Jun
8
Finding God’s Will? These Bible Verses Don’t Mean What You Probably Think They Mean
“We do not have to figure out what God has decided for us to do in order for us to do it.” — Greg Koukl, founder and president of Stand to Reason
The following was informed by the teachings on decision-making and “finding God’s will” by Greg Koukl. It’s a popular topic and one of his most impactful. (And he is finally working on a book on the subject.) I got the idea for this post while listening to one of Koukl’s podcasts last year. The content below is a mix of quotes, paraphrases, and summaries of what Koukl has said or written on this topic (including from the podcast I just mentioned) along with some of my own additions to expand and clarify.
The subject naturally touches on questions about the nature and extent of God’s sovereignty and of human free will, etc. But, I’m going to do my best to keep focused and not get sidetracked on those larger topics. (Just as well, since I am still wrestling with it all.)
So…
God is sovereignly in control of, well, everything. So, you may ask, where does free will come in? Does it even matter what I decide? Does God care? Yes. As followers of Yahweh, we are called to obey His commands. In short, God wants us to do morally good things, not bad things. He wants us to do wise things, not foolish things. Much of Scripture is given to help us learn these lessons either by instruction or by example. But, contrary to a popular Christian decision-making model, we do not have to figure out what God has decided for us to do in order for us to do it.
The model in question says that 1) God has already made all the decisions for our lives (e.g., who to marry, what house to buy, what job offer to take); 2) and our job is to figure out what He decided so that we can decide. We use terms like hearing God’s voice; looking for signs, impressions, promptings; putting out fleeces; feeling led; etc. We “wait on God” to drop subtle hints, and it’s our responsibility to see/hear/figure them out. This is called “finding God’s will”, and if we get it wrong, that’s on us. God tried and we failed. Things may go badly for us, or at least we won’t receive some of the blessings God had planned for us, etc.
Unfortunately, according to Koukl (and others, including myself), this approach is unbiblical.
“There is no evidence anywhere in Scripture that God drops subtle hints that we have to cobble together to figure out what He decided so that we can decide. Nowhere.”
God doesn’t try, and He doesn’t whisper!
Here are three concepts that are commonly pieced together that are supposed to help us know God’s will in this popular, “traditional” model and why the supposed scriptural support does not teach what people think it teaches:
1) Led by the Spirit (Rom. 8; Gal. 5)
This idea occurs in two places in the epistles. In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul explains how the law of the Spirit of life in Christ sets us free from the law of sin and of death. In verses 12–14, he writes:
“So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (NASB)
Notice the obvious parallel between “putting to death the deeds of the body” and “being led by the Spirit.” In other words, Paul is saying, “All of you being ‘led by the Spirit’ — i.e., who are putting to death the deeds of the body — you are sons of God.” Clearly, this passage is not referring to individual “promptings” of God we “sense” to get guidance. That meaning is completely foreign to Paul’s flow of thought.
In Galatians 5, Paul writes about how Christ sets us free from the “yoke of slavery” of the Law. The promise of the Spirit gives real hope of righteousness. Instead of a license to sin, we must use our new freedom to live righteously by serving one another in love (vv. 1–15). But, a battle rages between the flesh and the Spirit (17). How do we win this battle? Paul’s answer: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (16) and, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (18).
Koukl summarizes,
“Once again, the two statements in parallel mean the same thing. Walking by the spirit, being led by the Spirit (and living by the Spirit, later in verse 24) mean overcoming the gruesome deeds of the flesh (19–21) and manifesting the fruits of the Spirit (22–23), leading to Paul’s summary: ‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires’ (24). This is why someone who is led by the Spirit in Paul’s sense is ‘not under the Law’ (18). They are already fulfilling the law by their righteous conduct. This is the same basic message of Romans 8.”
Regarding another passage used in support of this idea, Koukl notes,
“Jesus was ‘led’ (or ‘impelled’) by the Spirit into the wilderness (Matt. 4:1, Mark 1:12, Luke 4:1). But this does not seem to be an internal prompting of the sort Christians describe. Rather, the text indicates the Spirit actually took or drove Jesus into the wilderness. The words used (ago, anago) are the same words describing Satan ‘taking’ Jesus to different locations during the temptation.”
2) Having a peace about it (Col. 3)
Well-meaning Christians often mistake the message of Colossians 3:15 — “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”. They find out that the Greek word used here for “rule” means to act as arbiter or judge, then they see the verse as a tool for knowing God’s will for our lives. The conventional thinking goes something like this. When confronted with a decision, pray. If you feel a “peace” in your heart, go ahead. If you don’t feel peace, don’t proceed. This internal sense of peace acts like a judge helping you make decisions according to the will of God.
The word “peace” actually has two different meanings. It could mean a sense of inner harmony and emotional equanimity, as in Phil. 4:7. This is the subjective sense of peace. It could also mean a lack of conflict (i.e., harmony) between two parties formerly at war with each other. This definition of peace is what Paul intends in Romans 5:1. The Greek gives us no indication which sense is meant in Col. 3:15, because the same word is used in all three cases. So, we have to look at its context — i.e., the surrounding material.
In verse 11, Paul says that in the Body of Christ there are no divisions, and he appeals for unity characterized by forgiveness, humility, and gentleness. He then adds that harmony (“peace”) should be the rule that guides our relationships. This is the objective sense of peace.
What would the subjective vs. objective senses look like if substituted in verse 15?
“Let feelings of peacefulness in your heart be the judge about God’s individual will for your life, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
vs.
“Let harmony, not conflict, be the rule that guides you, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
Koukl concludes:
“The first is completely foreign to the context; the second fits right in with everything that comes before and after. In the context of Colossians 3, there is no hint of using internal feelings as a divine stamp of approval on our decisions. Personal decision-making is not the point of the paragraph. Harmony and unity in the Body is.”
3) Open doors and closed doors (Rom. 1 & 15; I & II Cor.; Acts 16:6-10)
While the terms “open door(s)” and “closed door(s)” may not be used in Scripture, they are used in common parlance to refer to opportunities that seem to open up to take a particular action (e.g., begin a ministry or change jobs/homes) and when such opportunities are shut down by one or more methods (e.g., job is filled; legal issue; lack of funds). People who subscribe to the popular decision-making method often read such changing opportunities as God taking action to reveal His particular will for the individual (or family) on that matter However, Koukl maintains that this is misguided.
In Romans 1:8-15, Paul explains how he has been longing to see the Christian believers in Rome, “always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.” But, he has so far been prevented from doing so. In 15:22-29, he states again about having been prevented and then his current plan to go to Jerusalem and then stop by Rome on his way to Spain. (Of course, we know that Paul eventually did get to Rome… in chains, and he never left.) Note that the “door” had been closed for some time, but Paul continued to ask God to allow him to go.
Toward the end of I Corinthians, Paul writes of a “door” of service that he then goes through. In II Corinthians, there is another “open door” that he does not go through.
“[Paul] sees open doors as opportunities that should be assessed. Even if he acknowledges that God has made this opportunity, it doesn’t necessarily entail an imperative to do that thing. That’s why open doors should not be read as directives from God but merely opportunities that should be judged on other criteria.”
When we look carefully at the biblical text, these things don’t support the popular model (as taught by Henry Blackaby and many others). Again, God doesn’t whisper. If God wants you to do something specific, He’ll tell you and you won’t miss it. Just ask Saul/Paul (e.g., Acts 9 & 16).
