The Will of God

Abstract

Richard G. Howe, Ph.D. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17 The Will of God and Eternal Life I. At first glance, 1 John 2:17 may seem to teach that one gains eternal life by obeying God's command or following certain rules. II. A closer examination of the biblical data will reveal that this is not so. A. We know from a number of verses that eternal life is a gift and not something that is earned. (Rom. 4:4-5; Eph 2:8; Titus 3:5) B. The righteousness of God, which is necessary for eternal life, is given to the believer by faith. 1. God said of Abraham that he "obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." (Gen. 26:5) 2. However, there were no charge, commandments, statutes, and laws in Abraham's day. This is the language of Sinai. 3. We see that Abraham had done all these things by faith. God imputed God's own righteousness to Abraham. (Gen. 15:6) The Will of God and the Christian Life1 I. Common Questions About God's Will A. What does 'God's will' mean? B. Does God have a plan for my life? C. How can I discover God's will? D. How can I know God's will for sure in a specific situation? II. Common Answers About God's Will A. Common Answer to the Question "What does 'God's will' mean?" 1. The conventional, if not widespread, view is that there are three meanings to the notion of 'God's will.' 2. Another way of saying this is that God has three wills.