Ok. So now that I've laid out the traditional view and given my thoughts on the sovereign and moral will, I will continue by taking a look at the "individual will." The idea of the individual will of God is at the center of the traditional view. My argument, though, is that this concept is not found in Scripture. As I mentioned in my last post, there are four primary problems which the individual will causes. We will now briefly examine each and see where the individual will is faulty.
1. Ordinary decisions: The traditional view must be abandoned in making the minor decisions of life.
This is the first practical problem a person encounters when trying to implement the traditional view concerning the individual will. There comes a point where decisions are no longer counted as important enough to seek out guidance and "God's will" and the traditional approach is, for these decisions, abandoned and a decision is made based on reason and practicality. This does not work with the idea of an individual will since it is supposed to be a detailed and specific plan for our lives. The traditionalist must then draw a line between those decisions which are "important" enough to require knowing God's will and those "ordinary decisions which good judgement must be used. But, once again, this is not in accord and inconsistent with an individual will and is not taught in Scripture. Some alternative is needed, then, which can consistently and biblically deal with both the large and small decisions of life.2. Equal options: The traditional view must deny equal options, generating anxiety over missing the dot.
According to the traditional view, there are actually no such things as "equal options," but that they are only apparently equal. When two choices are given, there is one that is God's will for the person and he must find which one to choose through evaluating the "road signs." If he chooses the wrong one he is no longer in God's individual or "best" will, but he is now in God's moral/permissible will or "second best."
This is an idea which I find completely absurd. The idea that we must choose the right one or else we are no longer living within God's will increases anxiety and frustration since only one of his choices is the correct one. I believe that when two options are presented before a person, and he uses biblical wisdom and discernment to test each one. If they both are equal options that are wise and Glorify God as far as he can see, then he has the biblical freedom to choose which one he wants and still be in God's will.3. Immaturity: The logic of the traditional view promotes immature approaches to decision making.
The problem of immaturity created by the traditional view is one which many people have used to "justify" many clearly wrong or unwise choices. Here are a few of the ways in which immature decisions are promoted in this view:
- By permitting justification of unwise decisions on grounds that "God told me"
- By fostering costly delays because of uncertainty of God's individual will
- By influencing the rejection of personal preferences when facing equal options
- By encouraging "putting out a fleece" and letting circumstances dictates
- By giving young believers confidence that they can make perfect decisions (apart from mature counsel if they are sincere
- By inadvertently moving believers to misuse their Bibles to get needed guidance
4. Subjectivity: Certainty of God's individual will is impossible without an objective source of knowledge.
The problem of subjectivity is probably the most significant for me. Truth is objective and does not change from person to person or time to time. Therefore, there must be some source of objective truth by which base our decision making. the lack of an objective source of knowledge like this is the greatest downfall of the traditional view. God has give the Believer two objective sources of truth: His Word and direct revelation (God's verbal communication to the individual) from Himself (although the latter is/was rarely used and was not the normative). The traditionalist, though, says that neither of those can be used since God's Word only shows us God's moral will and direct revelation is not to be sought or expected. I believe (and Scripture agrees) that God's word provides us with the objective source which we must have to make right decisions.
Aside from the problems discussed above, the primary dilemma with the individual will is that it is not scriptural. If this is true, then why has the idea of an individual will been taught so widely? I believe the answer is twofold: improper interpretation and miscontextualization (I don't think that's actually a word) of Scripture. There a multitude of passages which are used in argument for an individual will. For the sake of time, space, and your attention I will only look at a select few here, but I do recommend you, as I have already, to Gary Friesen's book Decision Making and the Will of God (ch. 4 specifically), where he addresses many more passages commonly used. Some of the most used and important are Romans 12:1-2, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 2:17-18, Galatians 5:15-17, Colossians 1:9-10, and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4.1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans is one of the most theologically rich books in the whole Bible. As with almost all of Paul's epistles, it is a letter written to a local church. Here in chapter 12 the reader is confronted with a shift in the focus of Paul's writing. Chapters 1-11 are doctrinal explanation while chapters 12-16 are more practical and applicative in nature. Paul teaches what the Gospel is in the first section and how to live it out in the latter chapters. Nothing here in the context says anything about a specific will. Nothing about personal, life decisions is brought up. Here Paul tells us that we can "discern" the will of God by "testing." The will of God, he says, is that which is "good and acceptable and perfect." (Sounds a bit like morality, right?) The testing, though, comes after a person is "transformed by the renewal of your mind." The context here is quite clear that Paul is only speaking of God's moral will. He is dealing with how a Believer is to walk (live) as one who has given his life to God and been transformed by the Holy Spirit.(Romans 12:1-2 ESV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In Prov. 3:5-6 the problem comes, first of all, from what is probably a poor translation. When this verse is used to support the idea of an individual will it is most often quoted from the KJV ("He shall direct thy paths"). A better rendering, though, is like the ESV puts it ("make straight your paths"). The metaphor of life as a "path" is used here as it is many other times in Scripture. So we see that God will make our life straight when we "trust in the LORD" and do not trust in our own understanding, and when we "acknowledge him." So how then do where and how do we get instruction from the Lord? I believe the answer is given clearly in Proverbs 4:11 where we learn that "the way of wisdom" leads to "the paths of righteousness." Therefore, it is by wisdom from God and His Word that we can know how to live right (in God's will).6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.(Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law;
20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth
(Romans 2:17-18, 20 ESV)
Once again we take a look at the book of Romans. Here, Paul plainly says that those who "know his (God's) will and approve what is excellent" do so because they "are instructed from the law." Also, we see that the law is the "embodiment of knowledge and truth." I think the teaching here is quite plain. Paul tells us that the will of God is known through the instruction from the law (i.e., God's moral will).
In Ephesians (another letter by Paul) the reader is commanded to "understand what the will of the Lord is." That is a pretty daunting, if not impossible, task if he is referencing the individual will. The picture given to us in Proverbs of our lifestyle as our walk is again used here. We are to walk (live) as wise and not unwise. In other words, we are to live according to God's commands (moral will). This walking in wisdom then leads to us knowing and understanding God's will. So, we can clearly see here that Paul is talking about God's moral will and not an individual will. When we follow God's moral will, we are then walking in and understand God's will for our lives.15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.(Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV)
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.(Colossians 1:9-10 ESV)
In Paul's letter to the Colossians he tells them that he does not cease to pray for them. What does he pray about for them? That they "may be filled with the knowledge of his will." How are they filled with that knowledge? They know God's will by "spiritual wisdom and understanding." What does this knowledge lead to? When they have this knowledge, they will "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord," "bear fruit in every good work," and "increase in the knowledge of God." It is clear, then, that a knowledge of God's will comes from wisdom and leads to bearing fruit in good works and that the will of God spoken of here is his moral will.
Finally, we look to a passage where a direct explanation is given of the will of God. Paul, once again, gives a clear explanation that the will of God refers to his moral will. It is plain to see here that the will of God in this instance is our purity. Paul's concept of a Christian “walk” that is “worthy of the Lord” and “pleasing to the Lord” is consistenly connected with God's moral will. There is no argument that this refers to a specific and individual will since it is a direct command of God to all Believers.3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,(1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 ESV)
So, to conclude my examination of the individual will I will summarize:
- The individual will is not found in Scripture.
- Scripture teaches about God's sovereign and moral wills.
- God's moral will is the objective standard which provides us with guidance on how to live lives that are pleasing to God.
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