Exploring God’s Will
| By: Nancy Missler; ©2000 |
| What is God’s will for us? Nancy Missler looks at God’s revealed will, the Bible, to show that God’s will for mankind is salvation. |
God’s Revealed Will–(The Word of God—the Bible)
God’s Revealed Will is His Word, the Bible. He even puts His Word above His Name! As Psalm 138:2 says, “…for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy Name.”
The great discovery undergirding our ministry is that the 66 books we call the Bible, even though they were penned by over 40 authors over a period of several thousand years, are a carefully designed message system that provably has its origin from outside our time dimensions![1] God authenticates His message by describing history in advance.
Perhaps the most dramatic example of this is the history of Israel. The nation’s origin, its successes, its failures and its ultimate destiny are all laid out in detail. The Bible chronicles their disobedience and their ultimate fulfillment.
The central theme of this amazing chronicle is the declaration (and the subsequent fulfillment) of a Kinsman-Redeemer: the Coming One who would be the centroid of all history. The purpose, the tragedy, and the ultimate victory are all detailed.[2] His genealogy,
His birth, His ministry, and every detail of His sacrificial death—and subsequent resurrection—were all spelled out in advance, as well as His ultimate establishment on the Throne of David on Planet Earth and the subjection of all things.
The Bible also details the destiny of the various nations. The rise of the major dominant kingdoms are all profiled in advance. Thus, the ultimate climax of human history, and the resolution of all things, are committed in a clearly specified scenario by a God who makes—and keep—His promises!
God’s revealed will for mankind is expressed in Matthew 22:37-40: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The whole of the Bible—all of God’s revealed will—is summed up in learning to love Him and learning to love others. We are created for a love relationship with Him. Everything about knowing God and experiencing Him will be out of order if we don’t first have that intimacy with Him.
God’s Will for Mankind: Salvation–(Union with Christ and, thus, freedom from sin)
God’s sovereign will is the redemption of all things. God’s revealed will is His Word, or the Bible. God’s will for mankind is salvation—the eternal union of our soul with God.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise…but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)[3]
One of the first things the Bible tells us is that human beings are by nature sinful and in need of the righteousness of God. It says that all mankind has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.[4] “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the Way…there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Roman 3:11-12) The biblical account of man’s historic fall out of a state of righteousness and holiness into a state of sin and condemnation explains the dark side of man. People lie, cheat, steal, murder and rape because they are sinners by nature.[5]
Sin is a power that came into the world through Adam’s disobedience, and sin rules the world, enslaves and controls people.[6] Sin’s effect on all mankind is separation from God. Therefore, in order to be reunited with God, we must be cut off from sin and set apart to righteousness.
If we are to approach and be reconciled to God, we must do so on God’s terms—we must have new lives in which our sins have been forgiven and obliterated. Scripture tells us that we cannot save or redeem ourselves. Sin can only be overcome by a sacrifice.[7] Redemption and the forgiveness of sins only comes through the blood of Christ.[8]
Salvation means deliverance from sin or to be made whole again. Salvation is free, but it’s not cheap. It’s a gift and costs us nothing, but it cost God everything. Jesus, God’s Son, became a sacrifice and took sin’s penalty for us. Therefore, should we choose to accept it, God’s free gift to us—salvation—is the eternal union of our soul with His.
Salvation occurs when we admit that we have sinned and we ask God (Jesus Christ) to forgive us of our sins and become our personal Savior. John 3:16-17 is one of the most important and pivotal verses of the entire Bible: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. “[9]
At the very moment we accept and receive God’s free gift of Life, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell at the core of our being,[10] we become united with Him in spirit and we receive His eternal Life.[11] Eternal Life (life without end) is simply God’s supernatural Life in us—His Love, His Wisdom and His Power.
Christ has done it all. Our sin has been paid for, the sentence of death has been removed and we have been given new Life. We just need to receive this Gift of Love.
Again, the Open Bible sums it up:
- “It is one thing to be convinced of the need for salvation and the new Life, but it is an entirely different thing to acquire the new life. When we are ‘saved,’ we are said to be new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); to have been born-again(John 3:3); to have passed from death to life (John 5:24); to have been transferred from the rule of darkness to the kingdom of God’s Son (Colossians 1:13); and to have been adopted by God (Galatians 4:5). These wonderful results of having new life in Christ are offered freely to all who trust in Christ for salvation.”[12]
Notes
- ↑ This discovery is also the emphasis of our daily teaching, “66-40” broadcast nationally.
- ↑ Matthew 23:37-39.
- ↑ Acts 13:47.
- ↑ Romans 3:10-18, 23.
- ↑ Ephesians 2:3.
- ↑ Romans 5:12, 21; 6:17, 20; 7:17, 20.
- ↑ Romans 3:13, 24-25; 5:1, 8; 6:23; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 1:7.
- ↑ Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12.
- ↑ Romans 8:9; Titus 3:5.
- ↑ Romans 8:9; John 14:23; Acts 2:38; 15:8.
- ↑ 1 Corinthians 6:17
- ↑ The Open Bible, page 21.
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