We now come to the lesson of knowing the will of God or the leading of the Lord. This lesson is closely related in experience to the teaching of the anointing. The purpose of the anointing is to anoint the substance of God into us that we may reach the goal of the mingling of God with man. Moreover, the teaching of the anointing is given that we may know the leading of the Lord and His mind toward us. The leading and the mind of the Lord is the will of God. Therefore, if we want to know the will of God, we must have the experience of obeying the teaching of the anointing. Only those who experience the anointing are capable of knowing the will of God. For those who do not experience the anointing, it is almost impossible to know the will of God.
However, when we discuss this lesson on knowing the will of God, we cannot begin with the teaching of the anointing, because the anointing emphasizes the moving of the Holy Spirit in us and is not the will of God itself. At the same time, the will of God is too great a matter and can never be discussed merely as a part of the teaching of the anointing. Therefore, we must devote one lesson wholly to discuss it in detail.
Ephesians 5:17, “Be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Colossians 1:9, “That ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Hebrews 10:5, 7, “When he cometh into the world, he saith...Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God.”
Matthew 6:10, “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.”
Hebrews 13:21, “...to do his will.”
What, actually, is the will of God? Christians often mention the will of God in relation to trivial affairs, such as their occupation and marriage. They use this phrase in a very casual manner, thus belittling and underestimating the will of God. When we carefully study the will of God throughout the New Testament, we discover that it points to matters great and lofty. For example, Ephesians 5:17, to “understand what the will of the Lord is,” seems to be a very common phrase, but the context of the book of Ephesians reveals that this phrase indicates depth. Ephesians is a very special book in the Bible; many of its words and principles speak of God and eternity. Therefore, the will of God mentioned there can never merely refer to common, insignificant matters. Furthermore, Ephesians chapter 5 is based on the preceding chapters. Chapter 1 speaks of the mystery of God’s will (v. 9), and chapter 3 speaks of the will of God purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 11); both refer to extremely great things. Then chapter 5 exhorts us to understand the will of God, which naturally refers to the great matters previously mentioned, not to trivial matters in our life.
The same is true of Colossians. After Colossians 1:9 speaks of our being filled with the knowledge of God’s will, the following chapters mention the mystery of God in Christ, God’s plan concerning Christ, how God desires that Christ must have the pre-eminence in all things and become all in all. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit speaks of the will of God in chapter 1, it again must refer to the extremely great matters.
After Romans 12:2 exhorts us to prove the will of God, verses 3 through 5 continue by speaking of our different functions and our coordination in the Body of Christ. Hence, the will of God mentioned here is also of great importance.
Hebrews 10:7 is a direct quote from the Lord Himself: “I come to do thy will.” The context of this verse is the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, a matter of great importance; therefore, when He declared His obedience to God’s will, He did not refer merely to small matters such as clothing, eating, lodging, and other trivial matters of life, but to His whole move on this earth in fulfilling God’s eternal plan. This is a matter of great significance.
In Matthew 6:10 the Lord teaches us to pray that the will of the Father be done on earth as it is in heaven. This means that the Lord wants the will of God done in heaven to be accomplished on earth-again this is of ultimate importance.
Hebrews 13:20-21 speaks of the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, making us perfect in every good thing to do His will. Since this God who makes us do His will is such a great God, His will must also refer to great matters.
These Scriptures speak of God’s will as originating from God and coming to us both from eternity to the present time and from heaven to earth. Thus, God’s will mentioned in the Bible is of great magnitude. How different this is from our past concept regarding the will of God! May the Lord open our eyes and change our concept.
What really, then, is the will of God? We will discuss this from three aspects:
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