Chapter 7.15

God’s Will & Human Decision Making

Table of Topics

A) Introduction: A Pressing, Popular, & Perplexing Topic

B) The Starting Point: The Nature of God’s Will

B.1) The Certainty & Relative Rarity of God’s Predestined Will

B.1.a) The unrevealed predestined will of God

B.1.b) The revealed predestined will of God in the “controlling call”

B.1.c) The relationship of God’s Predestined Will to divine guidance

B.2) The Clarity & Sufficiency of God’s Moral Prescribed Will

B.2.a) Distinguishing God’s predestined from prescribed will

B.2.b) The sufficiency of God’s prescribed will

B.3) The Freedom & Frequency of God’s Amoral Permissive Will

B.4) The Harmful Exaggeration of an Extra-biblical Private Will

B.4.a) Understanding a private will

B.4.b) Supposed biblical support for a private will

B.4.c) Supposed costs to self-esteem if private will is denied

B.4.d) The damages of believing in a private will

B.5) The Difficulty & Delight of God’s Miraculous Prayed-for Will

Table of Topics

Continued

C) Provision for the Journey: Divine Tools for Decision Making

D) Arriving at the Destination: Making a God-pleasing Decision

D.1) The Marriage Decision

D.2) The Ministry Decision

Extras & Endnotes

Diagram 7.15: The Wills of God

Table 7.15: The Wills of God

Primary Points

• Few topics in the Christian life, are more pressing, popular, and perplexing than knowing God’s will for our life.
• The best starting point is to define the nature of God’s will so that we understand exactly what we are looking for.
• God’s predestined will contains those things that God has chosen for us and will cause to happen with or without our knowledge, and therefore, we will not need any divine guidance in such areas.
• God’s prescribed will simply means that which is contained in Scripture.
• The reason that Scripture, our New Nature, and our conscience are such sufficient guides to pleasing God is that virtually all of God’s will for us is moral.
• It is an aversion to the very personal and challenging responsibility to make decisions that no doubt fuels a lot of the mega mystical mindset to expect God to make all these decisions for us.
• God’s permissive will concerns things in which God really has no will at all, but leaves up to our own desires or reasoning.
• Like any good father, God does not wish to dictate everything in our life in minute detail, but rather, wants us to live morally, using our reason to think wisely, and pursue our desires.
• Spiritual bondage comes from believing that God has a specific will for details in our life that are not prescribed in Scripture.
• A private will of God refers to amoral extra-biblical issues for which there is no biblical support for.
• Mega mysticism is our word for the claim of frequent, extra-biblical, and confidently recognized divine revelation from God for personal guidance.
• Belief in a divine private will makes the extra-biblical and amoral decisions of our life a tightrope on which we must anxiously balance ourselves above an abyss where we can fall into disappointing God and outside of His full blessing.
• The prayed-for will of God invites us to ask God for His miraculous intervention into our lives that essentially alters them in a way that would not have occurred otherwise.
• The prayed-for will of God is unknown until we experience His obvious answer to our prayers.
• If we fulfill the requirements of God’s prescriptive will in Scripture, the rest of any decision is purely a matter of the exercise of our own free will.

A) Introduction: A Pressing, Popular, & Perplexing Topic

In our discussion of divine revelation the topic of divine guidance has come up several times. How do we know God’s will for our life? Few, if any questions in the Christian life, are more pressing, popular, and perplexing than this one. Understandably, we don’t like making unnecessary mistakes in our decisions which can have devastating consequences for both us and others. Therefore, making the right decision in our varied circumstances is a vital human concern for which we want all the divine help available.

This is why a great number of Christians are seeking guidance on guidance. Something written as long ago as 1968 by John Bayly would still seem relevant today:

If there is a serious concern among Christian students today, it is for guidance. Holiness may have been the passion of another generation of Christian young men and women. Or soul winning. Or evangelizing the world in their generation. But not today. Today the theme is getting to know the will of God. ^[1]

Along these lines, M. Blaine Smith writes in his popular book, Knowing God’s Will:

When Paul was confronted by Christ on Damascus Road, he inquired, “Who are you, Lord?” When the response came, “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting,” Paul asked only one question: “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:8-10). There is no record of Paul’s requesting any further information from the Lord. His sole concern was to know and do what Christ willed for him to do. As we follow Christ today, Paul’s prayer echoes across the centuries and reflects our own. “What shall I do, Lord?” is so often the question on our mind which far outweighs all the others.

It is an understatement to say that guidance is a major concern of Christians today. For many, it is the primary concern. . . . Our concern with knowing the will of God is not hard to understand. It springs from curiosity and a natural need for direction. On the deepest level it reflects our desire to be accountable to Christ and a profound concern to accomplish something significant with our life. . . .

Christians often voice this frustration. They long to see their lives count for something yet have no clear sense of what direction to take. I once heard a schoolteacher summarize it well. Although he was successful in his position and meeting many needs, he was frustrated by the lack of a clear calling to the teaching profession. “The Bible declares that St. Paul was commanded by God to be an apostle,” he noted. “My problem is that I don’t feel commanded by God to do anything!” Like so many Christians today he was uncertain how God’s call to a particular profession might be known and wondered why he didn’t receive a call as unmistakable as Paul’s. Lacking this clear sense of calling, he found his work regrettably mundane.

The concern for guidance is nothing new. Christians have always sought to know God’s will and have always wrestled with questions about it. What is new is the level of concern. Certain factors in modern life make the need for guidance greater for believers today than at any prior time in history. Chief among these factors is the unprecedented diversity of choice which we face in most major decision areas today. ^[2]

The biblical teaching regarding the means by which we know God’s will for our life is one of those very critical, but also very practical theological topics. We are particularly concerned with those who would resonate with the schoolteacher above who struggled so much with assurance of God’s will. As Jesus promised, “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), and the following biblical approach to discerning God’s will can deliver us from the anguish this schoolteacher and many others feel regarding finding God’s will in our life. More specifically, we will point out several points of harmful deception in the schoolteacher’s thinking.

The importance of knowing God’s will cannot be understated. Nonetheless there is unfortunately a great deal of confusion and frustration on the topic. There is a wide array of conflicting approaches being taught today, thus making an already difficult subject even more so. Wayne Grudem wrote in 2000: “There is no well-formulated doctrine of guidance that has anything near a consensus in the evangelical world.” ^[3] That truly is unfortunate considering the importance of knowing God’s will for living the Christian life.

Along the same lines, Mr. Smith writes:

Even worse, the simple and foolproof solutions [to divine guidance] sometimes contradict each other. One person says, “Love God and do what you wish,” while another insists, “To find God’s will, you should deny your desires.” One teacher says, “God’s will is normally the most logical alternative,” while another points out, “Abraham ‘went out not knowing whither he went,’ so God’s will is likely to seem illogical to you.” One counselor says, “God’s will is known through your intuition,” while another argues, “Feelings are misleading; God directs through our rational thought process.”

We hear many other formulas touted for seeking God’s will. Some promote the practice of “putting out a fleece.” Others stress the role of supernatural guidance through signs, visions or prophecy. Still others claim that God’s will is best found through certain chain-of-command relationships. And some Christians even encourage the use of secular forms of guidance, such as astrology, Ouija boards, seances and palm reading. . . .

All in all, it is no wonder the typical Christian is baffled by the prospect of finding God’s will. More typically the result is not such a tragically wrong conclusion about God’s will but no conclusion at all. Many Christians are left genuinely confused about what direction God wants them to take in their decisions. Yet this is tragic in itself, especially when the decision involves a major life choice, for many conclude they must stumble through it without assurance of God’s will. Not only does their well-being suffer but often their fruitfulness as well, for they are not as motivated as they would be if they had stronger confidence of the Lord’s leading. ^[4]

It becomes obvious then that clear biblical teaching regarding how to know the will of God is vitally necessary. And below, in conjunction with what has been written in previous chapters, we hope to provide this.

Pastoral Practices

• It is obviously difficult to underestimate the importance and impact of biblical decision making in the Christian life. This is a vital topic to teach our congregation, and perhaps what follows will give you some content to that teaching.

B) The Starting Point: The Nature of God’s Will

Embarking on a discussion of how God guides us feels like standing on the edge of a dark and dense forest we wish to travel through, but which has no discernible paths. It will be helpful then to clear some trees so we can clearly see where we are going. The best starting point is to define the nature of God’s will so that we understand exactly what we are looking for.

Essentially, Scripture teaches several different aspects of God’s will which include His predestined will, prescribed will, permissive will, and prayed-for will. In addition, some of these aspects of God’s will can be further delineated by those things God will do (promises) and those things He wants us to do (commands). And because our discussion is divine guidance, it will focus on God’s will in the present, and not on those events occurring at and after the Second Coming.

While we attempt to make the topic of God’s will as simple as possible, one of the reasons for so much confusion in this area is that it is a relatively complex topic. Therefore, the reader will need to read the following carefully. It may be good to start by familiarizing oneself with Table 7.15 below which briefly describes the different types of God’s will.

B.1) The Certainty & Relative Rarity of God’s Predestined Will

God’s predestined will contains those things that God has predetermined and chosen for us and will certainly cause to happen. We discussed this in chapter 7.11 under the unconditional promises for the present age (sec. C.1). God speaks of such things through the Prophet Isaiah when He proclaims: “The Lord Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand” (Isa 14:24; cf. Matt 10:29; Eph 1:11). The things predetermined by the predestined will of God according to Scripture include:

• Saving His elect for eternity by grace, who were chosen by grace, before the creation of the world (cf. John 6:37-39; 10:28-29; Acts 13:48; Rom 9:10-23; 11:5-6; Eph 1:3-14; 2:1-10);
• Determining the times and places His elect would live so they would be saved (cf. Acts 17:26); ^[5]
• Determining the length of a person’s life (cf. Ps 139:16); ^[6]
• Indwelling us with His Spirit to give us a New Nature (cf. John 14:17, 20; 15:5; ^[7] Gal 2:20; Eph 4:24; Matt 28:20);
• Conforming us to the image of Christ (cf. Rom 8:29; Phil 1:6);
• Building His Church (cf. Matt 16:18);
• Not allowing us to be tempted or tested beyond what we are able (cf. 1 Cor 10:13).
• Giving us a spiritual gift, ability, and desire to serve Him in a unique way (cf. Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 7:7; 12:7,11)
• “Controlling calls” to special ministry (cf. Acts 26:16).

As we can see, the predestined will of God includes the most important aspects of our lives, and they are chosen for us, and our life is divinely controlled and manipulated in order to ensure their occurrence. In the list above, all but the last one are unconditional acts of God that will happen as God chooses. Only the latter consists of a command that we will do. ^[8]

B.1.a) God’s unrevealed predestined will

The contents of God’s predestined will are both revealed and unrevealed. The list of items above are those things that the Scriptures tell us are the revealed predestined will of God. But there may be many other things that God has predetermined to occur in our life that He will not reveal. Along these lines, J. I. Packer has written:

For the truth is that God in his wisdom, to make and keep us humble and to teach us to walk by faith, has hidden from us almost everything that we should like to know about the providential purposes which he is working out in the churches and in our own lives. “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things” (Eccl 11:5). ^[9]

Accordingly, we will have no certain way of knowing whether such events were the result of natural coincidences, our free choice, or the intervening manipulation of God. And thankfully, we need not know such a thing as they will come to pass regardless of our knowledge, recognition, or response to them.

For example, we think of Esther who fulfilled a specific will of God beyond that which she could have known from Scripture. For all she knew, especially before experiencing what seemed to be divine intervention on God’s part for His people, she was simply following the circumstances dictated to her. Initially, even Mordecai was unsure of the purpose of Esther’s circumstances and even when her position seemed providential he could only say, “who knows, you may have been chosen queen for just such a time as this” (Esth 4:14 NCV). Because the eventual outcome of her circumstances were clearly miraculous and applied directly to God’s plan of salvation, she could be relatively certain only in hindsight that those circumstances had been manipulated by God.

However, people often remain unaware of fulfilling a specific task pertaining to God’s predestined will. Accordingly, we read in Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.” Such divine manipulation will often not be revealed. Such was the case with Caesar Augustus in issuing the census decree that caused the fulfillment of God’s predestined will that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem (cf. Luke 2:1-6). Surely he thought this was his own decision, and would have had no way of knowing otherwise unless it had been miraculously revealed to him.

Accordingly, we read in Proverbs 20:24, “A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (cf. Prov 16:9). This is not to say that every human step or decision is manipulated by God, for in most areas He gives us complete freedom to choose ourselves. But there are things in our life that God may control and He will not clearly reveal that He is doing so, and therefore, it is unnecessary to try to “understand” it. God just simply does it and is not concerned that we know whether it was a result of divine intervention or random circumstances, or purely personal desires. Therefore, we need not be concerned with something that is completely in His hands.

Nonetheless, it is important to see that all else in our life will conform to, and never thwart, the predestined will of God in our life, whether it be its revealed aspects as taught by Scripture, or unique aspects hidden to us. In other words, no choices or decisions that we or others make will change the predestined will of God if He has predetermined something specific in our life. Accordingly, we must live life knowing that all of it is filtered through the decisions God has already made for us concerning our life. Gary Friesen illustrates this when he writes:

There are occasions when it is especially appropriate to qualify a statement of resolve with the words “Lord willing.” For instance, Paul included the phrase, “if the Lord wills” in 1 Corinthians 4:19 in the middle of a very strong declaration of purpose, probably to avoid communicating the attitude of arrogance he sensed in others.

There are, in addition, a variety of synonymous expressions found in Scripture that appropriately express the proper attitude in planning. “By God’s will” or “through God’s will” are phrases that emphasize the determinative role that divine sovereignty [i.e. predestined will] plays in bringing plans to fulfillment (Romans 1:10; 15:32). The expression “if the Lord permits” acknowledges that God puts limits or boundaries on the plans of men (I Corinthians 16:7). ^[10]

B.1.b) God’s revealed predestined will in a controlling call

God’s predestined will is secret until it is revealed through additional divine revelation. For example, we do not know that it is God’s predestined will for a particular person to be saved until they show convincing evidence of being converted. Likewise, it is only in hindsight that we recognize the divine revelation of God’s predestined will of where and when we were born. These examples of a divine predestined will are revealed in more ordinary ways.

In Scripture, however, we see God’s predestined will for special service communicated in more extraordinary ways, which can be described as a “controlling call.” A controlling call of God to special service generally has several characteristics.

First, they are very rare, applying only to those divinely chosen for very unique and pivotal tasks in the accomplishment of God’s plan for His people in the world. “Controlling calls” do not involve merely secular or private matters. ^[11] In Scripture they would include such Prophets, Kings, and Apostles as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, David, Jeremiah, Jonah, John the Baptist, Mary, Paul, Peter, and of course Christ.

Secondly, “controlling calls” to specific service are clearly communicated through miraculous means such as a vision from God. Biblical examples reveal the fact that when God has a predestined will for someone that is more specific than that revealed through ordinary means (i.e. Scripture, New Nature, etc.), and He desires them to know it in order to fulfill it, He will always use extraordinary and unmistakable means to communicate it to them. This is another aspect of the rarity of such a thing as very few people outside of the main biblical characters can or should claim that God has revealed a specific task to them through a miraculous revelation of Himself.

A third common attribute of a controlling call is that they often involve great suffering. This is perhaps why God grants miraculous communication and intervention so that the called person can accomplish God’s predestined will. It is because of this perceived suffering involved in the controlling call that there is often a great reluctance on the part of the called.

Regardless of the general antipathy with which a controlling call is received, and the great obstacles that may be involved, a final aspect is they involve God’s predestined will, and therefore, by definition, will be done. There is no example in Scripture of God miraculously communicating His desire for an individual to fulfill a specific ministry task that was not obeyed or even had the option of being disobeyed.

The fact that such a divine appointment will be fulfilled is amply illustrated by the prophet Jonah, who, in spite of doing everything he could to thwart the predestined will of God, ultimately fulfilled the controlling call of God on his life. Here it becomes evident as well why we refer to it as the controlling call of God. When God chooses to reveal His predestined will through a controlling call to service, He ensures that person will fulfill it. He does this by either convincing the person of this call through the extraordinary nature of the revelation (e.g. Gideon, Judg 6:11-22), causing an irresistible inward persuasion (e.g. Paul, cf. 1 Cor 9:16-17; Jeremiah, cf. Jer 1:4-10; 20:7-9; Cyrus, cf. Ezra 6:22; 7:27), or orchestrating unavoidable circumstances, as in Jonah’s case.

The characteristics of a controlling call can be readily demonstrated in the examples of Scripture. For example, God said to Noah:

I am going to put an end to all people . . . So make yourself an ark . . . I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. . . . Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Gen 6:13-14, 18, 22)

This certainly involved a pivotal event in God’s plan for His people, was miraculously and unmistakably communicated, probably involved a great deal of hardship and persecution (cf. 2 Pet 2:5), but was completed just as directed, with no hint that it could have been otherwise. God’s predestined plan for the Flood involved Noah and he was going to fulfill that part of the plan.

Joseph received supernatural dreams revealing to him God’s predestined will for his life (cf. Gen 37:5-11). Accordingly, Joseph tells his brothers concerning their treachery against him, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen 50:20). Again, the controlling call accomplished God’s pivotal plan to have His people end up in Egypt, it was communicated in a miraculous way, involved tremendous suffering, but, was accomplished in spite of tremendous obstacles.

The controlling call of Moses is communicated by God when we read:

“So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I Who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. (Exod 3:10-12)

Moses obviously played a monumental role in God’s plan for His people, miraculously received this controlling call when “the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush” (Exod 3:2), he showed reluctance to obey the call, and he too incurred great suffering in it. Nonetheless, there was no doubt in God’s mind that Moses would do it, promising him “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain” (Exod 3:12). There was not even a possibility of failure because the controlling call of Moses was the predestined will of Almighty God.

David was personally picked by God to be the greatest King ever for the sake of His people, and He manipulated many circumstances in order for this controlling call to be fulfilled (cf. 1 Sam 13:14; 6:6-23; 18:17-29; 23:24-29). Accordingly, God communicated through the prophet Nathan:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the Earth. . . . Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever” (1 Sam 7:8-11, 16).

Illustrating the great rarity of such “controlling calls,” David rhetorically asks in response, “Is this Your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?” (v. 19). Obviously the answer is no.

We read of the controlling call in the Prophet Jeremiah’s life as well:

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a Prophet to the nations.”

“Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”

But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. (Jer 1:4-7)

Jeremiah also had a pivotal part to play in God’s plan for His people, received a miraculously communicated command to service which Jeremiah had no choice but to accept, and he showed the typical reluctance regarding such calls. And it should not surprise us that such a monumental controlling call was accompanied by great suffering (cf. Jer chs. 36-37).

Illustrating that social standing has no bearing on a “controlling call,” a young peasant girl was personally told by an Angel of God, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31). Remarkably, she did not show the common reluctance of her male counterparts, responding, “I am the Lord’s servant. . . . May it be to me as you have said” (v. 38). Her controlling call was certainly pivotal in God’s plan for His people, required miraculous manipulation to accomplish, and, no doubt, involved a significant amount of suffering, including the severe social stigma of being engaged and pregnant in first century Jewish culture, and having to ride about 65 miles on a donkey over rough terrain in the days immediately preceding giving birth in an animal shelter.

Jesus personally communicated a controlling call to the Apostle Peter when He told him: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt 16:18). Peter certainly played a pivotal part in God’s plan for the ages, and despite his weaknesses and failures, he fulfilled his predestined role. Jesus later communicated the certainty of Peter’s call, and the suffering that would accompany it when He told him: “Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32), which is precisely what happened, the writing of 1 Peter perhaps being a fulfillment of his “controlling call.”

The Apostle Paul describes his controlling call in the following manner:

On one of these journeys [to persecute Christians] I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

   “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

   “I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of Me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

    “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. (Acts 26:12-19; cf. Eph 3:2-13)

This controlling call certainly involved a very strategic task in God’s plan for the Earth, as the Apostle Paul was the primary divine instrument of introducing the Gospel to “the Gentiles” (v. 17). Both the miraculous revelation and the divine manipulation involved in a controlling call are succinctly communicated when Christ says to Paul, “I have appeared to you to appoint you” (v. 16). The Apostle’s controlling call came through nothing less than a personal appearance of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. And there was no decision to be made by Paul, he was divinely “called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (1 Cor 1:1; cf. Rom 1:1; Gal 1:15), not his will.

In fact, the Apostle spoke of his controlling call as being opposed to his own will when he wrote of it:

[P]reaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t do it! If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. (1 Cor 9:16-17 NLT)

Also, the Apostle Paul’s controlling call certainly involved suffering, which was predicted by Christ when He told Ananias: “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” And suffer he did, as clearly, the most prominent aspect of Paul’s life was his suffering on account of his “controlling call,” evidenced not only by the number of references to it in the NT, but also by its prevalence in his last letter as he awaits martyrdom in prison (cf. Acts 9:23, 29; 16:19-25; 20:22-24; 21:33; 22:22-24; 23:10-15; 1 Cor 4:9-13; 2 Cor 1:8-10; 4:8-9; 6:4, 8; 11:23-27, 32; 12:10; Gal 5:11; 6:17; Phil 1:30; Col 1:24; 1 Thess 2:2; 2 Tim 1:10-12; 2:8-10; 3:10-11; 4:6, 14-17).

So many want and claim a controlling call that involves a uniquely important task in the advancement of God’s kingdom and a miraculous revelation of that call, but so few are willing or actually experiencing the severe suffering that normally accompanies such calls, bringing into question whether they would really like to, or have received one.

Once again, however, in spite of the tremendous obstacles, the Apostle Paul did indeed fulfill the purpose the King had for him, including sharing the Gospel with the “the Gentiles and their kings” (cf. Acts 25:22-27, 26:1-11, 27:24; 2 Tim. 4:16, 17). The Apostle had once said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me” (Acts 20:24). And finish it he did because it was the predestined will of God.

The ultimate controlling call was, of course, the one upon Jesus Christ. There has never been a more important task performed for the sake of God’s people than those accomplished by Christ. He alludes to the nature of the controlling call on His life by His many references to being “sent” by the Father (cf. Matt 10:40; 15:24; John 5:24, 30, 33-8; 6:38-9, 44, 57; 7:16, 28-9, 33; 8:16, 18, 26-9, 42; 9:4; 10:36; 11:42; 12:44-5, 29; 13:20; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; 17:3, 8, 18, 21, 23, 25; 20:21).

The predestined nature of Christ’s controlling call is illustrated by the fact that it fulfilled many OT prophecies about Him. ^[12] The Apostles also understood this, Peter testifying, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross”(Acts 2:23; cf. 4:27-28).

Jesus also reflected the controlling call in His life in several statements, particularly in the Gospel of John:

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. (John 4:34)

For the very work that the Father has given Me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent Me. (John 5:36)

For I have come down from Heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me. (John 6:38)

I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. (John 8:42 NASB)

I have brought You glory on Earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. (John 17:4)

We clearly see that Christ’s ministry was not of His “own initiative” and characteristic of a “controlling call,” and near its completion, “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”” (Matt 26:39). And the suffering required by His controlling call is unimaginable. Yet, again, despite all the obstacles, Christ fulfilled His controlling call because it was the predestined will of God (cf. John 17:4; 19:30).

It is understandable that all Christians would desire to have a controlling call on their own lives. However, as Dr. Friesen notes regarding this:

Old Testament examples are usually prophets, judges, kings, or other leaders rather than the general populace. This is partially explained by the fact that the greatest part of biblical history focuses on “special” believers. To argue from such special cases that God has an individual will for all believers is unwarranted in the absence of further substantiation from the epistles.

What we have seen so far is that the examples of detailed divine guidance in Scripture are infrequent in appearance, limited in scope, and directed to persons who play a special role in the outworking of God’s program on earth. ^[13]

B.1.c) The relationship of God’s predestined will to divine guidance

How then does the issue of God’s predestined will relate to the question of divine guidance? First of all, for those aspects of His predestined will which He chooses to fulfill without revealing it beforehand, no divine guidance is needed at all. Along these lines, the well known OT scholar Bruce Waltke writes in his book, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion?:

Far too many Christians rely on faulty logic to divine the will of God. Their thinking goes like this: “God has a plan, and therefore He intends that I find it.” That is a non sequitur, a conclusion that cannot logically follow the premise. Simply because God has a plan does not mean that He necessarily has any intention of sharing it with you; as a matter of fact the message of Job is in part that the Lord in His sovereignty may allow terrible things to happen to you, and you may never know why. ^[14]

If, in fact, there is something predetermined for our life in addition to those already revealed in Scripture as listed above, we need no divine guidance concerning it, nor do we need to be concerned at all about it, because God will ensure it happens. And when it does, it is perhaps only in hindsight that we will possibly be able to discern it, and it will become evident then that we needed no divine guidance as God Himself manipulated the circumstances to bring it about.

Secondly, in the overall perspective of our life, the issues included in God’s predestined will are relatively very few. Some, however, choose to exaggerate the number of things God manipulates in our life and which were not a result of our own unmanipulated free will. For example, the rightly respected Bible teacher and President of Dallas Seminary, Charles Swindoll writes concerning the “[pre]determined, decreed dimension of God’s will”:

That’s why He sends one person to the mission field in China and another to the bank building in downtown Seattle. . . . It doesn’t mean that the person who goes to China is holier or more in the will of God than the person who goes into banking. You’re wrong only if you don’t go where He is leading you. How do you know it was part of His decreed [predestined] will? Because it has happened. Just glance back over your past. You will be able to identify your own personal list of God’s decretive will in your life.

Grant Howard in Knowing God’s Will-and Doing It writes . . . ‘everything that has happened in your life to this moment has been part of God’s [pre]determined will for your life. It has happened because He has [pre]determined it to be so.’

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” I hear you saying. “I’ve got a question.” We all have questions about this. I told you it was profound. I told you we couldn’t understand it. We want to be in charge. We want to say, “No, this is up to me. I choose my own friends. I choose my own interests. I decided where I wanted to go to college.” ^[15]

Several responses are in order. First, if something truly is in the predestined will of God, you cannot be “wrong” because “you don’t go where He is leading you” such as becoming a bank teller instead of a missionary. Dr. Swindoll implies it would be sin for his hypothetical examples to be engineers or salesmen, rather than a missionary or banker. This makes such amoral occupational decisions, which are under God’s permissive will, into moral ones which we can now sin against God and miss His blessing. This simply is not true and we further discuss the harm of this perspective below under the unbiblical idea of a private will apart from what God has communicated in Scripture.

Secondly, the effect of making so many things a part of God’s predestined will is that it makes us rather more like robots than humans. Be assured Christian, you did choose your “own friends,” your “own interests,” and “where” you “wanted to go to college.” There is no biblical support whatsoever to claim that God manipulated your free will in such things and essentially chose them for you.

Thirdly, we know God’s predestined will for our life through God’s revelation of those things in Scripture, not simply “because it has happened.” Do we then blame God for the bad things that have happened to us as well? Apart from supernatural authentication, only those items listed above as being prescribed in Scripture as aspects of God’s predestined will should be labeled as such.

For example, Scripture does not promise that God will predestine and manipulate things such that you choose a particular college, work in a particular job, or marry a particular person. Therefore, while such things are certainly allowed and foreknown by God, it is questionable to consider them as predestined, a result of divine manipulation, or requiring miraculous communication for divine guidance. God leaves a great deal of room in our lives for the simple exercise of our unmanipulated free will, and even within the predestined aspects of our lives, there is often a great deal of human freedom involved as well.

Finally, we will begin here to confront the claims of mega mysticism, which we discuss thoroughly in Book 14. Mega mysticism is our word for the claim of frequent, extra-biblical, and confidently recognized divine revelation from God for personal guidance. It is believed that God desires to directly lead and guide us in amoral, extra-biblical matters on a rather continual basis through divinely inspired impressions, impulses, and “signs” derived apart from any other means such as Scripture, our New Nature, or reason. Accordingly, mega mysticism claims that the revealed controlling call of God to special tasks of service experienced by such men as Moses and Paul is normative for the average Christian today. We believe they are mistaken. ^[16]

All such examples we have in Scripture involved people who had a very unique and predestined role to play specifically in God’s plan of salvation which was miraculously revealed to them. These examples do not in any way support the idea that God will lead us through mental impulses or “signs” to make decisions on extra-biblical matters in our life. While there may have been others since biblical times that God has had a specific predestined will concerning their ministry, that was accomplished through a biblical “controlling call,” those meeting the biblical requirements of such a thing are extremely rare. ^[17]

Contrary to mega mystical teaching, biblical “controlling calls” are not intended to reveal how God may lead our personal lives, but how powerfully He has fulfilled His predestined plan of salvation for His elect people. Quite frankly, the types of things we want a controlling call for, simply are not important enough to warrant one. However, when God’s predestined will to save every one of His elect people is at stake, He will supernaturally intervene if necessary.

Accordingly, Gary Friesen and J. Maxon write in their excellent book Decision Making and the Will of God:

The apostle Paul did not see his calling as providing a pattern for other ministers. Quite the contrary, in 1 Corinthians 9:16-18, he stresses the distinctiveness of his calling: He had been drafted into the Lord’s service, while others were volunteers. A vivid contrast appears between Paul’s situation and the exhortation for elders in 1 Peter 5:2. Whereas other undershepherds are to serve “not under compulsion, but voluntarily,” Paul wrote that he preached “under compulsion” and “against my will” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17). ^[18]

 

As discussed in the previous chapter, the unique desires produced by our spiritual gifts do not specify whom we are to serve, guarantee a certain result, nor do they necessarily consume our whole life as a controlling call does. ^[19] For example, while God may give a person the gift of pastoring or teaching, it does not follow that he is predestined to be a Pastor or Teacher. We can choose to neglect our gifts which is why we are exhorted in Scripture to be faithful with them (cf. 1 Pet 4:10). A spiritual gift and the unique desires and abilities it produces is therefore a revelation of God’s desire to do a specific ministry. However, such things do not reflect the biblical attributes of the predetermined, divinely manipulated, miraculously revealed, and impossible to disobey controlling call of God that ones like Jeremiah, Jonah, Paul, and Christ experienced.

Of course, it would be natural for any Christian to want God to deal with them in such a special manner, and mega mysticism plays on this natural desire. However, we would suggest that all of the biblical attributes of a controlling call need to be considered before it is claimed that God has determined a specific predestined will for someone’s ministry. While mega mysticism promotes such an idea, Scripture does not. Normally, the choosing and results of our ministries, and most everything else in our life, is not predetermined by God, but dependent on our own free will decisions.

Understanding the biblical characteristics of a controlling call to specific service can help alleviate unnecessary confusion and discouragement regarding particularly the occupational decisions we make. Accordingly, we can revisit the school teacher that M. Blaine Smith wrote about above:

I once heard a schoolteacher summarize [the frustration of knowing God’s will] well. Although he was successful in his position and meeting many needs, he was frustrated by the lack of a clear calling to the teaching profession. “The Bible declares that St. Paul was commanded by God to be an apostle,” he noted. “My problem is that I don’t feel commanded by God to do anything!” Like so many Christians today he was uncertain how God’s call to a particular profession might be known and wondered why he didn’t receive a call as unmistakable as Paul’s. Lacking this clear sense of calling, he found his work regrettably mundane. ^[20]

Unfortunately, Mr. Smith implies here and argues elsewhere that God does have a specific private will for our secular occupations that He wants to lead us in. And such a mega mystical mindset leads to the very frustration and uncertainty this school teacher experienced. Fortunately, there is no biblical support for this, and the attributes of a controlling call such as Paul received for apostleship simply do not involve a decision to be a school teacher. ^[21]

Also, because of a mega mystical perspective on occupational choices, this school teacher had completely missed the fact that he already had sufficient divine guidance for his career. As we’ll note elsewhere, occupations are under God’s permissive will in which God simply wants us to follow our personal desires, rather than waiting for some divine call, because God does not have a specific private will in such matters as mega mysticism suggests. If this school teacher wanted to be a teacher, then God wanted him to be a teacher. However, if he “found his work incredibly mundane” and wanted to do something else, he surely had God’s permission, and should have followed his desires and pursued the job or ministry he wanted according to the desires coming from his spiritual gifting.

And this school teacher had all the specific divine commands he needed regarding his occupation in Scripture. What God cares about in such matters is that we exercise virtue in our occupations (cf. Matt 5:14-16), love those around us (cf. Matt 22:39), work for His glory (cf. Col 3:17), work with all our heart (cf. Col 3:23), and be submissive to our authorities (cf. Col 3:22). If the school teacher had understood and practiced these things he could have known he was in God’s will, and if pleasing God was what mattered, than his job would not have been “regrettably mundane” either.

B.2) The Clarity & Sufficiency of God’s Moral Prescribed Will

B.2.a) Distinguishing God’s predestined from prescribed will

God’s prescribed will is that which is completely written (prescribed) in Scripture. Therefore, it is immediately distinguished from God’s unrevealed predestined will, because we already know all of His prescribed will.

Another important distinction is that unlike God’s predestined will, His prescribed will is often unfulfilled and/or disobeyed. In fact, while God’s predestined will is completely followed and fulfilled in the entire Universe at all times, satan’s will is currently obeyed more than God’s prescribed will on Earth. In other words, the fulfillment of God’s predestined will is unconditional and therefore, unstoppable. However, God’s prescribed will is conditional on our prayers or obedience.

A simple example of the difference can be seen in the following passages:

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. (Eph 1:4-5)

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality. (1 Thess 4:3)

The first description of God’s will reflects something God predetermined and will manipulate to ensure that it occurs. The second description however requires a free will choice on our part to obey the command. ^[22] The need for obedience is obvious in God’s prescribed will. God wants us to love others, but if we do not, God’s will is not fulfilled.

Likewise, there are many things in Scripture that we are encouraged to pray for, with the implication that they will not occur to a certain degree, or at all, if we do not pray. Such aspects of God’s prescribed will include:

• The spiritual health and growth of Christians (cf. Eph 1:15-19; 3:14-19; Col 1:9-11; 1 Thess 3:12-13; 5:3; 2 Thess 2:16; 3:5, 16);
• God’s glorification by our good works (cf. 2 Thess 1:11-12);
• The success of the preaching of God’s word (cf. 2 Thess 3:1);
• Our active sharing of the Gospel (cf. Phlm 1:6);
• Peaceful governments (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-3);
• The meeting of widows’ needs (cf. 1 Tim 5:5).

Again, the implication is that while these are certainly God’s clearly communicated prescribed will, their degree of fulfillment is dependent on the prayers and related action of God’s people. ^[23]

The conditional nature of the fulfillment of God’s prescribed will reveals another distinction from God’s predestined will. Specifically, the former requires a moral decision on our part. We cannot sin against God’s predestined or permissive will because they do not concern moral decisions on our part. However, our decision to obey or disobey God’s prescribed will is moral in nature.

B.2.b) The sufficiency of God’s prescribed will

The moral nature of God’s prescribed will is important to recognize. Because God’s whole will for our life is only and always moral in nature, the prescribed will of God completely communicated in Scripture is the only divine will we need to know and obey in order to be completely in God’s will.

We have elsewhere distinguished moral and amoral matters elsewhere by stating:

Webster’s defines moral as: “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior . . . sanctioned by or operative on one’s conscience or ethical judgment.” Moral desires [and decisions] are those involving ethics of right and wrong, fair and unfair. Moral desires [and decisions] concern how we treat persons, including humans and God. ^[24]

It is only moral decisions that God is holding us accountable for and which we need divine guidance to obey. God does not have a will in amoral decisions, as discussed below under God’s permissive will. As we support elsewhere, Scripture clearly teaches that the only will of God that we need to know in order to be fully obedient to Him is God’s moral will. ^[25]

This is taught in Romans 12:1-2, one of the more important verses of Scripture relating to God’s will and divine guidance:

I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will. ( :1-2)

In verse 1 the Apostle makes it clear that God’s whole will is that we are morally “holy” and therefore “pleasing to God.” We need to do nothing more (or less!) in the decisions we make than to be morally holy in order to perfectly please God. In verse 2, the Apostle tells us how we can be morally “holy and pleasing to God.” First, we must not “conform any longer to the [immoral] pattern of this world.” ^[26] It is not culture in general that we are to live in opposition to, but specifically the immoral sinful things in the culture. This we will be able to do as we are “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.”

What kind of information do we need to be programmed with in order to not “conform” to the sinful “pattern of this world”? Moral information. A knowledge of God’s moral requirements is all that is needed in order to be “holy and pleasing to God” and to not “conform” to the sinful “pattern of this world.” Gary Friesen adds on this point:

In Romans 12:1, Paul is saying on the basis of God’s mercies, which have just been explained in detail, surrender your body to God for obedient living. Then, beginning with verse three, and extending on into the next four chapters, he spells out the commands that ought to be obeyed. In other words, as soon as he completes his exhortation to “prove what the will of God is,” he begins giving specific examples of that will.

Significantly, they are moral commands addressed to all believers. The immediate context says nothing about such things as finding one’s vocation, choosing one’s mate, or anything else that is so specific as to be part of God’s individual [private] will.

Rather, there are commands concerning the use of one’s gift (12:6-8), love (12:9), devotion to other believers (12:10), diligence in serving the Lord (12:11), rejoicing (12:12), hospitality (12:13), blessing persecutors (12:14), and so on. These obviously reflect the moral rather than the individual will of God. ^[27]

What then will be an additional result of “renewing . . . [our] mind” with the moral commands of God? “Then [we] will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” ^[28] Why will we be able to so confidently know “what God’s will is?” Because the will of God that we need to know to be “holy and pleasing to God” is completely moral in nature, and God’s moral will has been completely revealed in Scripture and our New Nature. ^[29]

The Apostle Paul points to the “renewing of [our] mind” as the key to knowing the “good, pleasing, and perfect will” of God because we can fully learn God’s will from Scripture and our New Nature. We do not need additional revelation from God for this renewal of our mind to know God’s moral will. In addition, when our mind is renewed with the moral will of God through Scripture and our New Nature we will then know God’s “good, pleasing, and perfect will,” not just be ready to receive additional revelation of His will. ^[30]

The above points are important as Romans 12:1-2 is often interpreted in a mega mystical way to suggest extra-biblical revelation is needed to discern God’s will, that we must be surrendered to God before He will provide this extra-biblical revelation, and that the divine will we must know to be “holy and pleasing to God” includes a myriad of amoral issues. For example, M. Blaine Smith reflects this popular perspective in his book, Knowing God’s Will.

First, in the discussion of Romans 12:1-2, the claim is made that God’s will will not be clear to us unless we are willing to obey it, seemingly completely ignoring the fact that God’s will is already completely revealed in Scripture. Nonetheless, Mr. Smith writes:

Scripture shows that God is often unwilling to make his will clear to us until he knows that we’re willing to accept it. While this fact should concern us, there’s a wonderfully positive side to it as well: As we become willing to accept God’s will, our understanding of what he wants us to do usually deepens. In addition, we gain a remarkable basis for confidence that our decision process is being guided by him and that what we decide reflects his will. . . .

Before all else we are to strive for an attitude of willingness to do God’s will; it’s only in the context of such an attitude that we can truly see clearly what God’s will is. . . . ^[31]

There would seem to be a complete disregard here for the fact that the will of God that we need to know to be holy is already clearly and completely communicated in Scripture. Not even a wicked unbeliever needs to be willing to obey God in order to know from reading Scripture that God’s “greatest commandment” is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt 22:36-7). Contrary to the popular mega mystical mindset, the Apostle says that the reason we will know God’s will is because we have renewed our mind with the moral teachings of Scripture.

Mr. Smith attempts to bolster the popular mindset that willingness is critical to merely knowing God’s will by suggesting this is illustrated in Scripture. Remembering our discussion above regarding the reluctance that often accompanied a revelation of God’s specific ministry for a person, the following seems off base:

Throughout the Bible, for instance, where we see God giving special calls to various people, in almost every case it seems the person was willing to do God’s will before it was ever revealed. . . . Jonah is the most notable exception, but the overwhelming majority of people called by God were willing to obey. . . . We conclude this simply from the fact that most of them responded quickly and obediently to God’s leading.

While there are cases where great leaders felt ambivalence about their ability to carry out an assignment (for example, Moses or Jeremiah), we seldom sense that underneath they were resistant to doing God’s will [big assumption not supported by the texts themselves]. And it was certainly this underlying attitude of heart which had much to do with God’s choosing them for extraordinary tasks. ^[32]

This simply isn’t the case, considering all the divine coercion involved in many of the “controlling calls” described above.

The author goes on to use Romans 12:1-2 as a proof text for his position. As already noted above, the Apostle is teaching here that when our mind is renewed with the moral will of God through Scripture and our New Nature, we will then know God’s “good, pleasing, and perfect will,” not just be ready to receive additional revelation of His will. Nonetheless, Mr. Smith reflects a popular perspective when he writes:

I don’t know of a passage in Scripture that sums up this condition of willingness and its results more succinctly than Romans 12:1-2. . . . In the context of our passage it means that we’ll . . . discover [God’s will] through experience. . . . Paul, more than anything, is telling us that we must constantly strive for an attitude of yieldedness, an attitude of openness to the will of God. If we have that attitude, then, Paul makes it clear that we will . . . know . . . God’s will. . . .

I must be willing in advance to accept whatever alternative God might show to be his will, even before I know what it might be. It’s like giving God a blank contract with my name signed at the bottom, with the freedom to fill it out any way he chooses.

 But how do I determine whether I’m really willing to do God’s will? The most effective way is to imagine all the alternatives which could be logical options in a decision. If I know that I would accept any of these if God said to, then I may be confident that I’m willing to follow his will. This doesn’t mean that God will necessarily lead me to choose the least appealing alternative, but it does mean that I must be willing to accept that option if it’s clear God wishes me to. ^[33]

There is again, a complete disregard for the fact that God’s will is completely moral, clearly communicated in Scripture, and instinctively known by our New Nature. All of which makes the statement above that, “I must be willing in advance to accept whatever alternative God might show to be his will, even before I know what it might be,” rather ridiculous. There will be no alternative to what God has communicated in Scripture.

The only possible relationship between our level of willingness and our knowledge of God’s will is that sinful desires may coerce us to misinterpret Scripture, leading us to find proof texts to accommodate them. False teachers help people do this all the time. Likewise, being willing suggests an attitude of humility which is necessary to being wise and reasonable which, of course, is essential to good decision making (cf. Prov 11:2). However, willingness is not a prerequisite to receiving a revelation of God’s will, miraculous or otherwise.

Imagine all the unnecessary anxiety Christians have suffered because they followed such common advice on knowing God’s will. The will of God that we need to know to be completely “holy and pleasing to God” is revealed in Scripture and supported by our moral New Nature. Beyond that, as discussed further below, God wants us to do what we want to do, not what we would least want to do.

Notice as well how agonizing and difficult such a mega mystical perspective on knowing God’s will becomes. How could we ever really know that we are willing enough to know the mystical, extra-biblical, amoral will of God? How many Christians have beat themselves up because they did not get divine guidance on such an issue and blamed their own lack of heart for God? God never intended knowing His will to be like this. Of course, doing it requires full willingness and often great difficulty, but not knowing it, because it is completely communicated in Scripture.

Finally, Mr. Smith goes on in typical mega mystical fashion to suggest that God’s will involves extra-biblical amoral issues that must be discerned outside of Scripture:

A young woman came to me for vocational counseling. She desperately wanted to find employment in a particular artistic field which would give her a unique chance to witness for the Lord. I immediately thought of an opportunity she could pursue in California and suggested it to her. Her reply, however, was most revealing. She was certain God wouldn’t want her to go to California. It would be too far away from family and friends; she was sure God would want to give her a job in the eastern part of the U.S. As we talked, she finally admitted that even if God wanted her in California, she wasn’t willing to go. When this is our attitude, it’s really beside the point to expect God to show us anything. Only when we’re willing in advance to accept whatever God might want are we in a position where we can hope to prove his will. ^[34]

Here we have full blown mega mysticism which insists that God has a specific private will for us in extra-biblical matters, makes amoral issues into moral ones (i.e. the woman could be in sin for not going to California), and leaves us in a quandary to really know God’s will (i.e. how in the world could she know she is supposed to go to California?). If this woman did not want to move to California, then by God He didn’t want her to move to California either. Instead, unnecessary pressure was placed on her by implying that such a desire to be close to family and friends might not be God’s desire. And Romans 12:1-2 is said to be the clearest Scripture in support of such an unbiblical and oppressive perspective. In reality (and thankfully!) the Apostle was teaching that God’s will is completely moral (i.e. very unlikely to involve a decision to move to California for a job), and therefore clearly and completely communicated through Scripture and our New Nature.

This is why we refer to this aspect of God’s will as prescribed. It is recorded in Scripture and “written” on our hearts in our New Nature as promised in the New Covenant (cf. Jer 31:31-34). ^[35] In a discussion of the perplexities of divine guidance, one becomes all the more thankful for the clarity and great sufficiency of the revelation of God’s will found particularly in Scripture, which we have written more extensively on elsewhere. ^[36]

Consider the number of decisions for which we know God’s will because of the sufficiency of Scripture. God says:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind . . . and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:36-7)

“Be holy because I am holy.” (1 Pet 1:16)

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Eph 5:15-16)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

We see, then, the great help that the Scriptures provide us in making God-pleasing decisions. And we also see the great responsibility we have to make the right decisions. And it is an aversion to this very personal and challenging responsibility to make decisions that no doubt fuels a lot of the mega mystical mindset to expect God to make all these decisions for us.

In other words, the problem is that where revelation stops, wisdom begins and certainty ends. When we have a decision that is not discussed in Scripture, we are expected to use our own human, and potentially fallible wisdom, making our certainty of whether we are doing the right thing, limited. And that is why we strive for revelation beyond Scripture- to avoid the human limitations of reason and its potential for mistakes.

This sufficiency of the Scriptures applies as well to our New Nature which leads us exclusively according to Scripture because the Author of both is the Holy Spirit. The reason that Scripture, our New Nature, and our conscience are such sufficient guides to pleasing God is that virtually all of God’s will for us is moral. Therefore, if God’s will is essentially moral in nature, these means of divine guidance are essentially all we need to perfectly please God in our life.

Accordingly, another author writes elsewhere regarding moral decisions:

These are areas of behavior which require the same type of response every time. The moral principle tells us what that response should be. In this sense, once a particular moral principle is understood, God’s will in that area becomes a matter of application. We don’t have to rethink or pray [or get extra-biblical revelation] about the problem every time it arises. ^[37]

Because the entire will of God that we must know is completely and only moral, what mega mystics would only apply to moral decisions, actually applies to the whole will of God.

In all the anxiety that Christians exercise over finding and fulfilling God’s will for their life, God’s prescribed will can be overlooked. Accordingly, God hardly cares what job you choose, but cares much more about how and why you do that job. Unfortunately, many become so concerned with arriving at the “destination” God desires, or getting His will accomplished, that they forget His prescribed will for the “journey.” In whatever direction we pursue as God’s will for our life (e.g. a job, a spouse, a place to live) we must not forget the simple statement in His word that, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thess 4:3). While we often make getting from point A to B in God’s will for our life the priority (the externals), God is always prioritizing conforming us into the image of His Son. The “destination” (a job, a marriage, a school) is just the secondary and optional means to accomplish the real will of God, which is becoming more like Jesus.

Along these lines one thinks of Abraham, who was told by God to go to Mount Moriah and sacrifice his son. He was given a destination and a task, but were these really important to God? No, it was the testing of Abraham’s faith through the journey that was really God’s will. All the rest was a test. Likewise, Joseph is told that he will be a great leader and provider of his family, and if the destination and task were the most important thing to God, his journey to the leadership of Egypt would probably have been more direct and less painful. But God’s primary will for Joseph was the internals, that he be sanctified, not the externals of accomplishing a task. Therefore, in our search for God’s will for our life let us not ignore His prescribed will in Scripture, including our sanctification, which is often much more important to God than our “destination.”

How then does an understanding of God’s moral prescribed will relate to our decision making? We might put it like this: God’s complete will in any given situation is completely communicated in Scripture and supported by the New Nature because it is completely moral in nature. If God has a will for us that is other than moral in nature (and therefore not communicated in Scripture), then it is an aspect of His predestined will. In that case, He need not reveal it to us in order for it to be fulfilled, but will rather manipulate personal circumstances and desires to accomplish it. In the rare case that He would choose to reveal to us something other than His prescribed will, God would communicate in miraculous, unmistakable ways such as supernatural visions or personal appearances as He did for those in Scripture. Other than that, God’s whole will for our life is what relevant Scripture says, and what our New Nature desires to do.

Pastoral Practices

• In an age where mega mysticism and its resulting fear and confusion over God’s will is so rampant, grounding our people in the sufficiency of Scripture for knowing God’s will will prove to be a great blessing to them.

1. B.3) The Freedom & Frequency of God’s Amoral Permissive Will

Eph- 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Eph 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live j —not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, k because the days are evil. l 17

Lord’s will is not mystical or private- He gives us the responsibility of figuring it out.

Thus far, we have discussed God’s predestined will for which divine guidance is not necessary, and God’s prescribed will which is completely communicated in Scripture and supported by the New Nature. Another important aspect of God’s will is His permissive will. This concerns things in which God really doesn’t have a will at all, but leaves completely up to our own free will and logical reasoning. The reason for this is that such issues are amoral in nature, of which we have written elsewhere:

By amoral desires we do not mean immoral. Webster’s simply defines amoral as, “being neither moral or immoral; lying outside the sphere to which moral judgments apply.” Amoral decisions concern things that are true or false and have no ethical ingredient, such as choosing what flavor of ice cream we will have for dessert. Because sinning against God involves morality, you cannot sin in an amoral desire. ^[38]

Accordingly, God is not much concerned with giving us divine guidance in such decisions, and, as we have said, any moral guidance has already been objectively provided in Scripture and subjectively prompted in our New Nature.

God’s permissive will is much broader than many assume. For example, if a Christian needs to purchase a car and can choose between a red one and a blue one, should we think God has a particular will in the matter? Surely not. And what else would we put in this category of decisions that God, like any other good father, would simply want us to follow the desires of our own heart if they are not sinful or otherwise foolish? More than many think.

A misunderstanding of this is demonstrated particularly in mega mysticism which repeatedly complains that Scripture is not specific enough in telling us what to do, and we therefore need extra-biblical revelation to know His will. On the contrary, yet another reason that Scripture is such a sufficient revelation of God’s will is that many of the decisions we make contain amoral elements that God leaves purely to our personal choice and reasoning.

This reflects the teaching of the Apostle Paul who encouraged someone considering even the important topic of marriage to simply settle, “the matter in his own mind” and to make up “his mind” (1 Cor. 7:37). Notice that in a decision under God’s permissive will there is no divine manipulation so that it is completely of a person’s free will.

Accordingly, we have written elsewhere:

[W]hatever is not addressed in some way by the commands, examples, principles, and Proverbs of Scripture, may very well be one of those issues that God really would not have an opinion on, apart from what He has already said in the Bible. This fact points to another reason that the biblical revelation to love is so sufficient for the direction of the Christian: God’s will for our life is virtually confined to morality. Those who insist on how much extra-biblical revelation we need for the purely amoral decisions we make, don’t understand God. And it is this very view of God’s will for our life that leads mega mysticism to claim we need more revelation directly from God than what Scripture tells us. ^[39]

Many, if not most of the decisions we make are completely or at least partially an aspect of God’s permissive will. In other words, God does not necessarily have any specific direction for every decision of our life and He leaves a great deal of our decisions up to our own personal desires and private judgment. ^[40] Like any good father, He does not wish to dictate everything in our life in minute detail, but rather, wants us to live morally, using our reason to think wisely, and pursue our desires. We have illustrated this perspective elsewhere by pointing out that the Old Covenant in which God dictated virtually every aspect of His people’s lives reflected their spiritual immaturity. On the other hand, because a New Nature now dwells within us under the New Covenant, God treats us more like spiritual adults. ^[41]

Unfortunately many Christians assume that God intends to minutely direct every step of their life, and constantly and supernaturally interject direct guidance to them. While many claim such mystical means are more personal, this is not God’s way. For example, He has set all of Creation in motion, giving it what it needs to thrive, purposely making miraculous interventions essentially unnecessary. This is why miraculous intervention is miraculous, it is so out of the ordinary and not a part of God’s normal dealing with Creation.

The fact that God does not constantly and personally intervene in the created order does not mean that He cares less for it. On the contrary, He took exceptional pains at the outset to provide Creation with all the mechanisms and means it would need to fulfill its purpose. Such is the same with the divine guidance of our lives. God has provided Scripture to teach us how to live, and the New Nature and our conscience to live morally. He has also given us a mind to think wisely, and then desires which He gives us the full freedom to pursue.

Popular Bible teacher John MacArthur illustrates the freedom and scope of God’s permissive will when he writes:

God’s [prescribed] will is that you be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering. God’s Word makes all this clear. . . . You say, “MacArthur, you were going to tell me what school I should go to. You were going to tell me God’s will, specifically. You haven’t done it!” OK, let me give you the final principle, but hold onto your seat! You may want to jump up and shout!

If you are doing all five of the basic things [as prescribed in Scripture], do you know what the next principle of God’s will is? Do whatever you want! If those five elements of God’s will are operating in your life, who is running your wants? God is! The Psalmist said, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Ps. 37:4). God does not say He will fulfill all the desires there! If you are living a godly life, He will give you the right desires.

People say to me, “Why did you go into your present ministry when you had such an enjoyable ministry before in another area?” I always answer, “Because I wanted to.” “Aha. Self-will.”

I had a friend come to me and say, “John, I don’t know where the Lord wants me to serve.” I said to him, “Marty, if you had your choice of any service in the world, what would you want?” He said, “Oh, I have such a burden for my people Israel. I speak French fluently, and Paris is just loaded with Jewish people who don’t know Jesus. I personally would like to go to Paris as a missionary to the Jews.”

I checked him on the five spiritual principles [God’s prescribed will] and said, “Marty, have you done all these things?” He replied, “Yes, I honestly believe that I am committed to Christ in these areas.” I said, “Marty, good-bye, have a nice trip.” ^[42]

The point is, when we have fulfilled the prescribed will of God, His permissive will is operative and we have the freedom to make choices according to reason and desires.

Of course, God’s permissive will is also limited by His predestined will. If, for example, we have a desire that would thwart God’s predetermined plan, that desire will not be fulfilled, as illustrated in several Proverbs (cf. 16:1, 4; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1, 30), Accordingly, we read that when the church elders in Ephesus “asked [Paul] to spend more time with them, he declined,” (Acts 18:20) simply because he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem in time for Pentecost (cf. Acts 20:16). Nevertheless, the Apostle “promised, ‘I will come back if it is God’s [predestined] will” (Acts 18:21). It was the Apostle’s desire to return to Ephesus, and he did soon after (cf. Acts 19:1), but Paul recognized that if God’s predestined will was otherwise, he could not revisit (cf. Rom 1:10; 15:30-32; 1 Cor 4:19; 1 Thess 3:10-11; Heb 13:19; Jas 4:13-15).

How then does an understanding of God’s permissive will relate to decision making? It should give us a great deal of relief! So many people have put themselves into unnecessary bondage with the false belief that God has a will for details of our life that are not prescribed in Scripture. Then they anxiously pursue all sorts of mystical and superstitious methods to find this supposed extra-biblical will of God, seldom being certain they have found it. This was never God’s intention. In a nutshell, God’s will for our entire life is: 1) Obey Scripture with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, 2) Make wise decisions with your reason, and 3) Follow the desires of your heart.

Pastoral Practices

• Like Dr. MacArthur, encourage Christians in both your teaching and counseling in the blessing and broadness of God’s permissive will. This perspective is a balm to legalism and other unnecessarily binding approaches to obeying and pleasing God. Ensure your people know it well.

B.4) The Harmful Exaggeration of an Extra-biblical Private Will

B.4.a) Understanding a private will

Part of the reason we have gone into some detail regarding the nature of God’s will is to simplify the complex issue of divine guidance. Perhaps the thing that has made this topic so unnecessarily difficult more than anything else is the belief in what could be called a private will of God. This concept suggests that God’s will includes a myriad of extra-biblical and amoral issues. For example, proponents of a private will of God claim that He has only one particular college for you to attend, one best career for you to choose, one ideal Christian mate to marry, and if you choose another college, career, or mate, you have missed God’s perfect and private will for your life. In other words, proponents of a private will for our life vastly expand the contents of God’s predestined will for us.

Along these lines, Dr. Gordon T. Smith, Academic Vice President and Dean of Regent College, refers to the idea of a private will as the “blueprint” approach to divine guidance and writes:

This perspective sees God as having a perfect plan or blueprint for each person’s life. . . . God has an ideal, detailed life plan uniquely designed for each person. Obviously, then, the goal of the Christian is simple: discover the [private] will of God and follow this will. God has a plan for your life; all that is left is to find this plan and live by it.

The assumption, of course, is that true happiness is found within God’s [private] will for your life. When it comes to marriage, vocation, the school you will attend, when you will go and when you will stay, you need to determine whether it is God’s [private] will or pattern for your life before you act.

We are to discover this [private] will through a variety of means, often called “road signs,” which we are to look for and take as directives. Circumstances, inner witness [i.e. mental impulses], wise counsel and often signs or “fleeces” (a reference to the experience of Gideon in judges 6) all come together to help the believer know with certainty the [private] will of God.

Often those of this school speak of “doors.” We look for open doors and expect God to close any doors we are not to follow or go through. Confidence or certainty that we are “in the Lord’s will” comes through the particular coordination of the road signs-counsel, inner witness, circumstances, the one “open door.” ^[43]

Likewise, Gary Friesen describes the mega mystical perspective of a private will when he writes:

Perhaps the most descriptive phrase [of a private will] is ‘the very center of God’s will.’ If you visualize an archer’s target, the outer circle would represent the moral will of God, and the bull’s-eye would be the very center of His will-or His individual [private] will. It is important to live and make one’s decisions within the larger circle of God’s moral will. But finding the ‘dot’ in the center, God’s specific individual will, is essential in making correct decisions in daily life. . . .

Sometimes this is easier to see in concrete situations, so let’s take marriage as an example. As we have noted repeatedly, it would be wrong for a Christian to marry an unbeliever. Such a decision would fall outside of the larger circle, for God’s Word declares: ‘Do not be bound together with unbelievers’ (2 Corinthians 6:14). If the Christian married a believer who was nevertheless not the one God had selected, he would be acting within the larger sphere of God’s moral will, but not precisely ‘on target.’

Some teachers call this ‘God’s second best.’ Others refer to it as God’s ‘permissive’ will. He permits it since it is not outside of the larger circle of His moral will, but it still falls short of God’s best. He does allow the decision, but it will result in leanness of soul. The center dot represents God’s individual will. In marriage, it is the one right mate, among all the believers permitted, that should be chosen. Our choice should mirror God’s choice. . . .

It is our contention, by contrast, that the idea of an individual [private] will of God for every detail of a person’s life is not found in Scripture. If we are right, the most startling ramification is that many believers are investing a great deal of time and energy searching for something that is nonexistent. By definition, the search for the proverbial needle in a haystack holds a greater promise of success than the quest for the vanishing dot. ^[44]

Or as the renowned Professor of Preaching, Haddon Robinson has put it: “The Bible does not provide a map for life-only a compass.” ^[45]

It should be noted here that one can imply too much in confronting the unbiblical nature of a private will. For example, Dr. Friesen writes: “We do not agree that the Bible reveals [that there is] an individual [private] will for each person.” ^[46] However, it must be remembered that God grants unique spiritual gifts that certainly provide extra-biblical direction in the form of specific desires in how one would serve God and people. But even here God does not wish to micromanage our lives, and tell us specifically how and where to use such gifts. So even the divine revelation of God’s will provided in the spiritual gifts He gives us does not involve the kind of specificity that mega mystics claim in a private will of God.

 

B.4.b) Supposed biblical support for a private will

What Scriptures do mega mystics claim support the idea of a private will? Many refer to those in Scripture who had a controlling call on their life. However, as described and discussed above, few people meet the biblical criteria for such a thing.

Other Scriptures are suggested as well. Henry Blackaby writes: “Passages such as Jeremiah 29:11 talk about God’s specific will for [Christians].” ^[47] There we read:

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill My gracious promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. (Jer 29:10-12)

Obviously the original context of this verse has nothing to do with a private will for every Christian, and no respected commentator interprets it this way. The promise was made to the nation of Israel in the context of their Babylonian Captivity, and while it may reveal some of God’s sentiments for all His people, this cannot be dogmatically asserted without taking the promise out of its original context. In addition, even if we applied Jeremiah 29:11 to our present lives, it would most clearly reflect God’s predestined will for us that need not be known, rather than some private will that we must discern from mental impulses or our circumstances.

M. Blaine Smith suggests the following verses speak of a private will:

Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. (Matt 7:21)

For whoever does the will of My Father in Heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother. (Matt 12:50)

Whosoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother. (Mark 3:35)

Mr. Smith comments on these verses and essentially has nothing but a suggestion from silence:

In none of these passages is the notion of God’s will (thelēma) defined, and the context could allow for either a moral will, a personal [private] will or both. But while God’s moral will is probably [probably?] intended in each of these verses (the first, for instance, occurs during the Sermon on the Mount, which is largely a series of moralistic exhortations), a personal [private] will is probably intended as well. ^[48]

That’s his best biblical argument that there is a private extra-biblical will taught in Scripture? Notice what would happen if Mr. Smith was right. If you missed God’s will for the specific job He wanted you to have you would not “enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” or be the “brother, and sister, and mother” of Christ.

Mr. Smith comments on Jesus’ statement, “Not My will but Yours be done” (Matt 26:42): “Here God’s will clearly refers to a unique matter of personal guidance for Jesus.” ^[49] Accordingly, Mr. Smith uses the example of the unique controlling call of Jesus as a foundational biblical argument that all Christians have an extra-biblical will for their life as well. Are we really to interpret God’s plan to save the world through Christ as an example of a private will for who we are to marry, what job we are to choose, or where we go to church? We don’t think so.

Finally, Mr. Smith writes:

Further, thelēma [will] is used of the will of a human master who symbolizes God in the parable of the repentant son in Matthew 21:28-32 (v. 31), and the parable of the master who delays in coming in Luke 12:35-48 (v. 47). In each of these parables the moral is that obedience to God is required, and in each the analogy is not to a universal moral commandment but to a matter of unique, individual responsibility: tilling a vineyard in the first and guarding a house in the second. ^[50]

It is a precarious business to obtain our theology from parables. And anyway, the “will” that is being portrayed in these parables is not the direct private will of God, but rather, the will of a human authority (master) in our life. Indeed, as discussed elsewhere God wants us to honor such people, but this is hardly biblical support for the idea of a private will.

In addition, Mr. Smith quotes Ephesians 5:15 as referring to an extra-biblical private will:

Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

On the contrary, we believe the commentary of respected NT scholar Peter O’Brien to be more accurate:

In our contemporary context, the ‘Lord’s will’ is frequently understood by Christians to refer to matters of personal guidance, and thus to God’s immediate plans for their future. But the divine will in the Pauline letters, particularly in Ephesians, has a different focus, without neglecting the personal dimension.

The ‘will of God’ is closely related to, even identified with, God’s gracious saving plan and, as a significant element of this, the formation of a people into the likeness of Christ who will be pure and blameless on the final day (i.e. moral prescribed will). These priorities are presupposed in the apostolic injunction of v. 17.

The contemporary preoccupation with personal guidance is wrongly directed if it is not understood first of all within this framework of God’s gracious saving purposes for his world. Personalized concerns about ‘guidance’ may, in fact, be evidence of a folly which stands in contrast to, and needs to be corrected by, a true understanding of the Lord’s will. ^[51]

And indeed, unbiblical notions often distract and dilute the real biblical truths that we are to derive from such passages. Notice as well that in the Apostle’s injunction, it does not matter if the “opportunity” occurs randomly or by divine intervention, our responsibility is the same—use our head to make the most of it.

B.4.c) Supposed costs to self-esteem if private will is denied

The fact is, there is no biblical support for the concept of a private will and the only reason it is popular is because we crave such a thing and mega mystics take advantage of that. Notice, for example, that Mr. Smith shares the “emotional” cost of denying a private will for our life before he shares even his insufficient biblical evidence for such an idea. We have taken the liberty of offering short responses throughout:

For many Christians the thought of God’s having a personal will is foundational to an intimate, personal relationship with Christ [and that is the problem]. It drives them to pray, to study God’s Word and to take all the steps necessary to know Christ better [other motivations are better, safer, and more biblical]. One man confessed to me that he lost the incentive to pray after letting go of the idea of God’s personal will [what kind of biblical understanding of prayer did he have? Do we ever see commands in Scripture to pray for a revelation of God’s extra-biblical will?]. While this does not have to be the result of such a change in perspective, it does bring out the [erroneous and unbiblical!] connection some make between their devotional life and their belief in God’s personal will.

Belief in God’s individual will also bolsters personal confidence for many Christians. The belief that God is leading them to take a particular step of faith helps them gain the courage to take it [And what happens when the “step of faith” turns out to be disastrous?]. A friend of mine who has struggled throughout his life with low self-esteem admitted to me that he is constantly buoyed by the conviction that Christ is leading him to do what he does [How about finding our “self-esteem” in what Christ did for us on the cross?]. His accomplishments have been impressive and have included the building of a major conference center. Knowing him as I do, it’s clear that his perspective on God’s will has had enormous benefit for his personal confidence. Without the conviction of God’s personal will, many like him would less likely find the courage to take important steps of faith [and again, what happens when their mental impulses and erroneous interpretation of circumstances lead them into a harmful decision?].

There is another contribution which the concept of God’s personal will makes to our psyche, and I’m sure that for many this is the most important one. Each of us has a fundamental need to know we are distinctive [God makes us plenty distinctive in fashioning us with a unique personality when we are born, and giving us a special spiritual gift when we are born again]. Part of this urge for distinctiveness is the desire to know that we can make a contribution to human life which no one else is as well equipped to make-that there is significant work to be accomplished which simply won’t get done unless we do it [That could be arrogant presumption and nowhere in Scripture does it instruct us to base our self-esteem on this anyway]. We find it demeaning to think that we are merely carrying out roles which others could fill just as well [But Scripture says, “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Phil 2:3)]. We long to know that there is purpose to what we do, that there is justification to our existence [and the only way we can get that is to know we are the only one that can do the job?].

If you remove the concept of God’s personal will, you remove an important basis for believing your work does have ultimate significance. If in considering a job choice, for instance, there are a number of alternatives which are equally pleasing to God, how can I be assured that any of them amount to roles which others couldn’t carry out just as effectively? [You don’t. In fact there will always probably be someone who could do it better so your self-esteem had better not be dependent on that]. If, however, I believe that God does have a “best choice” for me, this aids my conviction that there is a mission which won’t be accomplished (or accomplished as well) unless I take it on [again, proud presumption and a false motivation to serve God and people]. ^[52]

B.4.d) The damages of believing in a private will

Unfortunately, belief in a private will of God that involves amoral extra-biblical aspects imposes on our decision making a specificity and certainty that God never intended. Accordingly, it has all kinds of unbiblical and harmful results.

First, we fear that people’s need for a private will reflects a lack of finding their identity in Christ. If they need it to prove God’s love to them, perhaps they do not value the cross enough. God’s word does not say that God demonstrates His love with a private will but in sending His Son to die for us sinners on a cross (cf. Rom 5:8).

Secondly, a belief in an extra-biblical private will adds a great number of things in which we can sin against God, because it makes otherwise amoral issues become moral ones because it is claimed God has a specific will in them. This would seem to violate God’s command: “Do not add to what I command you . . . but keep the [prescribed] commands of the LORD your God that I give you” (Deut 4:2).

For example, Dallas Willard, a foremost promoter of mega mysticism claims there is a private will apart from Scripture, and in the process clearly implies that if we do not discover it we will be doing something against God’s will, which biblically speaking is sin. Dr. Willard writes:

I must say something about being in the perfect will of God. If our lives conform to the general counsels of God for his people as given to us in the written Word as a whole, then we are perfectly within God’s general as well as moral [prescribed] will. If, in addition, we have received and obeyed a specific [mystical] word of God to us [outside of Scripture] concerning a particular [amoral] matter, then we are perfectly in God’s specific [private] will for us, relevant to that matter. ^[53]

In other words, decisions which are primarily amoral and extra-biblical in nature, become God’s “specific word” for us in mega mysticism and now have a greater moral dimension suggesting we can sin in them. Make no mistake about it. Never in all of Scripture did God ever reveal direction to someone that was merely His suggestion. Everything God has ever said, and does say, is a command that if disobeyed is rebellious sin. From a biblical perspective then, the private will promoted by mega mysticism constitutes another “Bible” that we must discover and learn to read if we do not wish to be sinful and displeasing to God.

Likewise, M. Blaine Smith writes:

I believe that we have good reason to agree with C. Leslie Mitton, who in a study of thelēma [will] in the Synoptics concludes:

Jesus not only enlarged and clarified our understanding of the will of God for His people in terms of their general conduct towards one another, but He was insistent that this Will was something which must be obeyed. It was the supreme authority in His own life, and the characteristic mark of a disciple of Christ was that a man accepted the same authority for himself. No doubt in this sense the Will of God included … general principles of conduct … but also included the particular course of action God might require of one particular man at any one special moment. ^[54]

Did you catch that? Mr. Smith is claiming that there is a will of God beyond the “general conduct” prescribed in Scripture, which must be found outside of it. A “particular course of action God might require at any one special moment” as Mr. Mitton puts it. And at least he is honest about the logical conclusion of his position that this extra-biblical will “must be obeyed,” and is to be “the supreme authority” in our life if we do not want to sin against God. Imagine the spiritual bondage and needless guilt that could arise with such an unbiblical notion.

Because the false teaching of mega mysticism has wrongly transformed many amoral issues in our life into moral ones, it has caused many Christians to suffer needlessly and stumble sinfully in persistent anxiety over displeasing God. Mega mysticism has done nothing short of adding to the commands of God by claiming that not only must you marry a Christian, but you must find the one right person for you. Likewise, not only are you to find a job that is moral and provides for your family, but you must find a specific job in order to be in God’s perfect will. And in addition to using our God-given reason to make wise amoral decisions, we must listen for, hear, and interpret the “whispers of God” telling us what to do. And if we encounter difficulties in our marriage or jobs, mega mysticism has left the door open for satan to torment us with the fear that the reason for the difficulties is that we missed the extra-biblical private will of God because we did not “listen” carefully enough. What bondage!

The list of issues in which we can sin in becomes virtually endless in mega mysticism. In reality, even life under the authority of God is much more a matter of personal natural desires rather than personal supernatural revelation. Mega mysticism makes God into a micro-managing dictator, instead of a loving Father who, like most fathers, lays down some general rules, but is often asking His Spirit-filled children, “What do you want?”

Not only does the idea of an extra-biblical private will of God result in fear of displeasing God, but it causes a great deal of anxiety about knowing God’s will. We have already noted above the mega mystical insistence that if we are not completely willing to do even the things we would least like to do, God will not make His private will known to us. And because mega mysticism has separated God’s will from Scripture with the idea of a private will, it hangs somewhere in space incessantly difficult to really be sure of.

In this mega mystical fashion, M. Blaine Smith writes:

We may expend our energies on a project, a goal or relationship, even with some conviction that we’re doing the Lord’s bidding, yet in reality be following a course that is less than his best intention for us [and supposedly then outside of His perfect will and best blessing]. Christ may be trying to get our attention to change directions but we’re too preoccupied to hear [some kind of extra-biblical private will of God]. ^[55]

Those who teach a divine private will make the extra-biblical decisions of our life a narrow tightrope on which we must anxiously balance ourselves above an abyss where we can fall into disappointing God and dooming ourselves to living out “plan B” for the rest of our lives and outside of God’s full blessing. God never intended knowing His will to be like this. Of course, doing it requires full willingness and often great difficulty, but not knowing it, because it is completely communicated in Scripture.

Would a loving father make His will difficult to know? Surely not. And yet that is precisely the effect of the mega mystical doctrine that we must discover significant parts of God’s will outside of His written word. Accordingly, Dr. Waltke has written:

It is imperative that we grasp the fact that the Lord guides us rather than hides from us. . . . One significant difference between Christianity and every other religion is that there is absolutely nothing to hide in Christianity. ^[56]

And yet a significant part of God’s will for us in mega mysticism is hidden, so much so that we must strive to seek and find it. What a miserable way to live, and thank God it has absolutely no biblical support whatsoever!

Writing in the context of the oppression that results from the mega mystical doctrine of an amoral, extra-biblical, private will of God that we must find, Friesen and Maxon write:

For a small segment of believers, the situation is more than just frustrating it is critical. One woman who adopted an alternative position [i.e. God’s will is in Scripture] to the [mega mystical] view said that when she did, she began enjoying her Christian life for the first time. That sounded like an overstatement, until she explained.

In her sincerity to seek God’s [private] will, she was continually plagued with feelings of guilt as well as frustration. She earnestly looked for indications of God’s plan, but she had to admit to herself that she was never 100 percent certain that she had found it. The result was feelings of anxiety before every decision, and feelings of guilt following every choice she made. Since life is filled with decisions that must be made, she was not able to enjoy her Christian life. When she learned that “finding the dot” [of a private will] was not the essence of Christian decision making, she was set free from the frustration and guilt. In their place, she found the joy that she knew Christians were supposed to have in Christ. ^[57]

 

Instead of some narrow, difficult to find tightrope involved in a mega mystical private will, an understanding of God’s biblical permissive will makes our extra-biblical decisions a rather wide and delightful path with several options, all of which our Dad is willing to bless and use in our life to fulfill His perfect will for our life. And the full sufficiency of God’s prescribed will in Scripture tells us the only place we need to look to find and know God’s will and please Him perfectly. Finally, as discussed above, if there are extra-biblical things in our life that God has specifically planned for us, then they are better understood as part of His predestined will for which we need no divine revelation.

Accordingly, the popular Reformed theologian Wayne Grudem, writes in the context of illustrating that all of God’s will which we must know to be “holy and pleasing to God” (Rom 12:1) is in Scripture:

The discovery of this great truth could bring tremendous joy and peace to the lives of thousands of Christians who, spending countless hours seeking God’s will outside of Scripture, are often uncertain about whether they have found it. In fact, many Christians today have very little confidence in their ability to discover God’s will with any degree of certainty. Thus, there is little striving to do God’s will (for who can know it?) and little growth in holiness before God. ^[58]

While mega mysticism claims to help us be more in God’s will, it can actually lead us to neglect it because of our uncertainty of it.

Another biblical problem with this mega mystical perspective on knowing God’s will is reflected in our reference to it as a private will. As discussed thoroughly elsewhere, the communal nature of biblical Christianity exposes the common selfishness in this approach, and actually leaves people habitually outside of God’s will. ^[59]

Gordon T. Smith shares other problems with the idea of a private will when he writes:

First, there is the question of which kinds of decisions are to be made in this way and which are not. Does the [private will of God] apply to all decisions, including every minor decision of the day? If not, to what decisions does it apply? Does God never say, “It’s up to you”? Does God have a perfect plan for each detail of our life? If so, we could spend all our time trying to figure out this plan rather than living!

Second, we need to consider how others are affected by what we sense to be the [private] will of God for our lives. We may think God’s plan for us is one thing, but what if another person affected by that “[private] will of God” does not agree? What happens when God directs me to marry someone who then responds by marrying someone else? Or what happens when I think God is telling me to attend a particular university but I am denied admission?

The [mega mystical] view does not take sufficient account of the whole variety of variables that make up our lives. The biggest variable may well be our own failures. If we make a mistake and fail to find the plan of God for our life, or if we follow it but someone else fails to perform as we think they should in accordance with this revealed plan, where does that leave us? Out of the will of God?

Finally, what concerns me most about this perspective is the implicit view of God. Is God a determiner of our lives? Do we really have sufficient biblical evidence to conclude that God has a plan for each life-a plan that is predetermined? God seems to be much more dynamic in his relationship with his children. The [mega mystical] approach seems to focus primarily on the will of God rather than on God himself. Christians are often left trying various techniques and methods to find this [private] will, and these methods often come dangerously close to a kind of superstitious divination. ^[60]

Dr. Smith’s last two points are worth comment. First, while mega mystics claim that the idea of a micromanaging God makes God seem more loving, would this be true of our own relationships with our earthly Fathers? Would we consider a father who dictated who we would marry and what job we would choose to be more loving than one who told us, “Do what you want without sinning and I’ll support you in whatever you decide”?

Secondly, as we have written further elsewhere, Dr. Smith’s warning of divination in mega mysticism is not an exaggeration. ^[61] The idea of a private will of God often entices people to commit the biblically condemned practice of divination in which people look for “signs” of God’s will in areas that He has not predestined or prescribed (cf. Deut 18:10-12, 14). Accordingly, we have written elsewhere:

Alarmingly, the habit of attempting to discern or decide God’s extra-biblical will for our life tempts us to practice divination in which we look for “signs” from God telling us what to do. It should be noted that Gideon put out his fleeces to authenticate the message of an angelic messenger he had actually seen, not to authenticate his own thinking. “Fleeces” are not for the purpose of God authenticating the divinity of our own decisions, but for ensuring that a miraculous revelation from a vision, angel, voice, etc. is in fact from God. Using “fleeces” to obtain God’s approval of extra biblical decisions is perilously close to the biblically condemned practice of divination. ^[62]

The Dictionary of New Testament Background defines “divination” as “the art or science of interpreting symbolic messages from the gods” which includes “the interpretation of signs, sacrifices, dreams, omens and prodigies.” ^[63] God is not asking us to discern His will from divining our circumstances, which is why He clearly and completely recorded His will in Scripture.

Accordingly, Friesen and Maxon write

If there is no [private] will of God, as we have established, such an approach to decision making is automatically ruled out. But it must also be added, for complete clarification, that circumstances are not designed to “give hints” about God’s future sovereign [predestined] will or about His moral [prescribed] will either. His sovereign will is hidden, and His moral will is already revealed in its entirety in the Bible. The only time that circumstances can be “read” is when a divine interpretation is placed upon them by supernatural revelation [e.g. appearance of risen Christ, angel, voice or vision of God, etc.]. Apart from such revelation, circumstances may be taken to mean almost anything. ^[64]

Finally, our “enemy the devil” (1 Peter 5:8) will surely take advantage of the false teaching in the mega mystical belief in a private will, just as he does with all false teaching. More specifically, these ideas set a person up for great disappointment and envy. When God doesn’t “speak” to them or “guide” them as miraculously and personally as he is supposedly others, we will wonder why. And the obvious reason is the we are sinning, or God doesn’t care about us as much, or we are not spiritual enough to be guided in this manner. Unfortunately, all those people who claim God is constantly and successfully guiding them in extra-biblical matters through extra-biblical means are rarely honest enough to confess the multitude to times they thought God was telling them to do something and it turned out He wasn’t.

Nevertheless, our expectation of God’s personal and clear revelation of an extra-biblical private will becomes a means of evaluating God’s love and concern for us. And this is just what the devil wants. Because when the mega mystical claims do not prove true in our life, this lie will put doubt and a distance in our trust and relationship with God.

Contrary to mega mysticism, the Bible does not say, “God demonstrated His love toward us by having a ‘personal will’ for our life.” It says He demonstrated His love toward us by dying on the cross for us. Unfortunately, for many of those who espouse the private will theory, their appreciation for some private will from God rivals and exceeds their appreciation for the cross. There is an implication that we need additional experiences of God’s love in order to thoroughly believe and enjoy it. For mega mystics the cross is not enough. For the authentic Christian, the cross is abundantly enough.

The only thing in Scripture even remotely resembling what people refer to as an extra-biblical private will is a controlling call described above, and our spiritual gifts, discussed in the previous chapter. As noted above, the attributes of the controlling call make it extremely unlikely to occur in most Christian’s lives. Likewise, God’s intention for spiritual gifts is to reveal general categories of service, not specific details of how we are to serve. ^[65]

In the end, God’s predestined, prescribed, and permissive wills cover every aspect of our life and the idea of a private will that contains things outside of these is unnecessary, unbiblical, and unhealthy. ^[66]

Pastoral Practices

• Gain your own convictions on the debate over a private will of God. Carefully study Book 13: The Myth of Mega Mysticism in Knowing Our God before coming to your own conclusions. Then teach your convictions clearly and consistently in order to protect your people from the errors in this area of the Christian life.

B.5) The Difficulty & Delight of God’s Miraculous Prayed-for Will

A discussion of God’s will would not be complete without some discussion regarding how prayer can affect it. In other words, our prayers can cause God to do something in our lives that He would not otherwise do, thus altering His will for our life. There are simply some things in our life that would not happen unless we asked God to do them.

For example, we often encounter desires in life for which we need God’s help in order for it to be fulfilled. Perhaps I desire to go to college at a particularly expensive school for which I do not have sufficient funds. If it is not within my means to gain those funds, I cannot go unless God supernaturally provides them somehow. Such a desire and circumstance leads us to pray, asking God to grant our desire to attend this specific school. If the necessary funds come to us in a rather miraculous way before the application deadline for the school, we can be reasonably confident that God intervened and that attending this school was granted as part of His prayed-for will. If the deadline passes without obtaining the funds, then we can be reasonably assured that for whatever reason, God did not desire to add this to His will for our life, at least not right now.

Both biblical commands and examples illustrate that through prayer we are invited, encouraged, and even commanded to expand the possibilities in our life by asking for God’s intervention. The King taught:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! (Matt 7:7-11)

Several observations can be made of this remarkable invitation. First, it is a rather strong encouragement to seek God in His prayed-for will. The King essentially commands us to ask, seek, and knock in our relationship with God (vs. 7-8). Then, perhaps because of our natural pessimism toward asking God for things on our behalf, the King reminds us of how gracious and eager the Father is toward His children. More than that, He repetitively promises that we will be granted our requests, because, “everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” While everyone is quick to qualify this statement, it should not be missed that Christ’s emphasis is on the tremendous potential of changing the course and circumstances of our life through prayer. It would be impossible to imagine a more powerful invitation to seek the prayed-for will of God.

Secondly, the King’s invitation would seem rather open-ended. Of course, God will not violate His predestined or prescribed wills in order to grant our prayed-for will. (cf. Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; Matt 18:19-20; John 15:7, 16; 16:23-24; 1 John 5:16, 21). But beyond that, we can evidently ask for any “good gifts” (v. 11) that our heart desires. Which is an amazing and almost endless variety of things. As NT scholar Albert Barnes (1798–1870) wrote: “[H]ere there is the utmost latitude which a creature can ask.” ^[67]

The Apostle’s encouragement regarding prayer in Philippians reflects the same broad parameters for the prayed-for will of God: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil 4:6). Likewise, the Apostle wrote the Ephesians: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph 6:18).

Thirdly, while certainly our own actions are often a part of seeing our desires fulfilled, here Christ emphasizes what God must do by repeating our need to pray. All of the verbs here are probably best interpreted as referring to prayer, which can be described as asking, seeking, and knocking. Christ’s instruction is pray, pray, pray to God to do something, rather than pray and then you need to do something like look for it or “knock on doors of opportunity.” Again, while these things may be involved, Christ’s emphasis here is on the great need to “ask” God, and as NT scholar D. A. Carson puts it, “this seeking is a seeking for God; this knocking is a knocking at heaven’s throne room.” ^[68]

Fourthly, there is a great persistence in prayer being communicated here. The NLT renders the present tense imperatives as, “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.” This, of course, aligns with the King’s memorable parables concerning persistence in prayer (cf. Luke 11:5-8; 18:1-8).

Fifth, Christ’s invitation to ask God for any “good” thing implies that we may not receive it if we do not pray for it. In James we read this explicitly: “You do not have, because you do not ask God” (Jas 4:2). God is virtually promising that prayer will affect the course and experience of our life, and therefore, His permissive will for our life.

Finally, we would again observe that the prayed-for will of God is usually seeking the miraculous. This is because most of our prayers are asking for miracles. We have no specific biblical promises that such specific requests will be granted, and if they are, their occurrence will often require God to intervene in the natural course of things, which, by definition, is a miracle. ^[69] And we ask for such things because we want more than just His predestined or prescribed will to occur. We are usually asking for an extra-biblical miraculous deed.

Perhaps some biblical examples will help us illustrate the nature of the prayed-for will of God. One of the clearest examples is asking God for physical healing such as Hezekiah. We read:

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The Prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in Your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of My people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. . . . I will add fifteen years to your life. (1 Kgs 20:1-6)

We don’t believe Hezekiah would have lived 15 years longer if he had not asked for God to heal him. His prayer, and God’s answer radically changed the course of Hezekiah’s life and expanded God’s permissive will for him. Such is the possibilities with the prayed-for will of God.

Other things that biblical examples encourage us to seek God’s prayed-for will in include miraculous intervention for:

• The conception of a baby (cf. Gen 30:17-22; Judg 13:8-9; 1 Sam 1:9-11; Luke 1:11-13);
• An encouraging intervention from God (cf. Ps 86:17);
• A special revelation of God (cf. Exod 33:12-20);
• Influence of government leaders (cf. Neh 2:4-6);
• Opportunities to minister to people (cf. Acts 18:21; Rom 1:10; 15:30-32; 1 Cor 4:19; Col 4:3-4; 1 Thess 3:10-11; Plmn 1:22; Heb 13:19; Jas 4:13-15); ^[70]
• God’s blessing for prosperity (cf. 2 Chron 7:13-16; Jer 29:1-7);
• Deliverance from dangerous circumstances (cf. Gen 32:9-12; Exod 32:9-14; Num 14:13-23; Deut 9:18-20; 2 Kgs 13:4; 18:13-19:37; 1 Chron 5:20; 2 Chron 13:13-18; 14:9-13; 18:30-32; 20:1-26; 33:13-19; Ezra 8:21-23; Ps 18:3; 30:1-3; 34:4; 86:1-2; Jonah 2:7-10; Acts 12:1-18; 16:25-26; 2 Cor 1:8-11; Eph 6:18; Phlm 1:22; Rom 15:30-32; 2 Thess 3:2)

A study of these instances of the prayed-for will of God will reveal the characteristics we have discussed above. First, none of those involved knew beforehand if their request would become God’s will, for it was not promised by God in Scripture or otherwise. Secondly, all of the events were miraculous in nature. Thirdly, it would seem that none of them would have happened if they had not been prayed for.

Additional observations regarding the prayed-for will of God can be made. First, not all such requests (or even most) are granted. David prayed that God would heal his son, thinking, “Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live” (2 Sam 12:22). For whatever reason, God did not grant David’s request and the child died. No less biblical celebrities than Moses and the Apostle Paul were also denied their requests (cf. Deut 3:23-29; 2 Cor 12:7-10). Such denials should not be interpreted as a lack of love or concern on God’s part.

However, rather than simply denying our requests, God may alter them. Accordingly, the Apostle Paul prayed “three times” for some sort of supernatural healing, and instead God chose to give him a supernatural grace to not only endure his “thorn in” his “flesh,” but to “delight” in it (2 Cor 12:7-10). Note this well. A prayer that God will always answer is this: “God, either change my circumstances or give me grace and truth to have peace in it, and glorify you.”

The above biblical examples illustrate something else as well. While there is a lot of encouragement in American Christianity to pray for miraculous revelations and guidance from God, and personal prosperity, the biblical references to such things are very rare and often not prescriptive. Despite the popular notion today in mega mysticism for praying for miraculous signs to discern God’s extra-biblical will, there are scarce examples of this, and as we thoroughly discuss elsewhere, there really is no sure biblical support for the idea. Of course we have the freedom to pray for such a thing, but Scripture certainly does not encourage it and it is, again, dangerously close to divination. ^[71]

In addition, we should not confuse the Bible’s encouragement to seek God in prayer to change our circumstances with the “Faith Movement’s” “name it and claim it” teaching. The instances of prayers for prosperity in Scripture listed above are in the context of humble, others-oriented requests to God, not proud, selfish, greedy magical incantations. ^[72]

On the other hand, there is a great deal of biblical encouragement to pray for divine deliverance from danger. Especially danger that has occurred because of our sacrificial service to God. However, it is just this kind of desperate situation that most American Christians avoid. As we discuss further elsewhere, everyone wants a miracle, but few want to really be in need of one. ^[73]

It may be helpful at this point to compare the prayed-for will of God with the other aspects of His will. First, it will never violate God’s predestined or prescribed wills. This is why we must pray according to His will (cf. Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; Matt 18:19-20; John 15:7, 16; 16:23-24; 1 John 5:16, 21).

Secondly, unlike God’s prescribed will, we do not know if God will grant our extra-biblical desires until we ask Him and He clearly responds. In addition, God’s prescribed will usually requires our obedience to be fulfilled, while the prayed-for will does not, and rather completely depends on what God does.

Thirdly, while God’s prayed-for will would be part of His permissive will, unlike the latter, His prayed-for will requires a miraculous intervention. God’s permissive will includes things for which we are fully capable of doing apart from such intervention. Many people, even Christians, have obtained academic degrees, occupations, and marriages without any divine intervention at all because they needed none and such things are allowable and possible under the permissive will of God.

Finally, the prayed-for will of God differs from the supposed private will of God claimed by mega mysticism in important ways. The latter originates from the idea that God has some rather hidden, specific, extra-biblical desires for our life that we must discover and conform our life to. On the contrary, the prayed-for will of God originates with our desires that are rather clearly known, but not necessarily something predetermined by God. A private will has us trying to find some “dot” of God’s rather obscure, predestined will for us. The prayed-for will encourages us to desire extra-biblical (not unbiblical) things, and ask for God’s help to bring them to pass. While this may sound more human-centered, it must be remembered that it only occurs through the humble requests of God-centered humans who are completely depending on God for what they are asking for. ^[74]

The prayed-for will of God brings up all kinds of difficulties in our relationship with God and in theology itself. Why doesn’t God grant a particular request? Such has been a burning question on the hearts of believers since ancient times. However, the area of the prayed-for will of God opens up our life to amazing and wonderful possibilities to experience God and accomplish things far beyond what we could have in our own strength.

Pastoral Practices

• Let the amazing invitation of the prayed-for will of God sink in. We have not because we ask not. How different would the next 20 years of your life be if you prayed more and acted less? Do you believe you can accomplish more through praying to God rather than your own action? Endeavor to start a journey with God for the rest of your life to see and experience the power of prayer and the prayed-for will of God.

C) Provision for the Journey: Divine Tools for Decision Making

Here we wish to briefly summarize the primary means God has provided for God-pleasing decision making. Many of these have been discussed thoroughly elsewhere, as noted by the references. The sections regarding reasoning and decision making should especially be studied on this topic. We will not repeat those discussions in detail here, but only wish to bring a complete list of those biblical tools together here under the topic of decision making. These God-given tools include:

1. Scripture (the revelation of the Spirit) ^[75]
2. New Nature (the indwelling of the Spirit) ^[76]
3. Human authorities ^[77]
4. Moral reason (conscience) ^[78]
5. Logical reason (wisdom) ^[79]
6. Counsel (multiple reasoning) ^[80]
7. Spiritual gifts ^[81]
8. Personal desires ^[82]

Because God’s will for us is virtually all moral, the first four tools God gives us for decision making are more than adequate. In amoral areas, God’s has graciously provided us with logical reasoning which, unfortunately, is an often ignored topic in discussions of divine guidance. Many times God simply wants us to be guided by wisdom (i.e. good thinking) rather than revelation. Accordingly, we have written elsewhere:

Nothing is more important for humans than decision making and nothing is more important for decision making than reason. Contrary to the claims of mega mysticism, God does not directly tell us everything He wants us to do. In fact, he rarely does so. The revelation contained in Scripture and the gift of our Spirit-liberated reason, controlled by our regenerated will, all fully suffice to provide us most of the divine guidance we will ever need. The place of reason in decision making is perhaps its greatest demonstration of its God-given importance. . . .

Along these lines, NT scholar John Stott explains:

[T]ruths about God’s general will regarding marriage Scripture will tell you. But Scripture will not tell you whether your wife is to be Jane or June or Joan or Janet! How then are you to decide this major question? There is only one possible answer, namely by using the mind and the common sense which God has given you. ^[83]

Therefore, it becomes clear that God has abundantly provided tools for decision making. Accordingly, Dr. Waltke writes:

In thinking our way through God’s program of guidance we should consider divine intervention as the last aspect. We take action first in reading, and meditating upon God’s Word, in following the desires of our heart, in listening to wise counsel, in considering God’s providence, and, finally, in reasoning within the framework of our circumstances.

God, however, may step into our lives and directly intervene apart from any action on our part. He is a God of miracles, and as Christians we must be open to the possibility that God will sovereignly intervene in our lives, though we do not depend on miracles to guide us, nor do we fail to act until one occurs. ^[84]

 

Pastoral Practices

• Before teaching on decision making, the referenced sections of Knowing Our God concerning the place of reason should be consulted.

D) Arriving at the Destination: Making a God-pleasing Decision

While we have attempted to simplify the process of decision making, we do not wish to imply it will always be easy. Accordingly, M. Blaine Smith writes in his own book on divine guidance:

I admit that I approach this [topic] with certain reservations, for I don’t want to imply that there is an easy answer to our complicated decisions. Our decision making as believers, at least in major areas, must always be a somewhat difficult process, and we have to be leery of oversimplified approaches and pat formulas. ^[85]

D.1) The Marriage Decision

Nonetheless, we will offer an example of decision making that applies much of what we have discussed above. Perhaps the classic example of an important, complex, potentially difficult, but very common decision is marriage. And because of its complexity, it will give us an opportunity to demonstrate the various aspects of biblical decision making.

First, does God’s predestined will have anything to do with our decision? Yes and No. We have listed above those things that the Scriptures include in the predestined will of God ^[86] and marriage is never spoken of in this way. ^[87] Therefore, the decision to be married or unmarried is under the permissive will of God, with no automatic possibility of sinning either way. However, spiritual gifts, including the gift of singleness, come under God’s predestined will, are sovereignly granted by God’s choice, and would obviously predispose someone to be less likely to be married. ^[88]

However, while such a gift would significantly reduce a person’s desire to be married, it does not predestine them to singlehood and such a person may still marry, although they are encouraged in Scripture not to (cf. 1 Cor 7:7, 36-8; Matt 19:12). So while marriage is not under that predestined will of God directly, a supernatural lack of desire to be married can be.

Secondly, we must ask and answer the question of what aspects of our marital decision come under God’s prescribed will in Scripture? The first question Scripture can answer is whether or not any and every person has the freedom to marry. Obviously a previously unmarried person does, as Scripture says, “if a virgin marries, she has not sinned” (1 Cor 7:28). However, what about a previously married person? In general, Scripture dictates that if a person experienced a biblically acceptable divorce, then they too are free to be married. While the biblical teaching on this topic deserves more discussion than we can give here, two rather clear examples of a biblical divorce would be in the case of a spouse who dies (cf. Rom 7:2-3; 1 Cor 7:39), or a spouse who is sexually unfaithful in their marriage (cf. Matt 5:32; 19:9). In such a circumstance the other spouse is free (although not obligated, cf. 1 Cor 7:39) before God to remarry.

The second question under God’s prescribed will, and therefore communicated in Scripture, is what kind of person we can marry. First, God is clear that homosexuality is “detestable” (Lev 18:22) and therefore homosexual unions would be condemned by Him (cf. Lev 20:13; Rom 1:26-7; 1 Cor 6:9-10). Secondly, God is clear that a believer must not marry an unbeliever (cf. 1 Cor 7:39; 2 Cor 6:14-18). In addition, God’s prescribed will in every decision is that we are loving, and do what would glorify God (cf. 1 Cor 10:31). Are we committed, by God’s grace, to love another person like God has loved us? Are we making the marital decision in such a way that will glorify God? Finally, God’s prescribed will in every decision is that we are wise. ^[89] This might include a careful evaluation of several things including the man’s ability, in particular, to financially provide for a family (cf. 1 Tim 5:8).

Therefore, God’s prescribed will for marriage is essentially six things: 1) Must have the freedom to remarry if previously married, 2) must not be in a homosexual relationship, 3) must marry a born again Christian if you are a born again Christian, 4) must be loving, 5) must consider God’s glory, and 6) be wise. This is where God’s will for a marital decision ends in the sense that if these six things are adhered to, you cannot sin in your decision.

Unfortunately, mega mystics claim that God’s will goes much further than this, suggesting things like there is only one “perfect” person for you to be married to, or that you need some sort of miraculous looking “sign” to feel free to marry and to choose a particular person. On the other hand, far too many Christians completely ignore even these aspects of God’s prescribed will in their marital decisions and make sinful and foolish marital decisions.

Next comes a consideration of the immense scope of God’s permissive will. Essentially, God wants you to marry if you want to be married. Likewise, God wants you to marry who you want to marry. While He demands you love them, He also wants you to like them.

In other words, meet the five requirements under His prescriptive will, and the rest of the decision is purely a matter of the exercise of your own free will. In fact, as discussed elsewhere in Knowing Our God, by far the biggest part of even this very important decision is primarily and purely the exercise of a person’s unmanipulated (by God) free will. ^[90] At this point it will be both foolish and frustrating to look for “signs” or any other divine intervention in your decision making.

So we see that the decision to marry involves aspects of God’s predestined will (gift), prescribed will (biblical rules and commands), and mostly permissive will (essentially marry whomever you want). What is not a part of the marriage decision is a private will in which we could “miss God’s best” by choosing one of two equally good candidates for marriage.

Finally, God’s prayed-for will could be a factor in who we marry as well. We can ask God to be married to a particular person or kind of person. It is possible that finding and marrying such a spouse does not require God’s miraculous intervention. But we do not know this for certain, and are free to ask for such intervention, trusting God for His (or rather her answer).

D.2) The Ministry Decision

Another important decision that involves many aspects of divine guidance and human decision making is the choice of entering the ministry. More specifically, the question is whether or not to make our spiritual gift into a vocation. For example, does someone with the gift of serving need to be a full time janitor or secretary in the church? Does someone even with the gift of pastoring, teaching, or evangelism need to be in full time ministry?

Again, the first consideration is how does God’s predestined will relate to this decision? In much the same way that it does in the marriage decision. As demonstrated above, a controlling call to specific ministry is very rare and entails miraculous revelation, authentication, and manipulation. ^[91] And if someone is predestined to be serving God in a specific way, they will do so, and the issue of a human decision becomes rather meaningless. On the other hand, God does choose who receives particular spiritual gifts, and they are an indication of a general aspect of His will for such a person’s life. Spiritual gifts give us desires that may lead us into specific ministries (cf. 1 Tim 3:1). ^[92]

At this point, God’s prescribed will enters in by the fact that God desires every Christian to, “use whatever gift he [or she] has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Pet 4:10). God does not prescribe in detail what being faithful with our gifts would entail. It obviously would not automatically require full time ministry. Therefore, it is important to notice that God is content with giving the general command for us to be faithful with the ministry gifts He gives us, but He does not specify what this would entail.

In addition, and like marriage, other aspects of God’s prescribed will concerning the use of our gifts are that they are to be used for God’s glory (cf. 1 Cor 10:31), and in love (1 Cor 13:1-3; 14:1). In addition, logical reasoning must be applied in order to determine if one can currently support their financial needs in fulltime ministry. Finally, specifically for the vocation of pastoring, teaching, and leading a church, God prescribes character qualifications that must be met (cf. 1 Tim 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9), and are even more important than any particular spiritual gift.

Once again, even in such an important decision as to whether or not we should make our ministry gift into a vocation, God has relatively little to say about it. At this point, God’s permissive will enters in, giving us the freedom to choose one way or another without the fear of sinning. Those who would question this, need to be asked how a person could really be certain it would be sin for them to refuse to go into full time ministry? Apart from miraculous revelation they can not.

The same applies to where a person might be in ministry. Of course God wants us to apply all of His prescribed will to such a decision, which would include ministering in or through a biblical local church. In other words, the Scriptures give divine guidelines as to where and with who we should be ministering, i.e. a local church of believers. But beyond that, where we minister is largely part of God’s permissive will. Virtually any need in the Church that we want to meet, wherever it is, is fair game for us to pursue meeting if we want to.

The popular notion of looking for miraculous signs (or more often a larger congregation and salary) to find the one specific place God wants us to be a Pastor (i.e. private will) has little biblical support, and has caused a great deal of unnecessary angst in the Church. Just serve the need that you can best meet, wherever it is.

Finally, once again, we are certainly free to ask for God’s miraculous intervention to be in a particular ministry at a particular place. And as we have said above, God’s invitation to take advantage of His prayed-for will can surely have tremendous ramifications on the fruitfulness of our ministry.

Pastoral Practices

• Do you have peace regarding the nature and location of your own ministry? Is a lack of peace due to a theological misunderstanding regarding the nature of God’s will? Hopefully this chapter can help. Be diligent and committed to the prescribed will of God for your ministry, have peace in the broadness of His permissive will, and embark on the adventure of His prayed-for will to see Him “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20).

Extras & Endnotes

Diagram 7.15: The Wills of God

Predestined

Prescribed

Permissive

Prayed-for

Table 7.15: The Wills of God

Type	Nature of Revelation & Fulfillment	Nature of Human Decision	Examples & Scripture
Predestined	Secret until God chooses to reveal it through ordinary or extraordinary means. Unconditionally and always fulfilled.	No free human decision involved	Unconditional acts of God Place & time of birth (cf. Acts 17:26) Salvation (cf. Eph 1:4-5) Gifting (cf. 1 Cor 12:7, 11) Commands for us to do controlling call to specific service (cf. Acts 26:16; Jonah)
Prescribed	Revealed completely in Scripture and authenticated by New Nature. Conditionally fulfilled on our obedience and prayers.	Moral	Conditional acts of God Spiritual health and growth (cf. Eph 1:15-19; 3:14-19; Government (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-3) Commands for us to do Loving God and people (cf. Matt 7:12; 22: 40; Phil 1:9-10) Faithful with gifts (cf. 1 Pet 4:10) Reasoning in decisions (cf. Col 4:5).
Permiss-ive	Led by personal desires & amoral reason. No additional revelation or divine guidance needed apart from Scripture.	Amoral	Which Christian person you marry (cf. 1 Cor 7:1-38) Which honorable occupation you choose (cf. Col 3:23).
Prayed-for	God’s will is unrevealed, but our desires are granted when we ask & God miraculously intervenes.	Moral & Amoral	Hezekiah’s healing (cf. 2 Kgs 20:1-5) Miraculous deliverances (cf. Gen 32:9-12; 2 Kgs 18:13-19:37; Acts 12:1-18)
Private	Secret & unfulfilled until we some how discern it apart from Scripture.	Amoral	None

A Devotional to Dad

Our heavenly Father, we are again reminded of how valuable your Scriptures are to us. Thank you that we need not rely on the uncertain impulses of our minds to know Your will, but that you have completely and clearly communicated it in Your written word. We recognize then that You never intended knowing Your will to be nearly as difficult as many make it. The hard part is doing it. May we devote ourselves to obeying Scripture with our whole heart and therefore have the joy and peace of being in the center of Your will always.

And thank you for your willingness to hear and consider our requests for you to change our circumstances and life. What an amazing invitation to bring your supernatural power into our life on a more consistent basis. Help us be more diligent and desperate to seek you in prayer knowing that there are many things that we will not have because we do not ask.

Gauging Your Grasp

1. Have you ever had a decision to make in which you wished that God would just speak to you directly and tell you what to do? How did you make the decision? Was it the right one? What has led to the bad decisions in your life?
2. Why is the question of knowing God’s will so important to us, and yet confusing?
3. How do we define God’s predestined will and what are some examples?
4. How do we define God’s prescribed will and what are some examples?
5. How do we define God’s permissive will and what are some examples?
6. How do we define a supposed private will? Why do we reject it?
7. How does the notion of a private will put people in spiritual bondage?
8. What is it about God’s will that makes Scripture and our New Nature so sufficient for knowing it?
9. How is understanding the various kinds of God’s will, and particularly rejecting the notion of a private will helpful in understanding divine guidance and human decision making?
10. What are the characteristics of God’s prayed-for will?
11. Why is the aspect of a prayed-for will both difficult and wonderful?
12. In a decision, if we have fulfilled God’s prescriptive will in Scripture, what else must we employ in order to make a good decision?

Recommended Reading

• Gary Friesen and J. Maxon, Decision Making and the Will of God (Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1980). Simply the best book written on this difficult topic to date. Especially helpful in cutting through the mega mystical muddle prevalent in the Church today.
• You can access two audio messages Pastor Kurt has given on the unbiblical nature of a “private will” and a biblical view of decision making here:

1) “You’re in Good Hands with God #5: His Permissive Will & the Freedom to Choose,” online at: http://www.newlifecr.com/ sermons/ 20111016.MP3

2) “Decision Making and the Will of God, online at:

Publications & Particulars

1. Joseph Bayly et. al., Essays on Guidance (Intervarsity, 1968), preface. ↑

2. M. B. Smith, Knowing God’s Will (InterVarsity, 1979, 1991), 15-17. ↑

3. Wayne Grudem, Do We Act As If We Really Believe That “The Bible Alone, And The Bible In Its Entirety, Is The Word Of God Written”? Journal of the Evangelical Theology Society 43:1 (March 00), 8. ↑

4. Smith, 19-20. ↑

5. The Apostle relates in Acts 17:26: “From one man He [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole Earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” It is true that the Apostle is probably specifically referring to determining the times and boundaries for nations, not individuals.

   However, for centuries, His elect needed to be born in Israel in order to be saved. Likewise, under the New Covenant, His elect needed to be born where the Gospel was available, and in many places of the world that would not be for centuries. For example, it is doubtful that any of God’s elect were born in China or the American continent in 100 A.D. because it is doubtful that salvation would have been available to them since subsequent to: “Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Who [was] crucified but Whom God raised from the dead . . . salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).

   So it seems indeed that in order to ensure the salvation of His elect, God did indeed predetermine and control “the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” ↑

6. King David wrote: “All the days ordained [yatsar: “formed, fashioned”] for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). This seems to imply more than simple foreknowledge, but actual action and predetermination on God’s part. Accordingly, Keil and Delitzsch remark:

   [A]ssuming the original character of the לֹא in a negative signification, it is to be rendered: The days which were (already) formed . . . Among the days which were preformed in the idea of God there was also one, says the poet, for the embryonic beginning of my life. (Commentary on the Old Testament (K&D), Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM (Findex.com, 2000), in loc.

   It may be difficult to fit the choice of suicide into the idea that God predetermines the length of our life. Nonetheless, this seems to be exactly what Scripture says. We do not believe there would be a need to prolong the life of God’s elect to adulthood in order that they be saved as God can save His elect as infants. ↑

7. John 15:1-19 contains unconditional promises for believers because the context of the passage is a contrast between unbelievers and believers, not disobedient believers and obedient believers. “Remaining” in Christ means to be saved. To fail to remain in Christ is to be damned (cf. v. 6). All Christians will bear supernatural, virtuous fruit (cf. v. 15-16). ↑

8. Some may suggest that God has predestined some specific good works for all Christians according to Ephesians 2:10 which reads, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” However, this is probably an unlikely application of the Apostle Paul’s words.

   Applying Ephesians 2:10 to a predestination of specific works for all Christians would amount to a “controlling call” for every Christian, which we contend is very rare (cf. section 7.15.B.1.b below), or a specific private will which we claim is non-existent (cf. section 7.15.B.4 below).

   However, such an interpretation and application is unlikely considering the fact that the Apostle intentionally described the “good works . . . prepared in advance for us” as a “walk” (peripatēsōmen). The NASB better reflects this: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Paul’s use of this phrase strongly suggests that he has in mind a more general lifestyle than specific “good works . . . to do” as the NIV suggests.

   Accordingly, NT scholar Robert Mounce writes: “Figuratively, the NT uses peripateō to refer to the way believers behave or conduct daily life (Mk. 7:5; Eph. 2:2; 2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 5:16). Some translations use “live” for this meaning (William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words [Zondervan, 2006], 772).

   Likewise, the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (NIDNTT) records:

   In the NT peripateō occurs 95 times, of which about half are in the literal and half in the figurative sense of to walk (as a designation for conduct of life). . . . It obtains an outstanding significance as a term for denoting way of life; the nature and the manner of the way of life make it clear as to what governs a man in his being and acting. . . .

   In the Pauline writings two ways of life stand fundamentally opposed to one another: the (former) heathen way of life (Eph. 2:2; walking “according to the flesh”, Rom. 8:4; “like ordinary men”, 1 Cor. 3:3), and the (present) walk in Christ (Col. 2:6; cf. 2 Jn. 6); walking “according to the Spirit”, Rom. 8:4; “in the Spirit”, Gal. 5:16; “guided by love”, Rom. 14:15 [NEB]; “in love”, Eph. 5:2; “as children of light” Eph. 5:8).  (G. Ebel, “Walk,” NIDNTT, Colin Brown, ed., 4 vols., [Zondervan, 1986], III:944).

   Accordingly, Francis Foulkes in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary writes concerning Ephesians 2:10:

   This does not of necessity mean that there are particular good works that are God’s purpose for us. There can be no objection to such a concept, if it is reckoned that the foreknowledge of an almighty and omniscient God is not opposed to his gift of free will. But probably it is rather the whole course of life that is on view here. The nature and character of the works and the direction of the Christian’s daily walk (see on 2:2) are predetermined. This then corresponds closely with 1:4 which describes the end and goal of election as ‘that we should be holy and blameless before him’.

   R. W. Dale puts it, ‘As the branch is created in the vine, we are created in Christ; as the fruits of the branch are predetermined by the laws of that life which it receives from the vine, so our “good works” which are the result of our union with Christ, are predetermined by the laws of the life of Christ which is our life (The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians [Eerdmans, 1989], 86.

   Likewise, John Stott writes:

   We are not saved because of works (verses 8-9), but we are created in Christ Jesus for good works (verse 10), good works which God prepared beforehand, which he designed in a past eternity and for which he has fashioned us, so that we should continuously walk in them.

   Thus the paragraph ends as it began with our human ‘walk’, a Hebrew idiom for our manner of life. Formerly we walked in trespasses and sins in which the devil had trapped us; now we walk in good works which God has eternally planned for us to do. The contrast is complete. It is a contrast between two lifestyles (evil and good), and behind them two masters (the devil and God) (The Message of Ephesians [Intervarsity, 1986], 85).

   Peter O’Brien would seem to concur that Ephesians 2:10 refers to the predestination of a general lifestyle of good works, rather than specific good works, when he comments:

   But now because of God’s mighty salvation in which a glorious change has been effected, we are expected, through the agency of his Holy Spirit, to demonstrate a changed life-style. Our attitudes and behaviour are to show all the hallmarks of the new creation. And when we walk in these ways which are according to his purpose, it is he himself who is powerfully working in our lives (Phil. 2:12, 13) (The Letter to the Ephesians [Eerdmans, 1999], 181).

   Albert Barnes (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament; online at http://www.ccel.org), William Barclay (The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, [Westminster, 1976], and Harold Hoehner (Ephesians [Baker, 2002] agree, the latter stating that the good works refer to what the Apostle will write of in Eph 4-6. John Calvin (Commentaries; online at http://www.ccel.org), Charles Hodge (Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians; online at http://www.ccel.org), and John MacArthur (MacArthur’s New Testament Commentaries, [Findex.com]) do not specify.

   Andrew T. Lincoln provides the added and accurate twist that God foreknew the specific good works a Christian would choose, and then re-“created them for these works.” (Ephesians (WBC) [Word, 1990], 115).

   For further discussion regarding the related biblical concept of God leading us in “the way” see section 3.28.L.

   We would suggest that the most specific divine direction we receive concerning the good works we are to do comes from the unique desires provided by our spiritual gifting. For further discussion of this see chapter 7.13. ↑

9. J. I. Packer, Knowing God (Intervarsity, 1993), 107. We have quoted Dr. Packer at length elsewhere on the unbiblical nature of mega mysiticism’s desire to read the will of God in our circumstances. ↑

10. Gary Friesen and John Maxon, Decision Making and the Will of God (Multnomah, 2004). ↑

11. However, “controlling calls” may involve secular people such as the pagan kings. Isaiah reveals that the success of the Assyrian king Sennacherib was God’s doing, being “planned . . . in days of old” (Isa 37:26; cf. v. 21). Although, perhaps Sennacherib never acknowledged that His success was God’s doing. The Persian king Cyrus, however, knew God had intervened to use him in a special way (cf. Isa 44:28; 45:1-6; Ezra 1:1-2). ↑

12. For further discussion of Christ’s fulfillment of prophecy see section 9.8.B. ↑

13. Friesen and Maxon, 90. ↑

14. Bruce Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? (Eerdmans, 1995), 15. ↑

15. Charles Swindoll, The Mystery of God’s Will (Word, 1999), 21-3. ↑

16. For further discussion regarding the popular claim that the revelational experience of biblical characters is normative for us see sections 7.3.C-D. ↑

17. We would suggest that a potential modern candidate for someone experiencing a biblical “controlling call” would be Brother Yun, a pioneer and leader in the underground Church in China. His story is told in, The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun, Brother Yun and Paul Hattaway (Monarch Books, 2002). If the details of Brother Yun’s life are true, and we believe they are, then he has had a very pivotal part to play in God’s plan for the elect in China, experienced miraculous visions communicating God’s purpose and direction for His life, and endured almost unbelievable obstacles and suffering to accomplish it. For further discussion on Brother Yun see section 10.2.A.1; chapter 10.3; and section 10.11.A.4. ↑

18. Gary Friesen, and J. Maxon, Decision Making and the Will of God (Multnomah, 1980), pg. number unavailable. The authors add: “For a fuller treatment of this passage [1 Cor 9:16-17] and its relevance to this discussion, see Garry Lee Friesen, “God’s Will As It Relates to Decision Making” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1978), pp. 255-62. ↑

19. For further discussion on the effect of serving gifts see section 10.5.B.4 ↑

20. M. B. Smith, 15. ↑

21. For commentary on 1 Corinthians 7:17-20 where some may see biblical support for God dictating our occupations see section 6.11.B.2. ↑

22. The reasons that the predetermined will of God regarding someone’s salvation is not ultimately dependent upon or include a free will decision on the part of the saved is that God determined that salvation would be solely by His grace and works, not ours, and unregenerated humans are spiritually dead and have no “free will” or ability to repent, humble themselves, and exercise saving faith. For further discussion of this see chapters 6.2-5. ↑

23. The fact that some of God’s prescribed will is dependent on our prayers, makes aspects of this very close to the prayed-for will of God discussed below. The difference for our discussion is that God’s will in the former is clearly communicated in Scripture, and it is unknown in the latter until we believe we have received our “answer” to the prayer request. ↑

24. Excerpt from section 2.3.B.4. ↑

25. For further discussion on the sufficiency of God’s moral will see sections 7.6.C and 7.9.A.3. ↑

26. Paul is clearly referring exclusively to the immoral aspects of this world that we are not to conform to. His use of aiōn (“pattern” NIV) supports this as the “age” of this world is often described in Scripture as evil (cf. Matt. 12:32; 13:22, 39, 40, 49; 24:3; Luke 16:8; 18:30; 20:35; 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6, 8; 3:18; 10:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:21; 2:2; 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:12). Accordingly, NT scholar Douglas Moo comments:

    Paul’s command that we “not conform to this world,” then, builds on the theology of Rom. 5-8 (and of Rom. 6 especially) and calls on us to resist the pressure to “be squeezed into the mold” of this world and the pattern” of [immoral] behavior that typifies it (see 1 Cor. 7:31). (The Epistle to the Romans [Eerdmans, 1996], 755.) ↑

27. Freisen, 106-7. ↑

28. NT scholar Thomas Schreiner comments on Romans 12:2:

    The word (dokimazein, to approve) signifies that which is approved after a process of testing and examining. Elsewhere Paul uses the same verb to say that believers must test or examine what the Lord’s will is (Eph. 5:10). In Phil. 1:10 Paul prays that the Philippians will grow in love that is conjoined with knowledge “so that they will approve what is excellent.” (Romans [Baker, 1998], 648). ↑

29. Commentators agree that Paul is speaking exclusively of the moral will of God in Romans 12:1-2. Dr. Moo writes:

    In Rom. 1:28 Paul has pointed out that people’s rejection of God has resulted in God’s giving them over to a “worthless” mind: one that is “unqualified” (adokimos) in assessing the truth about God and the world he has made. Now, Paul asserts, the purpose of our being transformed by the renewing of the mind is that this state might be reversed; that we might be able to “approve” the will of God. “Approving” the will of God means to understand and agree with what God wants of us with a view to putting it into practice. That Paul means here by “the will of God” his moral direction is clear from the way Paul describes it: this will is that which is “good,” “acceptable [to God],- and “perfect.” (757)

    In addition, Dr. Moo’s reference to Romans 1 reminds us that sin, or being out of God’s will, is always moral in nature. Not even unbelievers sin against God by choosing a particular and otherwise moral occupation, school, or other amoral decision.

    Likewise, John Stott writes: “This is Paul’s version of the call to nonconformity and to holiness which is addressed to the people of God throughout Scripture (The Message of Romans [Intervarsity, 1994], 322). ↑

30. For further discussion of the sufficiency of Scripture and our New Nature to reveal God’s will to us see chapters 7.9 and 7.12 respectively. ↑

31. M. B. Smith, 75-76. This view makes up the Epilogue of Gordon T. Smith’s book as well, Listening to God in Times of Choice, in which he writes:

    If there is one image, word or concept that captures what discernment [of God’s extra-biblical will] in a time of decisions is all about, it is surely receptivity. . . . Are we open to the Lord, to the depths of our being? Is there first and foremost an abandonment of our selves, our whole selves, to the love and goodness of God? Are we truly open to what he has for us? . . . I must be open to God-radically, to the depth and root of my being. . . . I present myself to him as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1). . . . We will know the grace of God and recognize his voice in times of decision, gaining increasing confidence in our choices, as we grow in a fundamental openness and receptivity to God. (InterVarsity, 1997), 149-50. ↑

32. Ibid., 76. ↑

33. Ibid., 76-8. ↑

34. Ibid., 78. ↑

35. For further discussion of the divine authority of our New Nature see chapter 7.12. ↑

36. For further discussion regarding the clarity of Scripture see section 3.3.A.3. For further discussion regarding the sufficiency of Scripture see chapter 7.9. ↑

37. M. B. Smith, 25. ↑

38. Excerpt from section 2.3.B.4. ↑

39. Excerpt from section 7.9.A.3. ↑

40. For further discussion of the God-given right and responsibility of private judgment see chapter 3.3. ↑

41. For further discussion concerning the differences of how God relates to those under the New Covenant as opposed to the Old Covenant see sections 7.3.C-E. ↑

42. John MacArthur, Found: God’s Will (Chariot Victor, 1977), 54-5. Underlining added. ↑

43. Gordon T. Smith, 15, 99. ↑

44. 36-7; 82-83. ↑

45. Friesen, 14. ↑

46. Friesen, 117. ↑

47. Henry and Richard Blackaby, Hearing God’s Voice (Broadman & Holman, 2003), 2. ↑

48. Smith, 232-33. ↑

49. 233. ↑

50. Ibid. ↑

51. O’Brien, Ephesians, 386. ↑

52. 230-1. ↑

53. Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God (InterVarsity, 1999), 206. ↑

54. 233 ↑

55. M. B. Smith, 87 ↑

56. Waltke, 59, 69. ↑

57. Friesen and Maxon, 119. ↑

58. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Zondervan, 1994), 133. ↑

59. For further discussion regarding the communal rather than private nature of divine revelation see section 7.3.D. ↑

60. Gordon T. Smith, 99-100. As illustrated here and above, we have found some things in Dr. Gordon Smith’s book, Listening to God in Times of Choice, to agree with. However, as the title implies, this book takes a fairly mystical view of divine guidance and is therefore, not very helpful and even misleading at times. For example, even as the author condemns the idea of an extra-biblical private will here, he implies it throughout the book. Accordingly, the first sentence of the last chapter reads, “A basic premise of this reflective study is that God still speaks,” (138) apart from the Scriptures. ↑

61. Regarding the sin of divination in mega mysticism see section 14.9.G. ↑

62. Excerpt from section 6.11.B.6. ↑

63. “Religion, Greco-Roman” in Dictionary of New Testament Background, Craig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter, eds. (InterVarsity, 2000), 920. ↑

64. Friesen and Maxon, 213. ↑

65. For further discussion of divine guidance through our spiritual serving gifts see chapter 7.13. ↑

66. The most detailed biblical study to date concerning the will of God and personal guidance is co-authored by Gary Friesen and J. Maxon and entitled Decision Making and the Will of God. A major point of the book is to dispel the idea of a private will, or what they refer to as an “individual will.” In our opinion, their biblical and practical points clearly and convincingly reflect the truth of the matter.

    However, another popular book on divine guidance written by M. Blaine Smith, Knowing God’s Will, devotes an appendix to attempting to refute Friesen’s and Maxon’s thesis (pp. 228-39). Nevertheless, we should add that Mr. Smith writes the following:

    Let me hasten to say that in general I have the greatest respect and appreciation for Friesen’s book. I have often recommended his book to others and will continue to do so. It is far and away the most scholarly and stimulating book on the will of God which I have seen. Friesen displays considerable humility and much good humor in his book, too, and avoids the divisive polemical tone so common in theological writings of this sort. And in fact, I agree with a large portion of Friesen’s perspective. His book provides a wealth of inspiring biblical insight including observations which were a particular help to me personally (231).

    Still, Mr. Smith desires to preserve a belief in an extra-biblical private will of God, and begins with the “emotional” reasons which are, by far, the most compelling. Mr. Smith begins his argument by stating:

    Frankly, I don’t find Friesen’s study giving adequate attention either to the problems which discarding the belief in God’s individual will can cause or to the positive value which this notion actually has for many. For many Christians the thought of God’s having a private will is foundational to an intimate, personal relationship with Christ. It drives them to pray, to study God’s Word and to take all the steps necessary to know Christ better.

    One man confessed to me that he lost the incentive to pray after letting go of the idea of God’s private will. While this does not have to be the result of such a change in perspective (Friesen himself stresses the importance of prayer), it does bring out the connection some make between their devotional life and their belief in God’s private will. (230)

    We understand the desire to believe in a rather detailed, extra-biblical private will of God for our life, and admit that if God truly were continually leading us in our decision making that we could suggest we have a more intimate relationship with Him. Nevertheless, we have written elsewhere of God’s desire not to micromanage our lives, and to treat us as empowered adults (cf. section 7.3.E.).

    Secondly, while we may wish for such guidance, there is no biblical support for it, which makes any “emotional” reasons useless. For further biblical analysis concerning the topic of a private will and mega mysticism in general see forthcoming Book 2.8.

    Finally, if the man spoken of above lost his incentive to pray simply because God had no extra-biblical will for him, then there were serious deficiencies in his understanding of the purpose of prayer, and particularly the amazing possibilities of the prayed-for will of God discussed in section B.5.

    Mr. Smith goes on:

    Belief in God’s individual will also bolsters personal confidence for many Christians. The belief that God is leading them to take a particular step of faith helps them gain the courage to take it. A friend of mine who has struggled throughout his life with low self-esteem admitted to me that he is constantly buoyed by the conviction that Christ is leading him to do what he does. His accomplishments have been impressive and have included the building of a major conference center. Knowing him as I do, it’s clear that his perspective on God’s will has had enormous benefit for his personal confidence. Without the conviction of God’s private will, many like him would less likely find the courage to take important steps of faith. (230)

    On the contrary, we suggest that separating the source of God’s will from objective Scripture to our subjective impulses does not give us greater confidence in knowing God’s will. Nor is the presumption that God’s specific will for us includes a number of extra-biblical things for us to do (e.g. building a conference center), a biblical source of “self-esteem.” This is, in fact, a very false source of self-esteem which would be vulnerable to all sorts of things. Finally, as we discuss further elsewhere, biblical faith is based on a revelation of God, not simply our wishes or desires (cf. chapters 6.10-11). If the man did not have biblical commands, or an otherwise certain revelation from God that he could apply to building the conference center, then he did not act in biblical faith at all.

    Mr. Smith continues:

    There is another contribution which the concept of God’s private will makes to our psyche, and I’m sure that for many this is the most important one. Each of us has a fundamental need to know we are distinctive. Part of this urge for distinctiveness is the desire to know that we can make a contribution to human life which no one else is as well equipped to make. . . . If you remove the concept of God’s private will, you remove an important basis for believing your work does have ultimate significance. If in considering a job choice, for instance, there are a number of alternatives which are equally pleasing to God [as we suggest in KOG], how can I be assured that any of them amount to roles which others couldn’t carry out just as effectively? (230-31)

    Mr. Smith again suggests that our self-esteem should be based on the fact that we can perform an occupation more effectively than anyone else. The “ultimate significance” of our choice of vocation is not a presumption (and that’s all it would be) that it is God’s private will for us to have that vocation. Rather, Scripture says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:23-4). It is not finding the one particular occupational job God has for us that makes it significant, but that we do it like God, displaying His character, and for God, demonstrating our love for Him. In addition, perhaps Mr. Smith does not take into account the marvelous personal and customized revelation provided in our spiritual gifts as discussed in chapter 7.13.

    These are Mr. Smith’s “emotional” reasons for claiming there is an extra-biblical private will for believers. His primary biblical argument is communicated when he writes:

    In looking carefully at the instances of thelēma as God’s will in the New Testament, however, I am persuaded that the notion of an individual [private] will is sometimes implied. It appears to be used in this sense in the synoptic Gospels, for instance. The term thelēma is used with reference to God’s will for human behavior three times:

    Matthew 7:21, “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

    Matthew 12.50. “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

    Mark 3.35. “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

    In none of these passages is the notion of God’s will (thelēma) defined, and the context could allow for either a moral [prescribed] will, a [amoral, extra-biblical] private will or both. But while God’s moral will is probably intended in each of these verses (the first, for instance, occurs during the Sermon on the Mount, which is largely a series of moralistic exhortations), a private will is probably intended as well [really? Why?].

    This is most evident from the fact that thelēma is the word used for God’s will in the Gethsemane passages in Matthew and Luke (Mt 26:42; Lk 22:42: “not my will but thine be done”). Here God’s will clearly refers to a unique matter of personal guidance for Jesus. (232-3)

    In our opinion, Mr. Smith is only assuming what he is trying to prove, and God’s will for Jesus to die on the cross has much to do with the predestined and prescribed will of God, and a “controlling call,” but nothing with the idea of an extra-biblical private will. Mr. Smith seems to imply that thelēma has a special reference to a private will, and elsewhere distinguishes boulē from it, suggesting it only refers to God’s predestined will. However, the NIDNTT notes that these Greek terms for “will” are virtually synonymous (cf. “Will,” New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Colin Brown, ed., 4 vols., [Zondervan, 1986], III:1015).

    Mr. Smith goes on to suggest that because God the Father had specific guidance for Christ’s mission, that we should expect the same. What is missed is the great rarity and biblical attributes of a “controlling call” such as Christ experienced, and which we have discussed in section 7.15.B.1.b above. We would agree that God may lead someone in this manner, but it will be unmistakably and miraculously communicated to them as it was to Moses, Paul, Peter, Mary, etc., not subjectively and mystically as mega mysticism suggests.

    Mr. Smith also suggests that Ephesians 5:15-17 expresses an extra-biblical private will of God that must be discovered. The Apostle writes:

    Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

    Yet all of the instruction that precedes and follows this statement is wholly moral in nature, pertaining to the prescribed will of God, and no doubt what the Apostle is primarily referring to (for further comment see section 14.7.D). And if there is an element of rational decision making involved here, then that is simply what God is expecting, making a wise choice of which there may be many possibilities without there being one specific right one for which we must obtain mystical guidance from God. (cf. 4.4.A)

    Finally, Mr. Smith points out that God’s granting of spiritual gifts reflects a more specific will of God for us. As discussed elsewhere, we essentially agree (cf. section 7.14.C). However we have also written:

    Because of the popularity of mega mysticism we need to again distinguish our view from it. First, the desires produced by our spiritual gifts are much more general than the specific revelation claimed by this view. Contrary to mega mysticism, God is normally perfectly content with giving us the specific spiritual gifts and accompanying desire to evangelize, teach, pastor, serve, lead, and encourage without specifying exactly who we minister to or where.

    Mega mysticism fails to properly understand and apply the very rare and especially supernatural “controlling call” in which God reveals a predestined ministry for an individual who then fulfills it without exception. Normally, the number of churches that a Pastor could minister in and be perfectly in God’s will is probably much larger than the one best option that mega mysticism insists he must discern. God simply and normally wants us to be diligent and faithful with the desires and abilities He has provided through our spiritual gifts in the context we find ourselves in (cf. 1 Pet 2:11). (7.14.C)

    Another Smith, Gordon T., has written several books on divine guidance as well. In his book, Listening to God in Times of Choice, he too says he is “sympathetic in many ways” to Friesen’s and Maxon’s approach, and that “we have much to learn from this perspective.” (101). However, he has two critiques. First, he thinks it is too impersonal, which is something we address elsewhere (cf. section 3.3.D.3). Secondly, he says it does not deal properly with how emotions can affect our decision making. On the contrary, our reason is the very best tool God has provided us with in order to ensure our emotions do not lead to unwise decisions (cf. sections 4.4.A; 4.6.C). ↑

67. Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Electronic Edition STEP Files CD- ROM (Findex.Com, 1999) ↑

68. D. A. Carson, The Sermon on the Mount (Baker, 1978), Matt 7:7. Others agree with Dr. Carson in claiming that all the verbs here refer to praying, and that none of them imply other action on our part. Accordingly, Calvin wrote:

    Christ presses the same thing upon us under three forms of expression. There is no superfluity of language, when he says, Ask, seek, knock: but lest the simple doctrine should be unimpressive, he perseveres in order to rouse us from our inactivity. Such is also the design of the promises that are added, Ye shall find, it shall be given to you, and it shall be opened. . . .

    But, as we are too prone to distrust, Christ, in order to correct this fault also, repeats the promise in a variety of words. He uses the metaphor seek, because we think, that those things which our wants and necessities require are far distant from us — and knock, because our carnal senses imagine, that those things which are not immediately at hand are shut up. (Calvin’s Bible Commentaries, online at http://www.ccel.org)

    Drs. Davies and Allison list several biblical references to prayer as “seeking” (The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (ICC), 3 vols. [T & T Clark, 1988-1997]). R. T. France writes: “Seek and knock are metaphors for prayer, not separate exhortations (‘knocking’ is found also in Rabbinic sayings as a metaphor for prayer) (The Gospel According to Matthew, TNTC [Eerdmans, 1985, repr. 1999]). The Life Application Bible Commentary states: “All three [verbs] are metaphors for praying” (Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM [Findex.com])

    Perhaps the idea that “knocking” referred to prayer is illustrated in a parable concerning prayer in which the implied opening of a door is analogous to answered prayer (cf. Luke 11:5-13). The Apostle Paul makes the connection between opened doors and answered prayer requests explicit and such open doors are implied strictly as the work of God, not because of the Apostle’s “knocking” apart from prayer.

    Further evidence that the King only has prayer in mind is the flow and context of the whole section. He sums up what He desires to teach in this section in verse 11: “how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!,” not those who ask and then work.

    Others, however, see human action being involved with the divine response. John Nolland expands the verbs to refer to action, relating the “seeking” to the same kind mentioned in Matthew 6:33. (The Gospel of Matthew, NIGTC [Eerdmans, 2005]).

    Likewise, Dr. MacArthur writes:

    The progression in intensity also suggests that our sincere requests to the Lord are not to be passive. Whatever of His will we know to do we should be doing. If we are asking the Lord to help us find a job, we should be looking for a job ourselves while we await His guidance and provision. (Commentary)

    Of course, Dr. MacArthur is correct in his advice, but it would not seem that the part that human action plays in obtaining the prayed-for will of God is Christ’s point in this passage. ↑

69. For further discussion on the definition of a miracle see section 10.1.C ↑

70. It is difficult to tell if in these instances the writer is referring to God’s predestined will, which would not be changed by prayer, or something that could come under the prayed-for will of God. Evidently, the writer didn’t know either, as whether or not their ministry in a certain locale was not a revealed part of God’s will. ↑

71. For further discussion on the practice of asking God for miraculous signs in order to determine a private will for our life in amoral, extra-biblical matters chapter 14.7. ↑

72. For further discussion of the “name it and claim it” theology see chapter 6.11. ↑

73. For further discussion on a proper expectation of miracles see section chapter 10.3. ↑

74. For further discussion of miracles occurring in answer to prayer see section 10.3.C.2. ↑

75. See chapters 7.7-10. ↑

76. See chapter 7.12. ↑

77. See chapter 7.14. ↑

78. See chapter 3.2. ↑

79. See chapter 4.4.A. ↑

80. See chapter 4.4.A. ↑

81. See 7.13 ↑

82. See section 4.1.B.3 and chapter 4.5. ↑

83. Excerpt from section 4.4.A. ↑

84. Waltke, 160 ↑

85. M. B. Smith, 175-6. ↑

86. See section 7.15.B.1. ↑

87. Some might suggest that there was a great deal of divine intervention in the marriages of Isaac and Rebecca and Mary and Joseph. First, it would be foolish to assume that these examples are to be prescriptive and normative for Christians today. Secondly, we need to notice the unique circumstances that surrounded these marriages. Isaac’s wife had to be an ancestor of Abraham in order to maintain God’s plan of salvation through the Jewish race. Mary perhaps had to marry a descendant of David in order for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem according to prophecy. These situations simply cannot be applied to Christian marriages in general. ↑

88. For further discussion of the gift of singlehood see section 7.13.B.4. ↑

89. See discussion of wisdom at sections 4.4.A and chapters 14.17-14.18. ↑

90. For further discussion of the importance of free will in the marriage decision, as particularly described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 see section 4.4.A. ↑

91. See section 7.15.B.1.a. ↑

92. For further discussion of how our spiritual gifts provide divine guidance into God’s “ministry will” for our lives see sections 7.13.B.1-2. ↑