INTRODUCTION
The Statement of the Problem When it comes to the will of God, is there one perfect will for a person’s life? If there is one perfect will, how does one find it or what happens if one misses it? With so many decisions in life, both major and minor, will a person be permanently damaged or at least hindered if they don’t find that one will for their life? Does God’s will include the various decisions a person might make, however, and is it bigger than just one perfect will? How does a person know what God wants them to do? Men like Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul have faced this sincere and heartfelt pursuit, and this search to discern the will of God continues in the church today.
The Importance of the Study The importance …show more content…
Jesus said in John 6:38: “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” There are numerous other references to Jesus fulfilling the will of His Father. “To find God’s will for His life and to do it, was the ruling principle and the energizing purpose of Jesus’ life.” Thus, this was the reason for Jesus being sent into the world. The will of God was also the motivating force behind the apostle Paul (Rom. 1:10), and “one might bring the whole religious and ethical teaching of Paul under the heading…for Paul God is the God of the Old Testament, living and active, whose will manifests itself in Creation in the ordering of human affairs.” This then drove his belief that all believers should “understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). “The doing of the divine will is decisive for following Jesus.” It “alone fulfills His [God’s] highest intent and our highest good.” This makes it one of the first priorities of the Christian to get into direct line with God’s divine wishes and …show more content…
Paul tells them to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοός). The conjunction “but” (ἀλλὰ) is a strong adversative often denoting emphasis. Paul uses this term to emphasize the contrast of worldly living to transformed living. The term “transformed” (μεταμορφοῦσθε) is also a present tense, indicating that the Christian is to be constantly in the process of being metamorphosed in his outer expression as a result of his inner being renewed. No doubt, “this transformation is not the Christians’ own doing, they nevertheless have a real responsibility in the matter—to let themselves be transformed, to respond to the leading and pressure of God’s Spirit.” Paul is saying in effect, “Sure, it will take time, in fact your whole life until you die, but be made new. You used to be depraved and lived like it, but now become the regenerated and new person God intends you to be, don’t go back to those things that are dying with this world. Don’t cave into the pressure and let yourself go back into the thinking of a world that is under the power of Satan and sin and death. Become who you will one day
The Statement of the Problem When it comes to the will of God, is there one perfect will for a person’s life? If there is one perfect will, how does one find it or what happens if one misses it? With so many decisions in life, both major and minor, will a person be permanently damaged or at least hindered if they don’t find that one will for their life? Does God’s will include the various decisions a person might make, however, and is it bigger than just one perfect will? How does a person know what God wants them to do? Men like Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul have faced this sincere and heartfelt pursuit, and this search to discern the will of God continues in the church today.
The Importance of the Study The importance …show more content…
Jesus said in John 6:38: “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” There are numerous other references to Jesus fulfilling the will of His Father. “To find God’s will for His life and to do it, was the ruling principle and the energizing purpose of Jesus’ life.” Thus, this was the reason for Jesus being sent into the world. The will of God was also the motivating force behind the apostle Paul (Rom. 1:10), and “one might bring the whole religious and ethical teaching of Paul under the heading…for Paul God is the God of the Old Testament, living and active, whose will manifests itself in Creation in the ordering of human affairs.” This then drove his belief that all believers should “understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). “The doing of the divine will is decisive for following Jesus.” It “alone fulfills His [God’s] highest intent and our highest good.” This makes it one of the first priorities of the Christian to get into direct line with God’s divine wishes and …show more content…
Paul tells them to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοός). The conjunction “but” (ἀλλὰ) is a strong adversative often denoting emphasis. Paul uses this term to emphasize the contrast of worldly living to transformed living. The term “transformed” (μεταμορφοῦσθε) is also a present tense, indicating that the Christian is to be constantly in the process of being metamorphosed in his outer expression as a result of his inner being renewed. No doubt, “this transformation is not the Christians’ own doing, they nevertheless have a real responsibility in the matter—to let themselves be transformed, to respond to the leading and pressure of God’s Spirit.” Paul is saying in effect, “Sure, it will take time, in fact your whole life until you die, but be made new. You used to be depraved and lived like it, but now become the regenerated and new person God intends you to be, don’t go back to those things that are dying with this world. Don’t cave into the pressure and let yourself go back into the thinking of a world that is under the power of Satan and sin and death. Become who you will one day