“The will of God” may refer to two different things. The Bible says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
First, the “will” of God could refer to his decretive will. This is what God has sovereignly decided to cause. Since the Bible teaches that God has foreordained all things, this means that all events, including human decisions, come under this category. God’s decretive will determines all that happens, and it is not influenced by any factor external to God himself.
God’s decretive will becomes known to us when the things determined have happened, or when he reveals the things that will happen either in biblical prophecies or by supernatural revelation. We learn about his decrees either after the fact, or he tells us beforehand. Most of God’s decretive will remains hidden from us, and we usually come to know it only after the fact, and so it is not the basis on which we make our everyday decisions. Due to its nature, it is called his sovereign, hidden, or secret will. It refers to God’s determination of what he would cause.
Second, the “will” of God could refer to his preceptive will. Our verse mentions that “the things revealed belong to us,” and the “things revealed” are “all the words of this law.” While the first refers to God’s decrees as to what he will cause to happen, the second refers to God’s precepts as to what we must believe and do. The latter is often called his revealed, preceptive, or moral will. Since it is revealed in the words of the Bible and can be studied, God’s preceptive will is the basis on which we make our decisions. It refers to God’s definition of right and wrong, of how we should behave.
Some theologians conclude that there are two “wills” in God, but this is foolish and blasphemous. The confusion exists because the same term is used to refer to two very different things. But when a term refers to two different things, it is always possible to use two different words instead. A divine decree is a determination as to what would happen, and a divine precept is a definition as to what is right or wrong. I could use the term “table” to refer to a desk and a chart, but it would take a very stupid man – or a theologian – to say that therefore I have two tables. No, I have one desk, and I have one chart. There is the divine decree, and there is the divine precept. Regardless of the words used to refer to them, they are different.
God’s hidden decrees belong to him alone, and we must not speculate about them when we make our decisions, but we should conform our thinking and behavior to “the things revealed to us,” or the words of the Bible. To illustrate, God has determined the exact financial and political climate of this nation ten years from now, but unless he has revealed it to you, it is impossible for you to make plans based on his decrees about this, since you do not know these decrees. Rather, you must make decisions according to the precepts of the Bible.
In the Bible, the “will of God” often refers to his precepts: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3); “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18); “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15). So it is the “will of God” that we should avoid sexual sins, be joyful, be fervent in prayer, give thanks, and do good.
There are those who neglect this meaning of the “will of God,” but they use the term to denote God’s preference regarding the details of our lives, such as our residence and vocation, and even whether to evangelize a person, what to order in a restaurant, or where to go for vacation. It is assumed that the Bible does not directly address these decisions, so that they require extra-biblical revelation in every instance where such guidance is desired.
As they consistently speak of the “will of God” in this sense, they tend to overlook the biblical usage of the expression. So for them to live in the will of God would mean that they should be constantly listening for extra-biblical revelations, but the Bible teaches that to live in the will of God means that we should be constantly progressing in sanctification in Christ, to live as those separated for God’s glory and make wise decisions that comport with his righteousness.
Paul tells the Colossians that he is “asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). He does not mean that he wants them to receive revelations in the form of prophecies, visions, and dreams in order for them to make decisions in accordance with God’s decrees. Rather, he is asking God to give them “wisdom and understanding” regarding spiritual things so that they would intellectually grasp God’s precepts as stated in the Bible. The desired result is that they would live in a way that pleases God: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (v. 10). Those who do not know Christian theology cannot know God’s will and cannot please him, no matter how many visions and dreams they see.
The Bible says that such things as thanksgiving and sexual purity are the “will of God.” If we are not growing in knowledge and holiness, then we are already in violation of God’s will, even if we seem to be working the right jobs, living in the right place, or wearing the right clothes. The truth is that most people do not care about knowledge and holiness, but they wish to be in God’s “will” to find success and to avoid suffering. They want to be in the right place at the right time and meet the right people. They wish to make profitable investments and stay out of harm’s way. These desires are not wrong, but it is wrong to care nothing about right beliefs and holy conduct.
Nevertheless, there are indeed biblical promises that pertain to health and wealth, and prophetic and miraculous powers. Those who deny these promises are in sin and unbelief – they are selective in their faith toward God just as much as those who want only success and comfort. In their own way, they do not care about what God says, but they will allow only a religion that agrees with their human tradition, and their own view on what constitutes holiness. Then, they persecute those who have faith to receive God’s blessings. Thus they refuse to enter into God’s promises, and they forbid others to enter. This is the spirit of the Pharisees. This is the spirit that opposed and murdered Jesus Christ.
He is a liar who claims to desire God’s will, who seeks prophecies, visions, and dreams, but refuses to do the things that God commands in the Bible. As Jesus says, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). He does not truly want to please God. Christians are often worried that they are out of the “will of God,” and so they constantly seek special revelations about God’s specific directions for their lives. But most of them need not wonder about this – since they do not study and obey the Bible’s teachings, they can be certain that they are already out of the will of God. More visions and dreams will not help them, but they need to devote more attention to doctrines.
When the “will of God” refers to God’s decrees, it is talking about something that will surely happen. When the “will of God” refers to God’s precepts, it is talking about his laws and commands, and these are often violated by men. God’s decrees will always occur, but his precepts are often broken. And when his precepts are broken, it is because his decrees cause this to happen. Thus God often decrees for his precepts to be transgressed by men, who are then held accountable for their sins. This is explicitly and repeatedly exemplified in the Bible (1 Samuel 2:25; 2 Samuel 24:1)[1]
Consider an illustration. Suppose Tim thinks about killing John. God has already determined whether or not he will do it, but since Tim does not know the divine decree on this matter, it is impossible for him to base his decision on it. He will discover the content of this hidden decree after the fact. Whatever he ends up doing is what God has already decided. God’s decree is hidden from Tim, so it cannot guide his thinking as he decides. On the other hand, God’s precept declares, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13), and this is a clear guide for him in this situation.
If this is a simple case of murder, then that commandment is sufficient. However, in other cases, it does not necessarily mean that Tim should not kill John. Tim might need to take into account additional biblical precepts to arrive at the correct decision. Since murder is the termination of human life without biblical justification, then if John has committed a crime that deserves the death penalty, and if Tim happens to be the executioner, then it is not murder for Tim to kill John. There is biblical justification to do it. In fact, it would be his moral obligation to kill him.
Even in a case that involves killing a man, the Bible offers clear instructions. Tim has sufficient information to make a decision that is in accordance with the “will of God” without any knowledge of what God has foreordained. Whether Tim obeys God’s precepts on the matter has been determined by God’s decrees. The correct course of action is clear, but unless God reveals it beforehand, we cannot know what will happen before the fact.
When we make a decision according to the Bible’s procedure, we first eliminate those options that the Bible declares to be sinful, and then we discard those that the Bible declares to be unwise. In addition to ruling out wrong choices, the Bible prescribes motives and actions such as diligence, compassion, evangelism, praying for the sick, and so on. We should always prefer the options that are most spiritually beneficial to ourselves and the church. Once there is some familiarity with the Bible, all of this can be processed in an instant with most decisions. We are usually left with very few options, and often only one choice remains. If multiple options still exist, then the Bible allows us to choose based on convenience or preference (Psalm 37:4). What we choose at this point will be acceptable to God.
God controls a person’s thoughts, desires, and circumstances, so that as the man applies the Bible’s precepts to the situation, his decision will correspond to God’s unique plan for his life. God could indeed grant prophecies, visions, and dreams to lead the man to the correct decision, but it is possible for God to accomplish the same specific “will” without the use of special guidance. We can trust that the Bible is always sufficient.
We know that the apostles received numerous revelations, prophecies, visions, and dreams, but they still made most of their everyday and ministry decisions by following God’s precepts.
Paul writes, “God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you” (Romans 1:9-10). He does not say that God told him to visit them, but he prays that he could go “by God’s will” (God’s decree).
The reason for his desire to visit is not divine revelation, but he says, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (v. 11-12). He wishes to build up the Christians, which of course is in line with biblical precepts.
He continues, “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles” (v. 13). He “planned many times” to visit, but has been hindered. He does not say that God told him to go, and he does not know if he would be hindered again. On this matter he is not operating by special revelation, but by an application of biblical precepts with sober reasoning.
Then, in 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, he writes, “Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.” Paul says that the Lord had opened a door for him to preach, but because Titus, who had agreed to meet Paul, did not appear, the apostle turned away from this opportunity and went to Macedonia. Did God tell him to leave? Paul says that it was the Lord who opened the door there. He left not because of special revelation, but simply because “I did not find my brother Titus there.”
Therefore, although the early disciples were blessed with many miracles and revelations, and these things have never ceased, they did not depend on them alone, but they applied God’s precepts and reasoned to their decisions.
As Haddon Robinson writes, “Many people look back at the first century as a time of unique spiritual unity between God and man. Some see God mysteriously directly each action of the early believers and their congregations. But when we look at most of the decisions the apostles made, we find a surprising thing; they made decisions the way we make them. They looked at their circumstances and came up with the best solution available.”[2]
God indeed has an individual will for each person, and his plans for the chosen ones are always good (Romans 8:28). However, the details are not always revealed to us, and we cannot make decisions based on information that we do not possess. Rather, we must live according to his precepts in the Bible.
As James Boice writes, “God does indeed have a specific (though usually hidden) will for us…God does sometimes reveal that will in special situations…We may not know what that specific will is. We do not need to be under pressure to ‘discover’ it, fearing that if we miss it, somehow we will be doomed to a life outside the center of God’s will or to his ‘second best.’ We are free to make decisions with what light and wisdom we possess. Nevertheless, we can know that God does have a perfect will for us, that the Holy Spirit is praying for us in accordance with that will, and that this will of God for us will be done – because God has decreed it and because the Holy Spirit is praying for us in this area.”[3]
We must affirm the Bible’s doctrine of God’s absolute sovereignty in order to have the confidence that his plans will be perfectly fulfilled in our lives. Those who emphasize divine guidance but who reject divine sovereignty often speak of the possibility of failing to receive or follow God’s revelation, and thus become trapped in his secondary or “permissive” will.
However, there is no such thing as God’s permissive will – he does not bargain with us. A decision either agrees with holiness and righteousness, so that it is pleasing to him, or it violates his precepts for our thought and conduct, and is therefore sinful. God does not “permit” anything, but he decrees and causes all that occurs. As our decisions and actions happen according to these decrees, they are either sinful or they are not.
Those who insist on human autonomy, the reason for the fall of our first parents, resist this doctrine. But they could not even protest against God’s sovereignty except by the power of his decree. On the other hand, the chosen ones delight in it, and say, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns” (Revelation 19:6).
Some people are reluctant to accept the biblical approach because they do not believe that the Bible has sufficient information for them to make the “right” decisions. There are several things we can say in reply.
First, when these people desire to know the “will of God,” they often have in mind the route by which they could achieve success according to worldly standards. Their main interest is not to discover the way of obedience that leads to God’s pleasure, but rather the path that brings them to comfort, fame, and wealth. To them, the “right” decision in business is not only one that is holy and wise, but it must also be one that maximizes their profits. One that ends in losses is assumed to be “wrong,” even when it does not violate God’s precepts. Since they think this way, they are not satisfied with an approach that operates mainly on precepts of integrity and wisdom.
Nevertheless, since the Bible teaches that when we obey God’s precepts, we will be making decisions that are not only righteous but also wise, this will often result in success and prosperity (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1). The Bible indeed contains many promises that pertain to health and wealth, and those preachers and theologians who undermine this in the name of orthodoxy in fact advocate a different gospel. Rather, our point is that unworthy motives should not influence the definition of a “right” decision, and material success should not be regarded as its necessary product. A decision that agrees with God’s precepts is one that pleases him.
Second, the Bible itself claims to be sufficient for all of life; therefore, anyone who denies that it is sufficient speaks against God’s word and commits blasphemy. As Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And Peter says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). Since we can be “equipped for every good work,” and have “everything we need for life and godliness” through the knowledge the Bible provides, it follows that as long as our decisions agree with the Bible, they are the correct decisions, and ones that agree with the “will of God.”
Third, unless those who consider the Bible insufficient possess an exhaustive knowledge of it, we can answer that the deficiency is not in the Bible, but in the people. The claim that the Bible does not contain sufficient information is unjustified. It is a conclusion that stems from ineptitude and ignorance.
Some might suggest that we still need prophecies, visions, and dreams because no one knows all of the Bible. However, this is irrelevant, because the truth is that these things continue even if everyone knows all of the Bible, since God intends for them to continue. He declares that prophecies, visions, dreams, and all kinds of signs and wonders happen because he has poured out his Spirit – it has nothing to do with whether we have the whole Bible or whether we know the whole Bible (Acts 2:16-21).
The Bible has been completed, but this has nothing to do with whether prophecies, visions, and dreams continue. The Bible is complete, and all this means is that the Bible is complete. The heretical doctrine that the completion of the Bible means the cessation of spiritual manifestations is an arbitrary invention and a lazy shortcut to enforce the canon. It follows the spirit of the Pharisees, who invented traditions to supposedly enforce God’s laws, when in so doing they transgressed God’s laws more than anyone else. This is the demonic heritage of cessationism.
Nevertheless, the fact that prophecies, visions, and dreams continue should not become an excuse for ignorance of the Bible. We must strive for more biblical knowledge. It would make no sense for us to have the Bible, so that we could base our doctrines and decisions on it, and then neglect it and turn to some other form of guidance simply because we do not know what it says. If we do not know what it says, the solution is to find out what it says. All decisions, from what one should have for dinner to what he should take up as his vocation, are to be made in accordance with the Bible’s precepts. This is true even when we receive prophecies, visions, and dreams, since these things are also judged by the Bible.
God’s voice is heard most clearly in the Bible, since it consists of written documents that are open to examination. Any individual can read it, or an entire community of people can come together to study and discuss the text, and to learn God’s teachings and instructions from it.
Exodus 15:26 says, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” God revealed his commands by an audible voice, and they remain his “voice” when they are recorded in writing. They are the same commands. The Bible is God’s voice to us. To heed the voice of God is to believe the Bible’s doctrines and to follow the Bible’s commands.
Then, John 10:27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus refers to coming to God for salvation. He says that a person can come to God only through him, and God’s chosen ones (his sheep) will hear his voice, and come to salvation by faith in him. The “voice” has more to do with the preaching of the gospel than the spiritual manifestations of prophecies, visions, and dreams. To heed the voice of Christ is to believe his message and follow his commands as recorded in the Bible.
Christians are sometimes instructed to seek specific guidance from God even in cases where the Bible tells us to decide according to its principles. For example, the Bible says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). But some ministers would tell the congregation, “Let the Holy Spirit tell you how much to give.” This does not mean that whatever a person chooses to give would be correct, since there are biblical precepts that govern giving. Among other things, Paul emphasizes cheerfulness (9:7), generosity (v. 11), and gratitude (v. 11). If he is selfish and reluctant, then he is already out of the “will of God” – there is no need for special guidance to tell us this.
Proverbs 3:5 is a favorite verse for those who claim that we should seek specific guidance on a regular basis: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” According to them, this teaches us not to trust our own knowledge and reasoning, and instead of thinking about what constitutes a moral and wise course of action, we should quiet our minds and listen to God for special guidance, often received in the form of an inner impression. However, there is nothing in this verse that indicates this. In the context of Proverbs, the verse means that instead of making decisions without regard to biblical precepts, we should reason according to God’s words – such as what is written in Proverbs itself.
Later, we read, “Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?” (22:17-21). As we pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise, and become so proficient with them that we have all of them ready on our lips, our trust will then be in the Lord. Therefore, the admonition to trust in the Lord means to depend on the words of Scripture and think in accordance with them.
The false teaching that prayer should always be a dialogue, a two-way communication with God, has contributed to misunderstandings on our topic. Those who promote this view claim that God speaks most often when we pray, so that we should expect it to be a conversation and listen for his voice. However, the Bible never teaches that prayer is a dialogue. It can indeed become a dialogue if God speaks while we pray, but the Bible does not say that it is a dialogue by its very nature. When prayer is taught or recorded in the Bible, it is most often a monologue, where one addresses God with no response from him in the form of a speech or vision.
In the Bible, God sometimes speaks to people when they pray, but there seems to be no direct and necessary relationship between prayer and hearing God. It is not true that he speaks most often when they pray. He also speaks while people are working, sleeping, and doing other things. In fact, it appears that the reverse is true – in most cases, God is the one who initiates, and not while the person is praying or requesting to hear from him. God indeed speaks, and he sometimes speaks when someone is praying, just as he also speaks when the person is doing other things. The point is that prayer is not a dialogue by its very nature, but it consists of man’s address to God.
It is said that if God is our Father, then prayer should be a dialogue. When one speaks to his earthly father, it is never a monologue, but a dialogue in which the two speak back and forth. However, a naïve use of analogies often confuses doctrinal discussions. An analogy from human life is appropriate only when it illustrates something that we see the Bible teaches, and not when it is used to form a doctrine or to assert what the Bible must mean.
God is indeed a father, and when one speaks to an earthly father, it is indeed a conversation. However, a man does not fall down to worship his earthly father, and he does not sing songs of praise to him. His earthly father does not write down his commandments in a book, or instruct prophets to write it. Moreover, the son does not approach his earthly father through a mediator who has suffered the father’s wrath so that the son would not be punished. Our relationship with God is remarkably different from our relationship with earthly fathers.
When an analogy is used to assert something to be true and not used to merely illustrate something known to be true, it falls apart, and could even produce ridiculous and blasphemous implications. Those who indiscriminately apply the analogy either have a defective relationship with God, or a perverse, strange, and idolatrous relationship with their earthly fathers. Or, they themselves do not live as their analogy implies, but it is a lie used to manipulate doctrine.
One side effect of the false teaching is the pressure it places upon God’s people to hear him speak when they pray. Then, when God does not speak, they either imagine that he does and so come under delusion, or they become disappointed or worried about their relationship with God, although there might be nothing wrong with their spiritual condition except for the common deficiencies Christians have as they mature.
Those who teach that we should constantly listen for God’s voice often also portray it as difficult to hear, or as subject to numerous hindrances and distractions. They would say, “God is speaking, but we do not always recognize his voice,” or “God is speaking, but we are not always listening.” However, the Bible does not teach that we should constantly listen for God’s voice. We should indeed expect him to speak in prophecies, visions, and dreams according to passages like Acts 2:16-21, but there is no need to make an effort to listen. God’s voice is never described as faint, requiring stillness and concentration to hear. He speaks with clarity and power, and when he speaks, he overcomes the distortion and resistance in our minds so that we grasp the message he communicates.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” This verse has been misconstrued to mean that God’s voice is faint, and that Christians should become still so that they can hear it. However, the context prevents this interpretation: “Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:8-11). Verse 10 does not say, “Be quiet so that you may hear from God,” but it means something like, “Shut up! Realize that I am God and I am in charge!” The NLT translates, “Be silent, and know that I am God!” And the GNT has it as, “Stop fighting and know that I am God.” The verse does not refer to prayer or to hearing God’s voice.
It is said that God frequently speaks through the “inward witness” (an inner impression or intuition), and the “still small voice” (an inner, inaudible voice). One of the verses used to teach the “inward witness” says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16, KJV). The verse refers to an assurance of salvation or adoption, and might not offer a basis to establish a way of hearing God for all of life. Moreover, it is not restricted to an inner knowing, because to bear witness to something could involve many hours of verbal testimony.
As for the “still small voice,” the teaching comes from Elijah’s experience: “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13, KJV).
The passage does not suggest that God spoke in the form of an inner impression or an inaudible inner voice. The most natural interpretation is that it refers to an audible voice, only that it is small, especially compared to the wind, earthquake, and fire. Verse 13 states that “a voice” spoke to Elijah – it was clear and distinct. This becomes more obvious when we read from two other translations: “And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing” (NASB); “After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper” (NIV). There is no reason to think that Elijah received a mere impression or a faint inner voice.
A common difficulty with those who teach that “God is speaking, but we might not be listening” is that the biblical passages that they use in fact refer to stronger spiritual manifestations than the kinds they attempt to promote. So in challenging their teaching, I do not deny that God speaks in words, visions, dreams, and the like, but I deny that his voice is easy to miss and that we need to strain ourselves to hear it. Rather, I encourage faith to believe that God can speak at any time, not only during prayer, and that when he speaks, we will hear it. This is because when he speaks, he is the one who wishes to communicate, and when he wishes to do something, he gets it done. The Bible teaches us to expect prophecies, visions, and dreams (Acts 2:16-21), and when these things come, they will be clear and not faint.
[1] See Vincent Cheung, The Author of Sin.
[2] Haddon W. Robinson, Decision-Making by the Book; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Discovery House Publishers, 1998; p. 123.
[3] James Montgomery Boice, Renewing Your Mind in a Mindless World; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1993; p. 124-125.