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Living The Christian Life
The search for the will of God
1. God wants the good of his children
2. God reveals his moral will in the Bible
3. God grants freedom of choice
4. God grants wisdom
5. God is sovereign
6. Summary
Faced with a decision to be made, the believer wishes to act in a manner pleasing to God ( Ps 40: 9 ; Ps 143: 10 ). The question that arises then is: “ What is the will of God, and how to know it? ” In practice, the divine will is not always explicit and the supernatural manifestations and directives (as in Ac 9: 3 , Ac 9:10 ; Ac 16: 9 etc.) are not the rule, but the exception. Rather, God sets a framework in which he leaves the Christian free to choose. The thoughts below allow you to orient yourself towards a suitable choice.
1. God wants the good of his children
Above all, the believer remembers that God constantly seeks the good of those who belong to him and wishes to follow it ( Ro 8:28 ; as well as the other possible translation of this verse: " For those who love God, God acts in everything for their good "; Pr 3: 6 ). God gives an abundant life Jn 10:10 ) and has for his plans of peace ( Ps 23 ; Je 29:11 ) and happiness ( Jn 17:13 ; Ph 4: 4 ), which does not exclude wrestling and trials as shown in Ja 1: 2 .
To believers who walk in integrity ( Ps 84:12 ), God grants what " their heart desires " ( Ps 37: 4-5 ; Jn 15: 7 ).
Thus, God does not seek to thwart the legitimate desires of his children; on the contrary, he wants a fully successful life for them. God does not like to annoy the believer, even if sometimes he asks him to give up an immediate advantage (cf. Ex 13: 17-18 ; Mk 10: 29-30 ). God is neither hard nor capricious.
2. God reveals his moral will in the Bible
Scripture communicates what God expects of His people on a moral level; it gives principles and commandments which serve as general indications for the believer's behavior ( 1 Th 4: 3-12 ; 1 Th 5: 11-22 ; Phil 2: 5 ; 1 Pi 1: 15-16 ; 2 Ti 2:22 ; etc.).
In areas where the Bible imposes an attitude, believers must obey divine injunctions ( De 10: 12-13 ; 1 Cor 7:19 ; Jos 1: 7-8 ).
3. God grants freedom of choice
The believer is constantly faced with two types of decisions:
• those which are of a moral order (that is to say which relate to conduct and character) or which relate to an area where the Bible imposes an attitude,
• and those concerned with the moral aspect but not determined by it.
God did not fix in advance all the details of the believer's life and he leaves him a freedom of action, therefore of choice, on many points (this does not contradict the fact that God knows everything in advance) . This freedom of choice plays on two fronts:
• the choice between what is good and what is bad according to the revealed will of God (this concerns the whole moral domain described in point 2);
• in the area of what is good, the choice between different possibilities also acceptable to God.
God has granted man the faculties which he must use, in particular the capacity to choose.
An important principle follows from this: since God has not precisely established all the details of the believer's life, the latter is called to take responsibility for certain choices himself. In this case, any decision in accordance with the moral will of God has its approval (the case of point 5 remains reserved).
Examples:
• Paul and Silas freely decide to remain alone in Athens and to send Timothy to Thessaloniki ( 1 Th 3: 1-2 );
• Paul "considered it necessary" to send Epaphroditus to Philippi ( Phil 2: 25-26 );
• the Twelve decide themselves to establish deacons ( Acts 6: 1-6 );
• at the Jerusalem Council, the apostles and elders acted according to what they "judged right" ( Acts 15:19 , Acts 15: 22-28 );
• Paul will move to Jerusalem "if the thing deserves it" ( 1 Cor 16: 3-4 ).
4. God grants wisdom
At the same time as he leaves the believer free in the decisions to be taken, God grants him wisdom to make good choices ( Pr 2: 6 ). But the believer is responsible for seeking this wisdom, asking it from God ( Pr 2: 4-5 ; Pr 8:17 ; Ja 1: 5 ; Col 1: 9 ) and implementing it.
To act wisely, you should:
• to pray to expose his problem to God ( Phil 4: 6 ; 1 Pi 5: 7 );
• to meditate on the Scriptures ( Ps 119: 97-100 , Ps 119: 105 ) so that the Holy Spirit can use elements to guide reflection;
• examine the circumstances (cf. Acts 16: 1-3 ; Jos 2: 1 , Jos 2:24 ). A personal desire, an aspiration, a particular gift can constitute indications in a decision to be taken (cf. 1 Ti 3: 1 ; 1 Pi 4:10 );
• to consult wise counselors more advanced in the faith ( Pr 13: 10b , Pr 13:20 ; Pr 12:15 ; Pr 11:14 ; Pr 15:22 ) and people more experienced in the field concerned;
• to let oneself learn by the experience of life by using common sense and realism (cf. Pr 6: 6-11 ; Lu 14: 28-32 );
• to consider the inner feelings that arise: if it is the inner peace that the Holy Spirit gives, it is possible to move forward ( 1 Jn 3:21 ; Phil 4: 7 ; Eph 4:30 ) ;
• if it is a disorder or a lack of conviction, it is advisable not to engage (cf. Ro 14: 5 , Ro 14:23 ).
These elements generally do not lead to discovering the decision to be taken among the various existing possibilities. No wonder, God having wanted it so to give his children real freedom. These elements therefore constitute the path of wisdom.
Sometimes wisdom leads us to wait for God to manifest more precise data which will clarify the situation (cf. No 9: 6-12 ).
Acting on impulse is dangerous; the Bible says it is a trap ( Pr 20:25 ). On the other hand, it is to ignore the dependence of God.
5. God is sovereign
Although he grants freedom of choice to the believer, God remains master of all things and he imposes his will when he sees fit ( Ps 115: 3 ; Ps 135: 6 ).
Thus, in certain cases, God intervenes in a binding way so that the believer accomplishes what God has decided ( Rev 3: 7 ). This intervention of God can be either known or ignored by the believer (cf. 2 K 6: 15-17 ), but it is always the expression of God's love for his child ( Ro 8:28 ).
In all his decisions, the believer must therefore submit in advance humbly to the sovereign will of God (cf. 1 Cor 16: 7 ; 1 Cor 4:19 ; Ac 18:21 ; Ps 25: 9 ). He must therefore be ready to give up his plan if God opposes it and does not confirm the chosen path.
By submitting to God the choice he made freely - but in accordance with the moral will of God - the believer knows that God will protect him from false paths. He thus makes an act of faith that God honors ( Ps 55:23 ) and he knows that he is protected from the decision he has made.
Examples:
• Paul and Silas in Asia Minor ( Acts 16: 6-8 );
• David wishing to build a house for the Lord ( 2 S 7: 1-13 ).
6. Summary
The correct path for making a decision is as follows:
• Find out if God has given specific directions in the Bible.
• If this research does not solve the problem, ask God for wisdom to solve it.
• With this wisdom, make your decision freely, ensuring that it is in accordance with the moral will of God.
• Finally, submit this decision to God and defer to his sovereignty.
Complements
The " Complements " section contains elements that are not part of the original CREDO course.
See also the following texts, for the practical application of these directives:
How to decide according to God
The choice of a companion for life