafe way. Many Christians seek God’s will based on intangible feelings that can easily be confused or misrepresented. Believers use phrases such as... “I feel ‘led’ to do ___;” or “I feel a sense of ‘peace’ about ____;” or “God, show me a sign!” Is this the proper way to seek the Lord’s will for our life? Is this what it means to know and to do the will of God?

As we look at these important questions, no one is immune from making decisions. While standing at the crossroads of life, everyone will have to make a decision of whether they will go left, straight, or right. When it comes to making any kind of decision, it is very important to know what the Bible says about knowing and doing the will of God.

Over the next few days, I will be blogging on knowing and doing the will of God. The blog posts will come as installments rather than one long post. Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” If your prayer echos that of David’s prayer, then let me persuade you to check back later and let us learn, together, about this important doctrine of guidance. If you disagree, have any questions, or comments, then I encourage you to leave a reply.