Part 6: Cultural Engagement

Knowing God’s Will

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS I receive from young Christians is “How can I know the will of God for my life?” To be honest, this question deeply troubled me for many years. What does God want from me? What if I miss God’s will? For several difficult years, I viewed God’s will as something hidden–like an encoded message on a treasure map. I thought my job was to search around while God sent little hints, saying, “You’re getting warmer!” Other times, I feared that God’s will would only be revealed to me if he took something I loved—such as basketball—away from me. While other people seemed to have confidence about knowing God’s will, I felt no such assurance.

Knowing God’s will is no longer a problem for me, and it should not be for you, either. There are a few biblical principles I have learned about the will of God that have transformed how I make decisions. In the next few pages, I would like to share them with you.

The Bible and God’s Will

Keep in mind that much of God’s will has already been revealed in Scripture.

If you read all the passages in the Bible that mention “the will of God” or “God’s will,” you will discover that they fall into two broad categories. First, God has a moral will for us, which involves living the way he has designed us to live. This involves avoiding sexual immorality, honoring our parents, and being conformed to the character of Christ (as we will see below).

Second, God has a sovereign will, which stems from his total control of the universe. Ephesians 1:11 says that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Daniel 4:35 says that God “does according to his will.” God is sovereignly moving history toward his desired ends. Unless God reveals it to us, we don’t know God’s sovereign will. But God has revealed his moral will.

Let’s consider five truths about God’s moral will for your life:

1. God’s will is that you be saved. The first aspect of God’s will is that people be saved by believing in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” It is God’s will that people turn to him in repentance and be saved. If you are stumbling through life trying to know God’s will but have never asked God to forgive your sins, then you are not even in the beginning of God’s will. Qualification number one for God’s will is your salvation.
2. God’s will is that you be filled with the Holy Spirit. At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit enters the life of every Christian. As a result, you have the potential to live a bold life of faith if you are willing to surrender control of your life to him. One task of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin and lead us to develop certain “fruits of the Spirit” such as gentleness, patience, love, and self-control (see Galatians 5:16-24). It is always amazing to me how few Christians realize this powerful truth. When I hear Christians say, “God, send me your Spirit,” I often wonder why they don’t realize that God is already present in their lives (see 1 Corinthians 6:19)! The Holy Spirit is not a force that comes in doses; he is a person who lives within you, and God wants us to live by his strength.
3. God’s will is that you be pure. When young Christians ask me about God’s will, I often take them directly to 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.” It doesn’t get much clearer than this! God’s desire for every Christian is that he or she be sexually pure and grow in sanctification (which means becoming more like Christ). It is absurd for a young Christian who is disobeying God’s plan for sex to say, “God, reveal your will to me.” Since that person is ignoring God’s moral will, why should God reveal some further will?
4. God’s will is that you submit to proper authorities. First Peter 2:18 says, “Be submissive to your masters [which for you can be your parents, teachers, coaches] with all respect. . . .” You might be thinking, But, Sean, you don’t know my parents. But the verse continues, “not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable” (NASB1995). How should you respond to unreasonable parents? Submit.

Is there ever a time to disobey authorities? Sure. The midwives disobeyed the Egyptian authorities that commanded them to kill newborn Hebrew babies (see Exodus 1), and God protected them. The time to disobey authorities is when they ask you to do something that violates God’s higher law–not when they are being unreasonable.

5. God’s will is that you trust him when you suffer. Being a Christian is not always easy. You may be persecuted for following Jesus. Anyone who tries to tell you differently is watering down the message of Christ. This is why the apostle Peter wrote, “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17). You might get left out for not partying. You might get called a bigot for embracing the biblical view of sex and gender. And you may be mocked for sharing your faith. God’s will is that you trust him nonetheless.

The takeaway here is that much of God’s will has been revealed in Scripture. Trust God to work out his sovereign will as you obey his moral will. Sadly, many people live their lives ignoring God’s moral will, trying to uncover his hidden will, while never actually trusting his sovereign will. What a tragedy!

Seek Wisdom above Gold and Silver

What about God’s individual will for your life? Here’s the surprising truth: the Bible does not teach that God has a hidden will for your life that you need to uncover before making decisions.

Then how do you choose a college, career, or spouse? The answer is found in seeking wisdom. Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” God does not make choices for us. He has given us the freedom to decide.

Then how can you become wise?

First, humble yourself before God. God is the Creator; you are the creature. God is infinite; you are finite. God knows everything; you don’t. Proverbs 9:10 says, “Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom begins by recognizing our proper relationship before God and obeying everything he has revealed in the Bible. Part of humbling ourselves involves obedience to God’s moral will. There is no wisdom in disobedience.

Second, ask God for wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Pray that God will make you wise, and the Bible promises that he will.

Third, seek counsel from others. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” One of the best ways to get wisdom is to ask trusted leaders in your life—parents, coaches, teachers, pastors, and so on—for advice and direction.

Does this guarantee you will always make good decisions? No. I have made many poor decisions in my life, but I have learned from them and moved on. God may not always prevent us from making bad decisions, but he does promise to be with us every step of the way and to conform our character to be more like Jesus. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

God’s Will Is You

Remember, God’s will is that you be saved, be filled with the Holy Spirit, be sexually pure, submit to the proper authorities, trust God when you suffer, and develop wisdom. The Bible makes it very clear that this is God’s will for your life. Yet you might still be thinking, What about God’s specific will for my life? I thought you were going to tell me where I should go to college or how to find my spouse!

Here’s the final lesson of this chapter. God’s will is not something hidden that you have to find. Rather, God’s will is you. You see, God is more concerned with the type of person you are becoming and how that shapes the way you love him and others than he is about where you go to college or the kind of student you become. God is less concerned with where you live than with how you treat your neighbors. God is less concerned with who you take to prom than with the way you treat your date. God’s will is that you are conformed to the image of his Son.

God’s will is you.