WILL OF GOD

Jesus once prayed that the "will" of God might be done on earth, just as it is in heaven (Mt. 6:10). Jehovah's will is that which is best for humanity, and which he requires that we implement in our lives. The Lord has the "right" to exert his will because of who he is (deity), and he has the "ability" to impose his will in any way that is consistent with the sum of his attributes. The "will of God" is expressed in a variety of ways. (a) There is the ideal will of God. He would like for all people to be saved (2 Pet. 3:9), but he will not rob them of their power of choice and force redemption upon them. (b) The permissive will of God relates to the fact that the Lord allows men to reap the evil consequences of their rebellion so that they may taste the fruit of their folly (Mt. 19:8; Acts 14:16). (c) Jehovah's will was directly implemented in the first century in the performance of miracles, in order to authenticate the divine revelation being given from heaven (Acts 3:1-10; 4:16). (d) The indirect will of God is orchestrated by means of providential activity, i.e., God working behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes ( Gen. 45:7-8; 50:20). (e) The objective will of God has been made known through the revelation of Scripture. This "will" may be known (Col. 1:9), tested (Rom. 12:2), and understood (Eph. 5:17). It is a part of a teaching system (Jn. 7:17), which must be obeyed (Mt. 7:21), and not rejected (Lk. 7:30). (f) The implied will of God is that which can be deduced logically by the proper use of one's reasoning faculties. Paul "concluded" that it was God's will that he preach in Macedonia -- as a result of a supernatural vision he saw in the night at Troas (Acts 16:10). The Creator wants man to know and to obey his revealed will.