We have been looking at how you can know what God’s will is when it isn’t quite obvious. This week I want to suggest that sometimes the best way to know God’s will for you is to consider which option you most desire – another way of putting it would be to do the option which you feel is right.
I have left this way of determining God’s will to last as it is highly subjective. Desires are often very misleading and what feels right one day can feel wrong the next. This is because, like the rest of our humanity, our desires have been damaged by sin and sinful desires arise frequently.
Also, we are right to be careful in following our desires in decision making because we know that is how most non-Christians choose what they will do. They are not interested in looking at what God’s revealed will in the Bible says about a particular action. Instead they are only seeking which action will give the most pleasure to their desires and senses. Whereas the Christian knows that many things that God wants you to do are hard and painful and cause displeasure in your senses. So the Christian chooses to do what God desires, not necessarily what they desire or what feels right.
But in this article I want to encourage you not to swing to the other side of the pendulum and ignore your desires altogether. Paul says: ‘For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature’ (Galatians 5:17). What Paul is affirming is that Christians do have sinful desires, but also that there are spiritual desires in the Christian. In other words, some of our desires are actually healthy desires given to us by the Holy Spirit. To ignore these spiritual desires that God gives you would be wrong and so you should try and be aware of such promptings when making important decisions. An example from the Bible would include Paul encouraging Christians to follow feelings when choosing whether to marry or not: ‘If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married’ (1 Corinthians 7:36).
So when you are trying to determine the will of God for you it is important to take into account which option you most desire. Do you consider your feelings and passions when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford.
Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Keep God’s will by choosing the option which circumstances permit
We have been looking at how you can know what God’s will is when it isn’t quite obvious. This week I want to suggest that sometimes the best way to know God’s will for you is to consider what your circumstances permit.
If you have two options and you’re not sure which one to choose, it might be best to look at which one is the easiest to complete. This principle can be shown negatively when someone plans to do something yet are prevented from doing so. For example, Paul writes to the church in Rome: ‘I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles’ (Romans 1:13). Paul wanted to go to Rome but the circumstances prevented him from doing so – indicating God’s will.
The principle can also be shown positively where someone intends to do something but a better option reveals itself. When Paul writes to Corinth he says: ‘I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me’ (1 Corinthians 16:7-9). Paul wants to go to Corinth but the circumstances are too favourable in Ephesus – indicating God’s will.
Now, you must be careful about thinking that the easier option is always what God wants you to do. Doing God’s will is often very difficult and not always the easiest option – the ten commandments show that clearly. And sometimes God puts us under hard circumstances to see whether we will persevere through the trial: ‘Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him’ (James 1:12). Therefore it may be that God wants you to choose the more difficult option to test and strengthen you.
But what I want you to consider is that if you’re going to have to really force something, maybe God is telling you what his will is. For example, if you want to become a missionary but every door appears to close in your face, God’s will might be that you stay put for the time being.
Do you consider your circumstances when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford.
If you have two options and you’re not sure which one to choose, it might be best to look at which one is the easiest to complete. This principle can be shown negatively when someone plans to do something yet are prevented from doing so. For example, Paul writes to the church in Rome: ‘I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles’ (Romans 1:13). Paul wanted to go to Rome but the circumstances prevented him from doing so – indicating God’s will.
The principle can also be shown positively where someone intends to do something but a better option reveals itself. When Paul writes to Corinth he says: ‘I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me’ (1 Corinthians 16:7-9). Paul wants to go to Corinth but the circumstances are too favourable in Ephesus – indicating God’s will.
Now, you must be careful about thinking that the easier option is always what God wants you to do. Doing God’s will is often very difficult and not always the easiest option – the ten commandments show that clearly. And sometimes God puts us under hard circumstances to see whether we will persevere through the trial: ‘Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him’ (James 1:12). Therefore it may be that God wants you to choose the more difficult option to test and strengthen you.
But what I want you to consider is that if you’re going to have to really force something, maybe God is telling you what his will is. For example, if you want to become a missionary but every door appears to close in your face, God’s will might be that you stay put for the time being.
Do you consider your circumstances when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Keep God’s will by choosing the option which mature Christian authors encourage
We have been looking at how you can know what God’s will is when it isn’t quite obvious and last week we saw that asking for advice from mature Christians is a good way to know what God wants you to do. This week I want to expand on that thought, by encouraging you to seek the advice of mature Christians in books.
When seeking advice, we do not only go to people that we can hear audibly, but we often go to written resources. For example, if you want to learn about nutrition, you could speak to a local dietician. But you could also read books about food and good nutrition.
There are many advantages of using written resources. Firstly, books aren’t as time limited as human resources. If you speak to a dietician, there is only so much time that they can afford to give you or that you can afford to purchase from them. But a large book can give you hours upon hours of instruction for a fraction of the cost. Secondly, in books you can access the instruction of experts who you would never be able to speak to face to face. Your local dietician may not be very knowledgeable about your particular health needs, but another one on the other side of the world who has written a book might be just who you need to hear from.
Now this is precisely true with learning about God’s will as well. Firstly, you can ask advice from people that you know about your particular situation, but they only have so much time in which they can advise you, particularly if it is your church pastor. But with a book on your particular problem you can cheaply receive hours and hours of counselling. Secondly, the mature Christians around you may not be all that experienced and knowledgeable on your particular problem. But a theologian in England who has written a book might be thoroughly acquainted with your dilemma and you can access him by reading. Or even a theologian who died several hundred years ago can be accessed today through reading.
So to not take advantage of the Spirit’s help via Christian authors is very foolish. But remember, like I said last week, the advice of mature Christians is not always reliable for discerning God’s will. There is a lot of unhelpful material written in the name of Christ. So read with discernment.
Do you read the advice of mature Christians when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford
When seeking advice, we do not only go to people that we can hear audibly, but we often go to written resources. For example, if you want to learn about nutrition, you could speak to a local dietician. But you could also read books about food and good nutrition.
There are many advantages of using written resources. Firstly, books aren’t as time limited as human resources. If you speak to a dietician, there is only so much time that they can afford to give you or that you can afford to purchase from them. But a large book can give you hours upon hours of instruction for a fraction of the cost. Secondly, in books you can access the instruction of experts who you would never be able to speak to face to face. Your local dietician may not be very knowledgeable about your particular health needs, but another one on the other side of the world who has written a book might be just who you need to hear from.
Now this is precisely true with learning about God’s will as well. Firstly, you can ask advice from people that you know about your particular situation, but they only have so much time in which they can advise you, particularly if it is your church pastor. But with a book on your particular problem you can cheaply receive hours and hours of counselling. Secondly, the mature Christians around you may not be all that experienced and knowledgeable on your particular problem. But a theologian in England who has written a book might be thoroughly acquainted with your dilemma and you can access him by reading. Or even a theologian who died several hundred years ago can be accessed today through reading.
So to not take advantage of the Spirit’s help via Christian authors is very foolish. But remember, like I said last week, the advice of mature Christians is not always reliable for discerning God’s will. There is a lot of unhelpful material written in the name of Christ. So read with discernment.
Do you read the advice of mature Christians when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Keep God’s will by choosing the option which mature Christians encourage
We have been looking at how you can know what God’s will is when it isn’t quite obvious. One way is by asking for advice from mature Christians.
Humans are trained to look to more mature people for advice while they are still young and this carries on into adulthood. It usually beings with looking to parents for advice about things like tying shoe laces, but then moves to other people such as school teachers who know more than the parents do about certain subjects.
The same principle applies in the Christian life. We are not called to serve God on our own, but in unity with other believers who know more than us about God’s revealed will. One of the reasons God calls us to belong to a local church is so that we can be trained, and train others ourselves, in what God’s revealed will is for Christians.
One way a mature Christian can help you make a difficult decision is by showing you that the decision isn’t difficult at all. You may think that God’s revealed will isn’t quite clear, but a mature Christian might be able to show that God’s will is really obvious: there is a Bible text that plainly tells you what to do. But you simply didn’t know your Bible well enough.
Another way a mature Christian can help you make a difficult decision is by sharing their own experience (or the experience of someone else that they know) in making a similar decision. Knowing how others have prospered or deteriorated from a particular choice in a similar age and culture you’re living in can be very helpful advice – it’s like getting a glimpse of the future.
Now I want to warn you that the advice of other Christians is not always reliable. For example, we see in Galatians 2 that Peter’s decision to separate from Gentile believers led even Barnabas astray. The problem sometimes is that Christians may not know the Scriptures as well as you think they do and so may mislead you into thinking that the Bible is silent or unclear on your difficult decision. Moreover the more mature Christian may have very little experience with the problem and so cannot talk with any level of maturity about the subject. So take the advice of mature Christians with care, it may not always be good advice.
Do you consider the advice of mature Christians when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford
Humans are trained to look to more mature people for advice while they are still young and this carries on into adulthood. It usually beings with looking to parents for advice about things like tying shoe laces, but then moves to other people such as school teachers who know more than the parents do about certain subjects.
The same principle applies in the Christian life. We are not called to serve God on our own, but in unity with other believers who know more than us about God’s revealed will. One of the reasons God calls us to belong to a local church is so that we can be trained, and train others ourselves, in what God’s revealed will is for Christians.
One way a mature Christian can help you make a difficult decision is by showing you that the decision isn’t difficult at all. You may think that God’s revealed will isn’t quite clear, but a mature Christian might be able to show that God’s will is really obvious: there is a Bible text that plainly tells you what to do. But you simply didn’t know your Bible well enough.
Another way a mature Christian can help you make a difficult decision is by sharing their own experience (or the experience of someone else that they know) in making a similar decision. Knowing how others have prospered or deteriorated from a particular choice in a similar age and culture you’re living in can be very helpful advice – it’s like getting a glimpse of the future.
Now I want to warn you that the advice of other Christians is not always reliable. For example, we see in Galatians 2 that Peter’s decision to separate from Gentile believers led even Barnabas astray. The problem sometimes is that Christians may not know the Scriptures as well as you think they do and so may mislead you into thinking that the Bible is silent or unclear on your difficult decision. Moreover the more mature Christian may have very little experience with the problem and so cannot talk with any level of maturity about the subject. So take the advice of mature Christians with care, it may not always be good advice.
Do you consider the advice of mature Christians when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Keep God’s will by choosing the option which best uses your gifts
We have been looking at how you can know what God’s will is when it isn’t quite obvious. This week I want to suggest that sometimes the best way to know what God’s will is for you is to consider which option allows you to best use your gifts.
Every Christian has been given different gifts from the Lord: ‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given us’ (Romans 12:6). Paul then proceeds to provide a list of some of the gifts that Christians may have: ‘If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully’ (Romans 12:6-8). But this list is in no way exhaustive. Whatever you are able to do and whatever you own is a gift from God.
Now we know that the gifts that we have from the Lord are not to be hidden away, but they are supposed to be used for God’s glory. Jesus teaches this in the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25. The servant that puts his master’s money in the ground is condemned for hiding it because it produces nothing. The point is that you are supposed to use what God has given you to bring him the most glory that you can. To hide your gifts in the ground is not part of God’s will for you.
So, for example, if you are considering what profession you think God would like you to perform, then you should firstly look at what you’re good at and what you’re not very good at. This will tell you what gifts you have. So if you’re not very good at teaching others, than God doesn’t want you to be a teacher or a pastor. Whereas if you are very good at mathematics and enjoy working with numbers, it is likely that God has gifted you to use that gift in some way, such as an accountant. This may sound like common sense, but the funny thing about common sense is that it is not always very common. People fall in love with the idea of doing something that they are not good at and end up failing miserably – and all the time that they are setting themselves up for failure they have been hiding their actual gifts in the ground.
Do you consider your God given gifts when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford
Every Christian has been given different gifts from the Lord: ‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given us’ (Romans 12:6). Paul then proceeds to provide a list of some of the gifts that Christians may have: ‘If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully’ (Romans 12:6-8). But this list is in no way exhaustive. Whatever you are able to do and whatever you own is a gift from God.
Now we know that the gifts that we have from the Lord are not to be hidden away, but they are supposed to be used for God’s glory. Jesus teaches this in the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25. The servant that puts his master’s money in the ground is condemned for hiding it because it produces nothing. The point is that you are supposed to use what God has given you to bring him the most glory that you can. To hide your gifts in the ground is not part of God’s will for you.
So, for example, if you are considering what profession you think God would like you to perform, then you should firstly look at what you’re good at and what you’re not very good at. This will tell you what gifts you have. So if you’re not very good at teaching others, than God doesn’t want you to be a teacher or a pastor. Whereas if you are very good at mathematics and enjoy working with numbers, it is likely that God has gifted you to use that gift in some way, such as an accountant. This may sound like common sense, but the funny thing about common sense is that it is not always very common. People fall in love with the idea of doing something that they are not good at and end up failing miserably – and all the time that they are setting themselves up for failure they have been hiding their actual gifts in the ground.
Do you consider your God given gifts when you try to determine the will of God for you?
Joel Radford
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Keep God’s will by choosing the option which best fulfils your responsibilities
We have been looking at how you can know what God’s will is when it isn’t quite obvious. This week I want to suggest that sometimes the best way to know what God’s will is for you is to consider which option allows you to fulfil your responsibilities towards other people.
We all have God-given responsibilities towards others. Firstly, all children have responsibilities towards parents: ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right’ (Ephesians 6:1). If your parents have commanded you not to do something, God probably doesn’t want you to do it either (particularly if you are not an adult yourself).
Secondly, everyone has a responsibility toward their other relatives, particularly in relation to their material needs: ‘If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever’ (1 Timothy 5:8).
Thirdly, there is a particular responsibility to care for your spouse. The one flesh relationship means that if you do not factor your husband or wife into a decision, you are not showing appropriate care for your own body: ‘In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself’ (Ephesians 5:28).
Fourthly, you should also consider the responsibilities you have toward your church family. The New Testament expects every Christian is a member of a local church and is involved in showing appropriate love to the members there. If the choice you are making is going to strain your relationship with your local church, then it is probably not a good idea.
Finally, you should also consider the responsibilities that you have toward the Australian government by living in Australia. God is quite clear that we are supposed to obey local authorities: ‘Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established’ (Romans 13:1). So if what you are planning on doing is illegal, then it is very likely God doesn’t want you to do it – although in rare instances it may be appropriate (e.g. Peter and John refusing to stop teaching about Jesus in Acts 4:18-20).
Do you consider your responsibilities towards others when you make an important decision?
Joel Radford.
We all have God-given responsibilities towards others. Firstly, all children have responsibilities towards parents: ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right’ (Ephesians 6:1). If your parents have commanded you not to do something, God probably doesn’t want you to do it either (particularly if you are not an adult yourself).
Secondly, everyone has a responsibility toward their other relatives, particularly in relation to their material needs: ‘If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever’ (1 Timothy 5:8).
Thirdly, there is a particular responsibility to care for your spouse. The one flesh relationship means that if you do not factor your husband or wife into a decision, you are not showing appropriate care for your own body: ‘In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself’ (Ephesians 5:28).
Fourthly, you should also consider the responsibilities you have toward your church family. The New Testament expects every Christian is a member of a local church and is involved in showing appropriate love to the members there. If the choice you are making is going to strain your relationship with your local church, then it is probably not a good idea.
Finally, you should also consider the responsibilities that you have toward the Australian government by living in Australia. God is quite clear that we are supposed to obey local authorities: ‘Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established’ (Romans 13:1). So if what you are planning on doing is illegal, then it is very likely God doesn’t want you to do it – although in rare instances it may be appropriate (e.g. Peter and John refusing to stop teaching about Jesus in Acts 4:18-20).
Do you consider your responsibilities towards others when you make an important decision?
Joel Radford.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Keep God’s will by choosing the option with the least sinful motivations.
In previous weeks we have been looking at the will of God and last week saw that often the choice is easy – God says don’t commit adultery and so when the opportunity to break the marriage vow presents itself, it is pretty obvious which option is God’s will for you. But what about when it isn’t so obvious? For example, which career should you choose? Or which person should you marry?
The first thing you need to do is look at which option could have the most sinful motivations. No one makes any decision objectively. We are all influenced in many ways whenever we make a choice. And the strongest influences often come from within our own sinful heart. So when you are faced with an important decision you always need to look at whether one choice has become attractive because of sinful reasons.
What is an example of a sinful motivation? I think the sin of pride is one of the most influencing factors in decision making. We know God does not want you to be proud: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’ (1 Peter 5:5). Therefore you must be very careful about making a choice if it will inflate your pride.
Therefore, it is helpful to ask whether you are seriously contemplating doing something because it will feed your pride. For example when choosing a job, the decision will be greatly affected by your pride. In the eyes of the world, many jobs have great power and status associated with them and our sinful selves are often very attracted to those jobs. Whereas other jobs, even though they perform a very valuable service in society, are looked down upon. Also many people choose jobs based on the monetary rewards associated with them so that they are able to live a lifestyle that inflates their pride. So as a Christian you should be very careful about allowing pride to help you make the decision as to what job you will do in society. Some of the jobs that are most exalted by God are the most humiliating in the eyes of the world.
Other sinful motivations you might want to examine yourself for when making a decision besides pride, could include greed, laziness, envy, coveting, lust, hatred, jealousy, anger and selfishness.
Do you examine yourself for sinful motivations when you make an important decision?
Joel Radford.
The first thing you need to do is look at which option could have the most sinful motivations. No one makes any decision objectively. We are all influenced in many ways whenever we make a choice. And the strongest influences often come from within our own sinful heart. So when you are faced with an important decision you always need to look at whether one choice has become attractive because of sinful reasons.
What is an example of a sinful motivation? I think the sin of pride is one of the most influencing factors in decision making. We know God does not want you to be proud: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’ (1 Peter 5:5). Therefore you must be very careful about making a choice if it will inflate your pride.
Therefore, it is helpful to ask whether you are seriously contemplating doing something because it will feed your pride. For example when choosing a job, the decision will be greatly affected by your pride. In the eyes of the world, many jobs have great power and status associated with them and our sinful selves are often very attracted to those jobs. Whereas other jobs, even though they perform a very valuable service in society, are looked down upon. Also many people choose jobs based on the monetary rewards associated with them so that they are able to live a lifestyle that inflates their pride. So as a Christian you should be very careful about allowing pride to help you make the decision as to what job you will do in society. Some of the jobs that are most exalted by God are the most humiliating in the eyes of the world.
Other sinful motivations you might want to examine yourself for when making a decision besides pride, could include greed, laziness, envy, coveting, lust, hatred, jealousy, anger and selfishness.
Do you examine yourself for sinful motivations when you make an important decision?
Joel Radford.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
What is God’s revealed will for the Christian?
Last week we saw that the revealed will of God is what God wants us to do and that the first thing that God wants us to do is believe in Jesus. But if you have believed, is there anything else that God wants you to do?
Once you become a Christian by believing in Jesus, God also wills that you will keep his revealed laws. What are the revealed laws that God wants you to follow? The Bible actually contains many laws and so it is all a bit bewildering to anyone who opens the Bible for the first time. But thankfully Jesus summed up all the laws of God into two commands when he was asked which is the greatest commandment: ‘Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments"’ (Matthew 22:37-40). So God’s revealed will for you is to love God and love everybody else as you love yourself. When you are trying to work out what you should do in a given situation, you need to simply ask is this loving towards God and towards my neighbours. If it isn’t a loving action, then it is against God’s will and he doesn’t want you to do it.
To help you work out practical examples of loving God and your neighbour, the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 have long been considered as a good summary. The first four commandments focus on loving God (don’t have other gods; don’t have idols; don’t take God’s name in vain; keep God’s day), while the last six focus on love for neighbour (honour parents; don’t murder; don’t commit adultery; don’t steal; don’t lie; and don’t covet).
But the trouble is that if you have ever tried to love God and your neighbour, you will know that it is extraordinarily difficult. Thus many Christians may claim that they are struggling to find out God’s will for them, but in reality what they are doing is struggling to obey God’s will. God has very clearly revealed what you should be doing in most situations that you are faced with, the problem is that you don’t like the revealed will of God and would much rather do your own will.
So when you are faced with a situation and you think you don’t know what God’s will is, ask yourself whether it is quite clear and you are simply avoiding it? Then ask God for the power to be able to do his revealed will by loving him and loving your neighbour.
Joel Radford.
Once you become a Christian by believing in Jesus, God also wills that you will keep his revealed laws. What are the revealed laws that God wants you to follow? The Bible actually contains many laws and so it is all a bit bewildering to anyone who opens the Bible for the first time. But thankfully Jesus summed up all the laws of God into two commands when he was asked which is the greatest commandment: ‘Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments"’ (Matthew 22:37-40). So God’s revealed will for you is to love God and love everybody else as you love yourself. When you are trying to work out what you should do in a given situation, you need to simply ask is this loving towards God and towards my neighbours. If it isn’t a loving action, then it is against God’s will and he doesn’t want you to do it.
To help you work out practical examples of loving God and your neighbour, the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 have long been considered as a good summary. The first four commandments focus on loving God (don’t have other gods; don’t have idols; don’t take God’s name in vain; keep God’s day), while the last six focus on love for neighbour (honour parents; don’t murder; don’t commit adultery; don’t steal; don’t lie; and don’t covet).
But the trouble is that if you have ever tried to love God and your neighbour, you will know that it is extraordinarily difficult. Thus many Christians may claim that they are struggling to find out God’s will for them, but in reality what they are doing is struggling to obey God’s will. God has very clearly revealed what you should be doing in most situations that you are faced with, the problem is that you don’t like the revealed will of God and would much rather do your own will.
So when you are faced with a situation and you think you don’t know what God’s will is, ask yourself whether it is quite clear and you are simply avoiding it? Then ask God for the power to be able to do his revealed will by loving him and loving your neighbour.
Joel Radford.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
What is God’s revealed will?
In the past, we’ve seen that God’s will can be distinguished into his secret will (by which God controls all things) and God’s revealed will (by which we know what God wants us to do). Now that we have looked at God’s secret will, I want to look at what exactly is God’s revealed will.
God’s revealed will is the law of God – what he would have you do. It is called his revealed will because it is not only what God wants you to do, but thankfully he has revealed it to you. It is not as though God has his law for you to do, but never tells you what it is.
But you may be asking why should I bother keeping God’s revealed will? Why shouldn’t I just do what I want, what my will desires? Everyone certainly has the choice of doing God’s revealed will or ignoring it, but you must remember that whatever you choose comes with consequences. John tells you what those consequences are: ‘The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever’ (1 John 2:17). If you do not do God’s revealed will, you will pass away and suffer eternal destruction in hell. Whereas if you do the will of God you will have eternal life in heaven. So it is obvious that every person should try and do God’s will because it is of eternal significance.
So what is it that God has revealed he wants you to do? On one occasion Jesus was asked that very question: ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ (John 6:28). What was Jesus’ answer? ‘Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent"’ (John 6:28-29).
The first thing that every single person on the planet needs to do is believe in the one God has sent, Jesus Christ. How do you believe in him? You admit you are a sinner and believe that Jesus died as a substitute for your sins. If you trust that he died the death that you deserve for your sins, you have done the revealed will of God and have eternal life. It is that easy.
Have you done God’s revealed will by believing in Jesus death for your sins? If you have never believed in Jesus then I want to encourage you to do it right now. There is no greater revelation given to man by God than that Jesus is to be believed. Many people will suffer for eternity in hell for not obeying God’s revealed will, I pray that you will not join them. Do the will of God and admit you are a sinner and ask God to forgive you through Jesus’ death today.
Joel Radford
God’s revealed will is the law of God – what he would have you do. It is called his revealed will because it is not only what God wants you to do, but thankfully he has revealed it to you. It is not as though God has his law for you to do, but never tells you what it is.
But you may be asking why should I bother keeping God’s revealed will? Why shouldn’t I just do what I want, what my will desires? Everyone certainly has the choice of doing God’s revealed will or ignoring it, but you must remember that whatever you choose comes with consequences. John tells you what those consequences are: ‘The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever’ (1 John 2:17). If you do not do God’s revealed will, you will pass away and suffer eternal destruction in hell. Whereas if you do the will of God you will have eternal life in heaven. So it is obvious that every person should try and do God’s will because it is of eternal significance.
So what is it that God has revealed he wants you to do? On one occasion Jesus was asked that very question: ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ (John 6:28). What was Jesus’ answer? ‘Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent"’ (John 6:28-29).
The first thing that every single person on the planet needs to do is believe in the one God has sent, Jesus Christ. How do you believe in him? You admit you are a sinner and believe that Jesus died as a substitute for your sins. If you trust that he died the death that you deserve for your sins, you have done the revealed will of God and have eternal life. It is that easy.
Have you done God’s revealed will by believing in Jesus death for your sins? If you have never believed in Jesus then I want to encourage you to do it right now. There is no greater revelation given to man by God than that Jesus is to be believed. Many people will suffer for eternity in hell for not obeying God’s revealed will, I pray that you will not join them. Do the will of God and admit you are a sinner and ask God to forgive you through Jesus’ death today.
Joel Radford
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Can you break God’s secret will?
A few weeks ago we began looking at the will of God and that it can be distinguished into God’s secret will (by which he controls everything) and God’s revealed will (what he wants people to do). Last week we saw that knowing about God’s secret will gives us peace of mind because it means he is in control of all things for our good. This week I want to look at another way that God’s secret will gives us peace.
Christians often spend a large amount of time trying to discern God’s will for them. They do this because they fear making a wrong decision which would somehow ruin God’s plan for them. For example, if they choose the wrong career, they worry that their whole life will be ruined and every good thing that God had intended for them with that career will be lost.
But the reality is that you cannot break God’s secret will for your life. In Romans, Paul asks the rhetorical question ‘For who resists his will?’ (Romans 9:19). Paul understands the answer is obvious: no-one. Job also says ‘If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' (Job 9:12). What God desires to do, he does. No one can get in the way of his plan and stop him.
This means that knowing about the secret will of God gives you tremendous peace of mind whenever you are confronted with a big decision. For example, whichever career you choose will be precisely the one God planned for you. If God didn’t plan for you to do that job, then he would stop you.
Now you do have a responsibility to be careful that you are not doing something that is completely against God’s revealed will (which we will be looking at in future articles). For example, God has revealed that Christians should not choose to be professional thieves.
But in whatever decisions you make, you can take some peace of mind that whatever you end up choosing, that is God’s will for you. You can’t ruin his will for you by making a wrong decision. And even if the decision you make isn’t a particularly good one or flat out wrong (e.g. you backslide and do end up a professional thief for a period of time), remember that God will make it work for your good if you truly love him.
Do you fear breaking God’s will? Or do you rest in the confidence that his plans for you will never fail?
Joel Radford.
Christians often spend a large amount of time trying to discern God’s will for them. They do this because they fear making a wrong decision which would somehow ruin God’s plan for them. For example, if they choose the wrong career, they worry that their whole life will be ruined and every good thing that God had intended for them with that career will be lost.
But the reality is that you cannot break God’s secret will for your life. In Romans, Paul asks the rhetorical question ‘For who resists his will?’ (Romans 9:19). Paul understands the answer is obvious: no-one. Job also says ‘If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' (Job 9:12). What God desires to do, he does. No one can get in the way of his plan and stop him.
This means that knowing about the secret will of God gives you tremendous peace of mind whenever you are confronted with a big decision. For example, whichever career you choose will be precisely the one God planned for you. If God didn’t plan for you to do that job, then he would stop you.
Now you do have a responsibility to be careful that you are not doing something that is completely against God’s revealed will (which we will be looking at in future articles). For example, God has revealed that Christians should not choose to be professional thieves.
But in whatever decisions you make, you can take some peace of mind that whatever you end up choosing, that is God’s will for you. You can’t ruin his will for you by making a wrong decision. And even if the decision you make isn’t a particularly good one or flat out wrong (e.g. you backslide and do end up a professional thief for a period of time), remember that God will make it work for your good if you truly love him.
Do you fear breaking God’s will? Or do you rest in the confidence that his plans for you will never fail?
Joel Radford.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Knowing about God’s secret will gives us peace
We have seen in previous articles that there is a distinction in the will of God. There is God’s secret will (by which he controls everything) and God’s revealed will (what he wants people to do). It is easy to see the practical purpose of the revealed will of God, but why is it important to understand that God has a secret will?
Knowing that God has a secret will by which he controls all things gives great peace to the Christian. Now when we think of peace, we tend to always think of an absence of suffering. But that is not the peace that we experience from God’s secret will. In fact Peter tells us that sometimes it is God’s secret will that you suffer for doing the right thing: ‘It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil’ (1 Peter 3:17). Why would God will that you suffer? Because God often uses suffering to achieve something good. Just as we know that without the pain of exercise body muscles will not be strong, so God gives us painful trials for our strengthening.
So how do you have peace from knowing about God’s secret will if it doesn’t mean freedom from suffering? The peace you have is a peace of mind. In the midst of any experience, including suffering and pain, you can know that things are not beyond God’s control. Everything you are experiencing is all part of his secret will. And if you love him, then that secret will is working for your good. This is the promise that is given to us by Paul: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). This promise depends upon God’s secret will being in control.
So when you suffer as people who love God and know of God’s secret will, you put yourself in his hands and rest in peace. This is what Peter tells you to do: ‘So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good’ (1 Peter 4:19). Rather than slack off in doing good when you suffer, you should increase your good works because you know God is in control of all that is happening by his secret will. This is how people in church history have been able to endure immense persecution for being Christians.
Do you have peace of mind because you love God and know his secret will is always in control for your good?
Joel Radford
Knowing that God has a secret will by which he controls all things gives great peace to the Christian. Now when we think of peace, we tend to always think of an absence of suffering. But that is not the peace that we experience from God’s secret will. In fact Peter tells us that sometimes it is God’s secret will that you suffer for doing the right thing: ‘It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil’ (1 Peter 3:17). Why would God will that you suffer? Because God often uses suffering to achieve something good. Just as we know that without the pain of exercise body muscles will not be strong, so God gives us painful trials for our strengthening.
So how do you have peace from knowing about God’s secret will if it doesn’t mean freedom from suffering? The peace you have is a peace of mind. In the midst of any experience, including suffering and pain, you can know that things are not beyond God’s control. Everything you are experiencing is all part of his secret will. And if you love him, then that secret will is working for your good. This is the promise that is given to us by Paul: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). This promise depends upon God’s secret will being in control.
So when you suffer as people who love God and know of God’s secret will, you put yourself in his hands and rest in peace. This is what Peter tells you to do: ‘So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good’ (1 Peter 4:19). Rather than slack off in doing good when you suffer, you should increase your good works because you know God is in control of all that is happening by his secret will. This is how people in church history have been able to endure immense persecution for being Christians.
Do you have peace of mind because you love God and know his secret will is always in control for your good?
Joel Radford
We have seen in previous articles that there is a distinction in the will of God. There is God’s secret will (by which he controls everything) and God’s revealed will (what he wants people to do). It is easy to see the practical purpose of the revealed will of God, but why is it important to understand that God has a secret will?
Knowing that God has a secret will by which he controls all things gives great peace to the Christian. Now when we think of peace, we tend to always think of an absence of suffering. But that is not the peace that we experience from God’s secret will. In fact Peter tells us that sometimes it is God’s secret will that you suffer for doing the right thing: ‘It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil’ (1 Peter 3:17). Why would God will that you suffer? Because God often uses suffering to achieve something good. Just as we know that without the pain of exercise body muscles will not be strong, so God gives us painful trials for our strengthening.
So how do you have peace from knowing about God’s secret will if it doesn’t mean freedom from suffering? The peace you have is a peace of mind. In the midst of any experience, including suffering and pain, you can know that things are not beyond God’s control. Everything you are experiencing is all part of his secret will. And if you love him, then that secret will is working for your good. This is the promise that is given to us by Paul: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). This promise depends upon God’s secret will being in control.
So when you suffer as people who love God and know of God’s secret will, you put yourself in his hands and rest in peace. This is what Peter tells you to do: ‘So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good’ (1 Peter 4:19). Rather than slack off in doing good when you suffer, you should increase your good works because you know God is in control of all that is happening by his secret will. This is how people in church history have been able to endure immense persecution for being Christians.
Do you have peace of mind because you love God and know his secret will is always in control for your good? Joel Radford
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Is there a contradiction between the wills of God?
Last week we saw a distinction in the will of God, he has a hidden will and a secret will. God’s hidden will controls all things while God’s revealed will is what he wants you to do. But if this distinction is true, isn’t it a contradiction? If God is in control of all things by his hidden will, doesn’t that include people doing or not doing his revealed will? Why reveal his will if God controls what we do anyway?
The Bible clearly shows that God’s hidden will is in control of everything that happens, even when man sins by breaking God’s revealed will. A classic example is Joseph’s brothers in the book of Genesis. The brothers had sinned terribly by selling Joseph into slavery but Joseph tells them that this sinful action was in God’s control: ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives’ (Genesis 50:20). God’s hidden will was to save lives through the sinful actions of Joseph’s brothers. Yet the Bible also clearly shows that God cannot be held responsible when you do not do what his revealed will says. John tells us: ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5). No evil can be pinned on God just because he is in control of all things by his hidden will.
The sovereignty of God and the responsibility of humans is one of the most difficult Christian doctrines. It is difficult because it is irreconcilable in our minds. Many theologians have tried to reconcile it but all they end up doing is one of two things: (i) They reduce God’s sovereignty by saying that man alone is in control of his actions; (ii) Or they reduce God’s goodness by attributing to God some responsibility for man’s sin.
The truth is that we have to choose what our authority is when we come to Christian doctrine. Do we allow our minds to have the authority and anything we don’t understand we say must be wrong? Or do we allow God’s word to be our authority and accept in faith those things that our mind cannot reconcile? This second option is not a dumb option. It admits that you are a finite creature with an infinite God who has greater wisdom than you. Thus there are going to be some things that God can reconcile which you cannot. Such as, God’s hidden will controlling you while you alone are responsible for not obeying his revealed will.
So what is your authority for understanding the will of God? Your small mind or God’s mind revealed in his word?
Joel Radford
The Bible clearly shows that God’s hidden will is in control of everything that happens, even when man sins by breaking God’s revealed will. A classic example is Joseph’s brothers in the book of Genesis. The brothers had sinned terribly by selling Joseph into slavery but Joseph tells them that this sinful action was in God’s control: ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives’ (Genesis 50:20). God’s hidden will was to save lives through the sinful actions of Joseph’s brothers. Yet the Bible also clearly shows that God cannot be held responsible when you do not do what his revealed will says. John tells us: ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5). No evil can be pinned on God just because he is in control of all things by his hidden will.
The sovereignty of God and the responsibility of humans is one of the most difficult Christian doctrines. It is difficult because it is irreconcilable in our minds. Many theologians have tried to reconcile it but all they end up doing is one of two things: (i) They reduce God’s sovereignty by saying that man alone is in control of his actions; (ii) Or they reduce God’s goodness by attributing to God some responsibility for man’s sin.
The truth is that we have to choose what our authority is when we come to Christian doctrine. Do we allow our minds to have the authority and anything we don’t understand we say must be wrong? Or do we allow God’s word to be our authority and accept in faith those things that our mind cannot reconcile? This second option is not a dumb option. It admits that you are a finite creature with an infinite God who has greater wisdom than you. Thus there are going to be some things that God can reconcile which you cannot. Such as, God’s hidden will controlling you while you alone are responsible for not obeying his revealed will.
So what is your authority for understanding the will of God? Your small mind or God’s mind revealed in his word?
Joel Radford
Sunday, May 23, 2010
What is God’s will?
God’s will is something we often speak about and read about in his word, but what exactly is it? This is the question I want to answer over the weeks ahead.
Firstly it is important to distinguish that God has two wills: (i) his secret will; and (ii) his revealed will.
God’s secret will is making happen everything that he wants to do. Are there any limits to his secret will? No. Because God is sovereign, he can do whatever he wills. The reason this ‘will’ is called secret is because we usually don’t know what God has planned to happen.
An example of God’s secret will is the predestination of certain people for salvation: ‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will’ (Ephesians 1:4-5). Another more everyday example is given by Paul. As he leaves Ephesus Paul promised ‘I will come back if it is God's will.’ (Acts 18:21). Paul knows he can only return to the city if God wants to bring him back, and because that is part of God’s secret will, Paul has no idea whether he will return – it is hidden from him.
Meanwhile God’s revealed will is what he wants us to do. What does God want us to do? Live according to his laws. And unlike his secret will, God has revealed to us in his word what his laws are so that we can obey them.
An example of God’s revealed will is given by Paul: ‘It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God’ (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). The Thessalonian Christians are not heathens – they know God. And because they know God they know what God wants them to do – not engage in sexual immorality.
So when you read about God’s will in the Bible, always ask yourself which will is being spoken of here? God’s secret will by which he wills all things or his revealed will which he wants people to do. Also ask yourself whether you have kept his revealed will. If you’re honest you will admit that you haven’t and need to trust in Jesus to keep God’s will on your behalf and pay the penalty for all those times you’ve broken it.
Joel Radford.
Firstly it is important to distinguish that God has two wills: (i) his secret will; and (ii) his revealed will.
God’s secret will is making happen everything that he wants to do. Are there any limits to his secret will? No. Because God is sovereign, he can do whatever he wills. The reason this ‘will’ is called secret is because we usually don’t know what God has planned to happen.
An example of God’s secret will is the predestination of certain people for salvation: ‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will’ (Ephesians 1:4-5). Another more everyday example is given by Paul. As he leaves Ephesus Paul promised ‘I will come back if it is God's will.’ (Acts 18:21). Paul knows he can only return to the city if God wants to bring him back, and because that is part of God’s secret will, Paul has no idea whether he will return – it is hidden from him.
Meanwhile God’s revealed will is what he wants us to do. What does God want us to do? Live according to his laws. And unlike his secret will, God has revealed to us in his word what his laws are so that we can obey them.
An example of God’s revealed will is given by Paul: ‘It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God’ (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). The Thessalonian Christians are not heathens – they know God. And because they know God they know what God wants them to do – not engage in sexual immorality.
So when you read about God’s will in the Bible, always ask yourself which will is being spoken of here? God’s secret will by which he wills all things or his revealed will which he wants people to do. Also ask yourself whether you have kept his revealed will. If you’re honest you will admit that you haven’t and need to trust in Jesus to keep God’s will on your behalf and pay the penalty for all those times you’ve broken it.
Joel Radford.
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