DAY 5 OF WEEK 3
Psalms 40:8; Matthew 6:10
Defining God's Will
"It is the will of
God." How easily these words fall from the lips or flow from the pen. How
difficult it is to penetrate exactly what they mean. Few concepts in theology
generate more confusion than the will of God.
One problem we face is
rooted in the multifaceted way in which the term will functions in biblical
expressions. The Bible uses the expression "the will of God" in
various ways. We encounter two different Greek words in the New Testament (boule
and thelema), both of which are capable of several nuances. They encompass such
ideas as the counsel of God, the plan of God, the decrees of God, the
disposition or attitude of God, as well as other nuances.
Augustine once remarked,
"In some sense, God wills everything that happens." The immediate
question raised by this comment is, In what sense? How does God
"will" the presence of evil and suffering? Is He the immediate cause
of evil? Does He do evil? God forbid. Yet evil is a part of His creation. If He
is sovereign over the whole of His creation, we must face the conundrum: How is
evil related to the divine will?
Questions like this one
make distinctions necessary—sometimes fine distinctions, even technical
distinctions—with respect to the will of God.
Coram deo: Living before the face of God
What is your response to
the questions raised in this reading: How does God "will" the
presence of evil and suffering? Is He the immediate cause of evil? Does He do
evil?
Adapted
From: You Version Discerning God’s Will
