“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17)
by Pastor Patrick Cho
Almost every person tries to determine what he or she is supposed to do with his or her life. Some simply trust in their own intuition and go with their gut or listen to their heart. Others seek out the experience of others and find out what worked for them. Some turn to superstition, even trusting in fortunes and horoscopes. In the end, for them there really can be no sense of real certainty because they are basing these decisions on things that are subjective and changing.
The Christian has a source of authority in God who clearly communicates His will to us in His Word. Sadly, many Christians, instead of trusting in the revealed and inspired Word of God, trust in similarly subjective means of ascertaining some “divine plan” for their lives. This is not to say that God cannot and does not use our everyday experiences to teach us and help us grow. It also is not to say that God would never work things (e.g., desires, “open doors,” etc.) in our lives to serve as indicators of what we ought to do. Ultimately, all Christians need to trust that God has clearly communicated His will to us in His Word.
Of course, the Bible will not contain specific step by step instructions to follow on every decision in life. It will not tell you the name of the person you are to marry or the specific career you should pursue, but it will give you the general principles you need to know in order to make those decisions to the glory of God. For instance, it will tell you the kind of person you ought to marry AND the kind of marry-able person you ought to be (cf. Prov. 31:30; Titus 2:2). It will tell you what a strong and healthy marriage looks like (cf. Eph. 5:22-33). It will warn you against the kinds of people you should not marry. It will instruct you as to your own spiritual maturity and preparedness for marriage. It will define marriage and explain the purpose behind marriage (cf. Gen. 2:24), and so on. The Bible similarly provides instructions and principles for life concerning the pursuit of a career.
What God has revealed in His Word is perfectly sufficient to address every major decision in life. This is true to the extent that believers are not dependent upon any other outside source of revelation. We do not need to wait on dreams or listen for an audible voice. We do not need to “lay out our fleece” or ask God for a sign. He has given us all the wisdom we need in the counsel of His Word. In fact, to question the counsel of Scripture is to question the wisdom of God.
In the final chapter in Fundamentals of the Faith, the topic of study is the will and guidance of God. It is important to begin by distinguishing between the sovereign will of God and the commanded will of God. A helpful chart is provided within the chapter to list characteristics of each aspect of God’s will. God’s sovereign will concerns His overall ultimate control over everything that is. He is the only Creator who governs all of creation. In this sense, nothing happens outside of God’s sovereign will because God is perfectly sovereign, and no one and nothing is greater than God. God’s sovereignty encompasses all that takes place, good or evil, hidden or revealed. God’s sovereign will cannot be resisted or thwarted.
God’s commanded will involves all that God has revealed in His Word. These are His righteous requirements of all men and especially for His people. Unlike His sovereign will, His commanded will can be disobeyed and resisted. His Law reveals what His perfect will is for His people since He will never lead His people to sin or tempt them to evil (James 1:13). Perhaps the two most familiar commands given to His followers are the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40). Instructions such as these help believers understand what they need to do and how they ought to live.
Having provided a clear communication of His commanded will in Scripture, the Bible promises that God will also guide His people through their lives. He does this today by His Spirit working through His Word. As you submit to the authority of God and His Word, His will can guide you like a lamp lighting up a dark path (Ps. 119:105). God also guides through a person’s conscience or personal conviction. The believer’s conscience and conviction must be informed by the truth of God’s Word. Otherwise, it can be misleading and deceptive. Finally, God provides guidance through His providence. The believer can push forward in life with the certainty of hope they have in Christ that this life is not the end and that God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).
The pursuit of godly wisdom and discerning God’s will for your life begins with searching the Scriptures. This does not mean that the Bible is some magic book that will reveal secrets in some mystical way. It is not like some words will simply pop out on a page to tell you what you need to do. But as you become more and more familiar with what the Bible teaches, you will become better grounded in who God is, what He is like, and what He desires of His people. You will be able to discern truth from error, right from wrong, and even what is best from what is just ok. Praise God for the revelation of His will!