Help me understand God's will

by TheListener 20 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • TheListener
    TheListener

    I am tired of being told that God’s will is for there to be a paradise earth. I have put the following scripture list together to

    help myself (and maybe others) in discussing what God’s will is.

    The word “will” is used 1,332 times in the New International Version of the New Testament. I have read each quote and have

    included some of the more pertinent verses here. If you know of further verses that shed light upon God’s Will please post

    them.

    What do the scriptures say about God’s Will?

    Should God’s will matter to us? (review bolded quotations)

    What is God’s will? (review yellow highlighted quotations)

    Do we have help doing God’s will? (review underlined quotations)
    _________________________________________________________________

    Matthew 6:10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

    Matthew 18:14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

    Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this

    cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

    Matthew 26:42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I

    drink it, may your will be done."

    Mark 3:35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

    Mark 14:36 "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you

    will."

    John 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

    John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

    John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at

    the last day.

    John 6:40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will

    raise him up at the last day."

    John 7:17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my

    own.

    Acts 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

    Acts 21:14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."

    Acts 22:14 "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear

    words from his mouth.

    2 Cor 8:5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's

    will.

    Gal 1:4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

    Eph 5:17 “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.” (this comes in the middle of a discussion of

    things not to do and things to do).

    Eph 6:6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from

    your heart.

    Col 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you

    with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

    Col 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for

    you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

    1 Thess 4:3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

    1 Thess 5:18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

    Heb 10:9 Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second.

    Heb 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

    Heb 13:21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus

    Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

    1 Pet 2:15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

    1 Pet 3:17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

    1 Pet 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue

    to do good.

    1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

    1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

  • Honesty
    Honesty

    Ask Jesus.

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    Thinking.....How about separating God's will towards man from God's purpose? Parents and gods have lots of "you will"s but most are for an overweening purpose?

    Genesis 1

    26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

    27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

    28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

    Genesis 2: 7 the LORD God formed the man [e] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being

    Exodus 3

    7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

  • gumby
    gumby

    Gods will is that all people should be saved ( have eternal life), yet it's funny how the bible shows the road is narrow that leads to life......so the question arises, " if god wills something, then why doesn't it materialize"? If he's truely god, then he should be able to accomplish his own will.

    Gumby

  • Narkissos
    Narkissos
    The word “will” is used 1,332 times in the New International Version of the New Testament. I have read each quote and have

    included some of the more pertinent verses here.

    Wow. I suspect this figure includes the English modal auxiliary (as in "I will do")... A search on "want" might have been equally relevant (and shorter) I suppose.

    Will or purpose, to me the problem lies in "the Scriptures say". God's "will" is not the same in Matthew (where it has a clear ethical content, what God wants us to do) as in Paul or John (where a sense of divine purpose, although different in each case, is prominent).

    Of course the JW version of "God's purpose" doesn't rest on any particular text but is simply their doctrine, rationalised with (rather than based on) a patchwork of unrelated and out-of-context "prooftexts". But we all know that I suppose.

  • Flash
    Flash
    Help me understand God's will desire

    From reading your Thread I think you have a pretty good grasp of it already.

    If this helps, I would replace the word will with desire.

  • Double Edge
    Double Edge
    Gods will is that all people should be saved ( have eternal life), yet it's funny how the bible shows the road is narrow that leads to life......so the question arises, " if god wills something, then why doesn't it materialize"? If he's truely god, then he should be able to accomplish his own will.

    I equate that with a parent's will for their children to lead productive and happy lives by making good choices - but as we know, that doesn't always happen. Children, for the most part, are a product of the consequences of their choices, even though the wishes of the parents are quite different. God truly is God in that he doesn't violate one of the fundamental 'laws' of this life - free will (choice). What's the point of learning in this life if we were 'forced' to do God's will?

  • gumby
    gumby
    Gods will is that all people should be saved ( have eternal life), yet it's funny how the bible shows the road is narrow that leads to life......so the question arises, " if god wills something, then why doesn't it materialize"? If he's truely god, then he should be able to accomplish his own will.
    I equate that with a parent's will for their children to lead productive and happy lives by making good choices - but as we know, that doesn't always happen. Children, for the most part, are a product of the consequences of their choices, even though the wishes of the parents are quite different. God truly is God in that he doesn't violate one of the fundamental 'laws' of this life - free will (choice). What's the point of learning in this life if we were 'forced' to do God's will?

    If we as parents knew for sure that our child my die a horrible death, or suffer from a horrible disease, would we chhose to have this child/children? God knows everything. God wills or desires or wants all creation to be happy and praise him, yet he knew from the gitgo how we'd end up and he STILL set the words into motion..."let us create man". Btw....how ya doing Double Edge....ya old bastard

  • reneeisorym
    reneeisorym

    Why don't you read about calvanism? It would be interesting for you.

    Try reading "Chosen by God" R.C. Sproul

  • kwintestal
    kwintestal

    You need to learn more about the Flying Spaghetti Monster, from whom all things were made. His will is that you eat and enjoy pasta, in all forms with all different sauces and toppings (ie. cheese, beef, sausage). He will bless you if you ask him to.

    Kwin

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