KNOWING GOD'S WILL

It is further obvious that the Bible is the only book man has that purports to reveal what God's will is. It states in no uncertain terms that it is the Word of God. "...the Bible is not a book of philosophy, although it is philosophical. Do not go to the Bible for a scientific treatise. However, there is no discrepancy between (what is truly scientific fact) and the Bible. The Bible is not a book of history, but is found to be accurate when recording history. The Bible was given to man from God, revealing Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God the Son, the only Savior. He is the center and the circumference. It is Christ from Genesis to Revelation." (Peter Barringtron in "The Christian Life New Testament," Thomas Nelson Publ., 1978, p. XX)

"You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life." (John 5:39-40)

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..." (2 Tim. 3:16)

"For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased'-- and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." ( 2 Peter 1:16-21)

"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." (Paul, the apostle - 1 Cor. 14:37)

"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:15-16)

As we read God's Word give to us through men moved upon by God's Holy Spirit, it becomes obvious that we must have the Holy Spirit's help to understand God's Word.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you....When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, Who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me....But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you." (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15)

God created us with free will, but unfortunately we have used that to rebel against our Creator, choosing to "opt God out" of our plans. Evolution is an example of this. It is a theory proposed by Charles Darwin, who commented in a letter to a friend that there would be "no place for God" in his philosophical system of thought. He wrote his "Origin of the Species" hoping that those who followed would be able to find evidence for his "observations" in the fossil record. They haven't, so they purposely construct and fabricate elaborate hoaxes and frauds, engage in lies and deceits, deliberately disregarding evidence that would prove otherwise. They - like Darwin - do not want God in the equation, as they know that "creation" is the only alternative to their chosen belief. But they do not want to accept the accountability to God that accompanies the acknowledgment of His existence as Creator.

Unfortunately, many "Christians" have allowed themselves to be deceived by this, not recognizing evolution for what it truly is: a ploy of the enemy.

"Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.'" (John 8:42-47)

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Tim. 4:3-4)

It has been my personal observation, as I have talked with "Christians" over the years who have believed that evolution is true, that as they come to believe in evolution they come to disbelieve proportionately the veracity of the Bible. This finding has also been stated by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., president of the Institute for Creation Research, in the preface of his book, "The Twilight of Evolution," published by Baker Book House, 1963. Morris also states: "If evolution can explain the origin and development of the universe and its inhabitants, then there is no need for any kind of personal God at all." There is no need for a Savior!

So the foremost consideration with which we are faced is: What is our attitude towards the Bible? Do we believe the Bible is God's Word? Again, the veracity of the Bible as the Word of God does not depend on our belief or lack of belief. The latter merely reflects whether or not we will eternally participate in God's blessings - the foremost of which is our personal relationship with Him.

But if we do accept the Bible as God's Word, we can use it as a guide to understand what God's will is. For example, we see that it is God's will that the Gospel be obeyed.

"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:17-18)

"But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" (Rom. 10:16)

"....since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thess. 1:6-8)

"Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.Repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)

It is also God's will that the gospel be preached.

"And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. (Mark 13:10)

"And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mk. 16:15)

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me." (1 Cor. 9:16-17)

It is also God's will that we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). In fact, as we read the Bible, we have the opportunity of coming to understand exactly what our heavenly Father's will is for us. We do not have to sit around wondering what it is, or wander around in a confused manner.

"Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down) or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Rom. 10:5-13)

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" (Isa. 30:21)

"Now this is eternal life: that they may KNOW YOU, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

["KNOW"..... signifies "to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize, understand," or "to understand completely,"....In the NT ("know") frequently indicates a relation between the person "knowing" and the object known; in this respect, what is "known" is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of the relationship, e. g., especially of God's "knowledge," (1 Cor. 8:3), "if any man love God, the same is known of Him"; (Gal. 4:9), "to be known of God"; here the "knowing" suggests approval and bears the meaning "to be approved"; so in 2 Tim. 2:19; cf. John 10:14,27; Gen. 18:19; Nah. 1:7; the relationship implied may involve remedial chastisement, (Amos 3:2). The same idea of appreciation as well as "knowledge" underlies several statements concerning the "knowledge" of God and His truth on the part of believers, e. g. John 8:32; 14:20,31; 17:3; Gal. 4:9; 1 John 2:3-13,14; 4:6,8, 16; 5:20; such "knowledge" is obtained, not by mere intellectual activity, but by operation of the Holy Spirit consequent upon acceptance of Christ. Nor is such "knowledge" marked by finality; see e. g. 2 Pet. 3:18; Hos. 6:3.
"KNOW....Essentially....means: (1) to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and (2) to know by experiencing...."To know" God is to have an intimate experiential knowledge of Him. So Pharaoh denies that he knows Jehovah (Exod. 5:2) or that he recognizes His authority over him. Positively "to know" God is paralleled to fear Him (1 Kings 8:43), to serve (1 Chr. 28:9), and to trust (Isa. 43:10).(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)](Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)]

"...I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of KNOWING CHRIST JESUS my Lord....That I may KNOW HIM...." (Phil. 3:8,10)

"Thus says the LORD, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, THAT HE UNDERSTANDS AND KNOWS ME, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD."(Jer 9:23-25)

["UNDERSTAND....to be prudent, act wisely, give attention to, ponder, prosper."...The basic meaning...seems to be "to look at, to give attention to," as illustrated in this parallelism: "That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand..." (Isa. 41:20). From this develops the connotation of insight, intellectual comprehension....As here, it is frequently used along with and in parallelism to the Hebrew, "to know" (primarily experientially). (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)]

We Christians are so ready to declare the blessings we deem God has given us, but the one and only reason Christ died for us was that we might have eternal life - and Jesus defined that as knowing God. When we boast of the good things God has given us and done for us, we most greatly honor Him by boasting of His having given us the opportunity to KNOW HIM. One of the most damning indictments given by the Lord is: "...I NEVER KNEW YOU, depart from Me..." (Matt. 7:23)

To understand God's will in this matter more clearly, it would be good to review Gen. 1:27 & Rom. 8:28-9:

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them...And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

["IMAGE.....The word is used....of the relations between God the Father, Christ, and man, (a) of man as he was created as being a visible representation of God, (1 Cor. 11:7), a being corresponding to the original; the condition of man as a fallen creature has not entirely effaced the "image"; he is still suitable to bear responsibility, he still has Godlike qualities, such as love of goodness and beauty, none of which are found in a mere animal; in the Fall man ceased to be a perfect vehicle for the representation of God; God's grace in Christ will yet accomplish more than what Adam lost; (b) of regenerate persons, in being moral representations of what God is, (Col. 3:10); cf. Eph. 4:24; (c) of believers, in their glorified state, not merely as resembling Christ but representing Him, (Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49); here the perfection is the work of divine grace; believers are yet to represent, not something like Him, but what He is in Himself, both in His spiritual body and in His moral character; (d) of Christ in relation to God, 2 Cor. 4:4, "the image of God," i. e., essentially and absolutely the perfect expression and representation of the Archetype, God the Father; in Col. 1:15, "the image of the invisible God" gives the additional thought suggested by the word "invisible," that Christ is the visible representation and manifestation of God to created beings; the likeness expressed in this manifestation is involved in the essential relations in the Godhead, and is therefore unique and perfect; "he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father," (John 14:9). "The epithet `invisible'... must not be confined to the apprehension of the bodily senses, but will include the cognizance of the inward eye also" (Lightfoot). (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)]

It is obviously God's purpose in Rom. 8:28 that we be "...conformed to the image of His Son..." (Rom. 8:29) He has initiated this process, but we are called upon to work together with Him in it:

"For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God's garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God's building." (1 Cor 3:9 - AMP)

"Dearest friends, when I was there with you, you were always so careful to follow my instructions. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to do the good things that result from being saved, obeying God with deep reverence, shrinking back from all that might displease him. 13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants." (Phil 2:12-13 - TLB)

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:23-26)

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Rom. 13:14)

The Scriptures not only speak of Jesus Christ (John 5:39), of the need for believing on Him for salvation (Acts 4:12), they also call the believer to Christ-likeness, looking forward to:
"...when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe..." (2 Thess. 1:10)

There are two other Scripture passages that must also be given careful study in consideration of the subject of knowing God's will. One is Romans 12:1-2.

"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

The second passage to which I would like to refer is a very direct illustration of Rom. 12:1-2.

"Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.' Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.' Then He returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Could you not keep watch with Me for one hour?' He asked Peter. 'Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.' When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So He left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then He returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.'" (Matt. 26:36-45)

Here we have the dramatic contrast between the Lord Jesus Christ presenting Himself to the use and purposes of the Father, deferring to His Father's will, and the sleeping disciples who were admonished to "keep watch" but did not. Jesus was literally presenting His body "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God," while His disciples succumbed to the weakness of their flesh. The main lesson for us here is that of determining to do God's will rather than our own.

In 1969, God sovereignly confronted me while I - as an atheist - was on my way to destruction. In the ensuing 31 years I have learned, through hard yet adventurous and often exciting experiences that the Lord has taken me through, quite a bit about knowing God's will. Failure has certainly been part of the learning experience. I have just one last observation to make that might be helpful to others wanting to attune themselves to God's leading: Those who have walked in a wilderness know they must carry with them items to help them so they won't get lost - a compass and a map come quickly to mind. In learning to use the compass and map, they understand that they must learn to line up significant objects on the landscape in order to be certain they are going in the right direction. It is essentially the same in traversing the spiritual landscape following the leading of God's Holy Spirit. We know God speaks primarily through His Word, but He is also sovereign and in control of circumstances and people who counsel us. In this area though we must take particular care - for there are Christians, and yes even Christian "leaders," who are not sensitive to what God's will truly is in the matter; and God is under no obligation to explain to one person what He is doing in another's life, unless that person is their spouse. Then we are to expect the peace of God to rule....properly, to act as an umpire, to arbitrate, decide, in our hearts (Col. 3:15). Also, we know that our Lord has told us that He "opens, and no man shuts; shuts, and no man opens" (Rev. 3:7). So, we can pray to Him specifically that He will open "doors" He wants opened and shut those that He wants shut. As we do all this our intent is to line up various things on the spiritual landscape (e.g.- what God tells us through His Word - verses that He may especially impress on us by His Holy Spirit as relevant to that which we are seeking Him about; His sovereign control over circumstances; His peace ruling in our hearts, etc) to assure that we are going in the direction our heavenly Father has directed us.