Chapter 1THE NATURE OF THEWILL OF GODRomans 12.2Generally speaking, the will of God can be viewed under thefollowing aspects:Ø What God does sovereignly according to His purpose and counsel,independently of man.Ø What God desires to do through man, with his willingcollaboration.Ø What is clearly revealed in Scripture as being what He desires.Ø What is not clearly revealed, but is part of His plan for anindividual and has to be discovered by that individual.What God does sovereignlyThere are many ways in which God acts according to His will ina way which man has no control over. We can see this first of all increation, which was accomplished entirely as God wanted it to beand according to His own power and wisdom. No human agency wasinvolved in this process.

Moving on from there, Scripture reveals many things God did anddoes independently of the will of man and often contrary to it. We cantake the following examples into consideration:* The sending of events and circumstances which accomplish Hiswill. The famine which arose in the time of Joseph, the plagues Hebrought upon the land of Egypt and the future judgment which willfall upon this world in the future, are all examples of this.* The arranging of circumstances in the life of a nation, family orindividual which involves decisions made by other people, whounknowingly do so in such a way as to accomplish His purpose.A clear example of this can be found in Acts 2.23 concerning Hiswill in the death of Christ: "Him, being delivered by the determinatecounsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wickedhands have crucified and slain". Thus, while men are responsiblefor their decisions and actions, God is in control and uses these tothe accomplishing of His will.While what He does is independent of man, it usually involves adirect influence on his life and is often directly in relation to him.

Thisis particularly the way we should view it as believers in the Lord Jesus.Such an outlook gives us strength and confidence in God in the ofteninexplicable circumstances that come into our lives, especially whenthese come as a result of the undesirable decisions or actions of others.The above examples could be very largely expanded and delveddeeper into, with much spiritual profit. Indeed, a whole book could bewritten about these subjects alone. It is outwith the scope of this studyto further develop these aspects, but I have highlighted them for thepurpose of our present consideration and to encourage a fuller awarenessand recognition of the will of God in this important connection.The practical implications of all this in our lives as believers aremassive. So many things come into our lives that can bring joy, pleasureand fulfilment, or sorrow, suffering and disappointment. Recognising thewill of God in things beyond our control can give peace and assurancein all circumstances, at the same time drawing out worship from ourhearts to Him and creating a strong sense of dependence upon Him.

Such an effect can only enhance our relationship with Him and will beconducive to our spiritual growth and development.What God does through manIt is very often the case that God accomplishes His will throughhuman agency. This can sometimes be realised through people who donot do it as a result of a conscious desire to be pleasing to God or eventhe knowledge that via their actions they are actually carrying out Hiswill. The destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the proclamationof Cyrus king of Persia regarding the return of the exiled Jews to buildthe house of God at Jerusalem and the decree given by Caesar Augustusthat all the world should be taxed (which brought Joseph and Maryto Bethlehem for the birth of the Saviour) are all examples of this. Asinteresting and true as this is, we will not dwell on this aspect.God is most glorified in the accomplishing of His will through humanagency when this is done as a willing act of obedience in response to Hisrevealed desire. The life of the Lord Jesus on earth is the perfect exampleof this, which we will consider more fully in a later chapter. When Godraised up David, He gave the following significant testimony concerninghim: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart,which shall fulfil all my will" (Acts 13.

22). The exhortation of the apostlePaul to the believers in Ephesus who were slaves regarding their servicefor their masters includes the following important consideration: "Notwith eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing thewill of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord,and not to men" (Ephesians 6.6-7).The latter of these examples captures very nicely how the will of Godshould be ideally carried out. It should be quite obvious to us that this isthe position we should adopt before God as those who desire to pleaseHim. As we know His will and grow in the understanding of it, so weshould seek to put it into practice out of a submissive will and an obedientheart. We can be sure that by doing so we will bring much glory to Himand find deep satisfaction in having done so, especially so when it hasrequired a good measure of faith and has been to our personal cost.What God has revealed in ScriptureEverything that God has given us in His Word shows us in manyways what His will is for us.

There is no area of our lives which is notcovered in some way in the canon of Scripture, whether it be throughdirect commandments, clear principles or obvious inferences from theexample of those whose deeds are included in the divine revelation.Moreover, some matters are specifically stated as being the will of God,such as the one found in 1 Thessalonians 4.3; "For this is the will of God,even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication". Due tothe direct reference to the will of God, this and other such verses willbe considered throughout this book.It is of paramount importance to recognise that the Word of God is nomere general guideline as to how we should live our lives and serve theLord, which we can modify or adapt as we see fit. It is actually the fullrevelation of the will of God and tells us how He wants things to be ineverything it covers. He has revealed His mind in every matter containedtherein and this should be seen as truth that is binding on every believer.It is absolutely fundamental that the will of God is always in conformity tothe Word of God, for the latter brings to light the former.

While it may notbe so straightforward to readily find the will of God in particular decisionsin life, the things that have been clearly revealed in Scripture should notpresent such difficulty, especially where there is an earnest desire in theheart to be pleasing to the Lord. Any honest endeavour to discover whatthe Word of God teaches on any given subject will be rewarded. Thebeliever who does so can be sure of the aid of the Holy Spirit in coming tounderstand the divine mind on whatever area light from above is needed.As far as God is concerned, His will as revealed in His Word is thestandard by which we shall all be measured in every aspect of Christianliving. We are all accountable to Him for the position we take regardingHis revealed will, which will be the basis upon which our lives will bereviewed at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is thus vital that we seek to knowit and, even more importantly, to apply it in a practical way in our lives.What God has not clearly revealedWe need to understand from the outset what this means for us. Ittakes in important decisions in life for which there is no direct answerfrom Scripture.

Here are several examples of the type of situations thatwould fall into this category:* The person someone should marry.* What university a young person should go to and what he/she shouldstudy.* The place where we should decide to live.* Where our place of employment should be.* Where and when we should go if moving around in serving the Lord.So many issues could be included here, with varying degrees ofimportance and impact not only on our own lives personally, but alsoon the lives of others.This aspect should be approached on the basis that God has Hisparticular will for each individual believer, although sometimes it canbe collective in nature (e.g.

family, local assembly). Furthermore, thefact that the answer does not come directly from the Word of God doesnot mean that it is not absolutely essential to be guided clearly by it indiscovering the divine will. Any decision taken must be in accordanceto the teaching of Scripture. For example, a believer seeking guidanceas to a potential marriage partner will automatically exclude anyconsideration of uniting with an unbeliever, as this evidently goesagainst a clear Biblical principle: "Be ye not unequally yoked togetherwith unbelievers" (2 Corinthians 6.14). While the passage in questiondoes not refer exclusively to marriage, it most certainly includes it.Divine direction in matters relating to the will of God which formpart of what is not directly revealed in Scripture will still be given fromthat source. As well as clear principles which we need to apply, Godoften speaks us in a personal way through His Word.

This could be as weread His Word daily, as we listen to preaching and teaching from it or asa result of conversations with others around it. There are other factorsinvolved in this as well which will be developed in a later chapter, butit serves our purpose at this point to underline that the Word of God isindispensable for discovering the will of God, whether this is directlyrevealed in it or not.Characteristics of the will of GodFrom the verse indicated at the commencement of this chapter, welearn three important things about the nature of the will of God:It is goodIn harmony with His character, the will of God is the best thing forus and will do us much good. The word used in Romans 12.2 conveysthe meaning that it has a beneficial effect because of its nature. Somethings that h.