Deeper Dive
God of Will

Will does get mixed review — God gave it to us and pronounced us ‘good’ with will, it is part of being ‘in His image yet we did not use it with His image of character. The Bible tell us, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”¹  The verse immediately preceding gives more context for using Will: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is you spiritual worship.”²  If God’s Will is ‘good’, ‘acceptable’ and ‘perfect’, the Will we would receive in His image would also be. But. Remember, God has integrity, is always consistent and faithful to Himself, His nature and character. Jesus quoted David as one of the hallmarks of Jesus’s coming among us. 

“Consequently, when Christ came into the world he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'”³

Note that Jesus’s will was “to do Your will” that being the expressed will of God and that the context is a life offered to do as God wills. The first verse quoted in this article points to us being transformed ‘by the renewing of our mind’ and that living in that renewed mind we learn to discern the will of God and not live in our old desires. There is that surrender of our desire to do life our way and sacrifice of will so that we conform to God’s image and will. 

As an aside, God does not have three different levels of will — good / acceptable / perfect but rather His will is qualitatively ‘good’, it is worthy of acceptance and it is complete, nothing lacking. And that thing you may have heard about the permissive will of God, those things He’ll let you do ‘permit’ — those are not His will, those are yours. Anything that is not in full agreement with God — as in the example of Jesus — is our will and not His.

God’s Will: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”⁴

Unfortunately we find ample testimony throughout the Bible that not all are willing to come to repentance but are willing to remain resolute in disagreement with God. One of the incredible pictures in Revelation is that when God’s wrath is poured out upon those in rebellion against Him, they remain adamant: 

“The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give Him glory… The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.”⁵

But, God wills that you have the will to choose. That is one of the distinctives of this God, you have the gift of Choice. The words of Joshua are as pertinent today as when the Israelites contemplated entry into what God had promised them:

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lᴏʀᴅ, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lᴏʀᴅ.”⁶

You can “have it your way” but you probably won’t enjoy the consequences and God had the character to see to it that by your will you are allowed to be apart from Him forever without recourse.

Your final answer is final. Final jeopardy is eternal.