What is God's will? Does it mean His secret Providence by which He governs all things, or does it refer to His revealed preference, upon which we must base our decisions?
For God to be God, He has to be in control of everything. That means every detail of life God controls. But that does not mean that His desires are the same as His will. God knows the effect of every action, and He works all things so that they fulfill His purposes in the end.
How God will turn unspeakably evil or a minmisfoturnerne to serve His ultimate purposes is a huge mystery, but that's what our faith tells us: "God works all things for good" (Rom 8:28).
God's ultimate plans are hidden from us, and we're treading on dangerous ground when we presume to know them. I hear people all the time tell me what God wants them to do. Don't expect to ever know God's plans unless you have the gift of prophecy and if that's the case then you don't need to read any further.
When a serious Christian goes to church, he's trying to discern God's will for his life in an entirely different sense than the God's will of Providence. The Christian knows that God ordains all things, but he seeks God's desires the things he should strive for to be a good disciple of Christ. To confuse these two, to use the providential fact as an argument for some sort of divine calling, is a error that borders on dishonesty.
1 comment:
God's ultimate plans are hidden from us...
Really? Re-read the Bible and find out that God has revealed Himself and His purpose. Through His Spirit He reveals His mind and through Scripture He reveals His will.
John 7:17 EXPLICITLY says that the man who wills to do God's will SHALL KNOW of the teaching. It's a Holy Promise coupled with human responsibility.
Don't expect to ever know God's plans unless you have the gift of prophecy and if that's the case then you don't need to read any further.
Prophecy isn't fore-telling the future, though it might involve it. Prophecy is speaking the mind of God as led by His Spirit for the occasion.
I hear people all the time tell me what God wants them to do.
Who are you to say that someone hasn't been called of God? How do you know the Spirit doesn't communicate with them? Perhaps if w haven't heard the Spirit, it is because we don't have Him yet, or we are disobedient and refuse to listen to Him. God says His Spirit will not always strive with men. He speaks once, perhaps twice, yet man perceives it not.
When a serious Christian ...
This paragraph is very unclear. Help needed to know what you are trying to say.
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