Christians often ask themselves, “What is God’s plan for my life? What does He want me to do?”
Each day we are entrusted with the task of making choices, and sometimes, the consequences of those choices are greater than others because they have the potential to influence our future based on whether or not we make the correct decision.
We all desire to know God’s will for our lives, which is a good thing. However, the main issue is that we often wish for God to give us specific instructions in situations that are not clearly addressed in the Bible. We want to know the future in order to avoid making the wrong decisions.
We want God to guide us in major life decisions like career, education, and purpose. So, we often ask ourselves, “Which job do I take? Which college should I go to? What does God want me to do with my life? Which house should I buy?” The reality is that these are all important questions, and frankly, it would be awesome if God would provide clear answers to each one of them. It would be ideal for God to show us the future with exact outcomes so that we avoid making the wrong decisions.
But, for the most part, God doesn’t do that. Furthermore, these are not questions that are explicitly addressed in the bible. So, in order to get answers to such questions, we must learn about two different wills of God — the decretive will and the preceptive will.
The decretive will of God, also known as the sovereign will of God, refers to God’s decree that anything He ordains WILL, INDEED, COME TO PASS. Sometimes this is also called the absolute will of God and this will is for God and God only. In other words, it is hidden from us. For example, when God said, “Let there be light,” there was light (Gen. 1:3). God decreed light, therefore, light came into existence. When God said, “Let us make man in our image…” man was created (Gen. 1:26). God decreed man, therefore, man came into existence. Even the crucifixion of Jesus was decreed by God. “But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18). In other words, God decreed Christ’s death, therefore, Christ did indeed die.
So, this is the decretive will of God.
Now, the preceptive will of God (aka receptive will), on the other hand, refers to God’s law or His commandments. It is through God’s Word that He reveals His preceptive will for our lives. And this is the will that we should focus on because this type of will applies to us. In other words, this will is not hidden from us, rather, it is revealed to us in Scripture.
Knowing God’s word helps us understand His preceptive will, allowing us to apply biblical principles to every aspect of our lives. Although we may not find explicit answers to the specific questions mentioned earlier, we can turn to the Word of God, read it, and study it. And through the Scriptures, we will be able to receive the wisdom we need that will help us make sound decisions in whatever situation we encounter ourselves in.
So, to recap, the decretive will of God is hidden from us because it is for God, and God only.
And the preceptive will of God, on the other hand, is revealed to us through Scripture and it is revealed to us for our own good.
So, why is this relevant? Well, as I mentioned earlier, when people ask what the will of God is for their lives, what they really want to know is the future — whether they explicitly state it or not. They want to know the future in order to avoid making the wrong decisions, which in turn, defeats the purpose of actually having to study the Word of God and having to make faith-based decisions. God is not a crystal ball. Whatever God has specifically decreed and ordained for our future, it is not for us to know.
On, the other hand, as simple as it sounds, this statement is nevertheless true: The Bible is our guide and through the Bible, God has revealed His preceptive will to us. And it is through His preceptive will that God will guide us in every area of our lives — including when it comes to making tough decisions.
So, let’s look at a quick example as to how the preceptive will of God applies to Mary. Mary has two job offers — Job A and Job B. They both pay well and Mary now has the difficult task of having to make a decision. Mary prays to God for guidance and wisdom (which by the way, every decision should always include prayer). So, Mary prays, and she reads her Bible. And God is silent. She hears no audible voice. The Bible doesn’t tell her which job to take. So, Mary needs to make a choice. What is God’s will for her in this situation?
(Now, please understand, this is a very simple example. I know there are many other scenarios with a variety of complications and variables. But to just try to make this understandable, I’m using this straightforward example.)
So, job A will take time away from God. This means that Mary may have to work on weekends, which will cause her to miss church on Sundays, and she may have to work late nights which will probably cause her to miss out on her weekly bible study group which she loves. Also, this job involves sales and the supervisor has hinted to Mary that she will need to throw in some “white lies” in order to successfully close the sale and make some profit. Furthermore, this job doesn’t really align with the gifts and talents Mary has.
Now, let’s take a look at option B. Option B will allow Mary to have time to go to church on Sundays, and maybe even keep her bible study group. The supervisor also made it clear to Mary that they value honesty and transparency in order to execute her job role. In addition, Mary noticed that this job, although it probably won’t be her forever job, but this job will allow Mary to exercise some of her gifts and talents.
So, Mary who is a Christian and reads her Bible, knows right off the bat that God wants us to be part of a local church and that we shouldn’t neglect meeting together with our brothers and sisters in Christ (Hebrews 10:24–25). She also knows that it is against God’s will for our lives to lie (Proverbs 12:22). Furthermore, she remembers reading in the Bible that God has made every one of us with specific gifts and abilities and that we should use them for His glory (1 Peter 4:10). Mary understands that her gifts can be used in any setting, but she feels she could more aptly use them in job option B, rather than option A.
So, even though Mary didn’t hear an audible voice telling her which job to choose, and even though the Bible does not give explicit answers regarding job options, Mary is able to make a decision that closely aligns with God’s will because God’s preceptive will has been revealed to Mary, and it is through His preceptive will that Mary is able to apply those principles to this particular situation.
Now, I know some may ask, what if both options were good? What if both options aligned with God’s will? Well, in that case, pick the one you want! Pick the one you think you would like more…or the one that pays more. But pick and don’t wait for an audible voice or some other supernatural event. God wants us to trust in Him and He wants us to make faith-based choices that closely align with His will. If you’ve prayed about it, if you’ve aligned it with God’s preceptive will, then the next move is to make a choice. If you have submitted everything to God, then whatever choice you make, God will direct you and make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5–6).
I love this quote from RC Sproul’s book Everyone’s A Theologian:
“When people ask me how they can know the will of God for their lives, I ask them which will they are talking about — the hidden, decretive will of God or the preceptive will of God. If they are talking about the hidden will of God, they must understand that it is hidden. However, I can read God’s Word, which gives me His revealed will, and learning and conforming to that will is enough of a task to last me a lifetime.”
In essence, the principles from the application example can and should be applied to every area of our lives. Through God’s preceptive will, we can know God’s will for every area of our lives — that includes godly living, marriage, and other relationships, parenting, finances, what to do when faced with adversity, purpose, and many, many other things that pertain to this life.
So, we should stop focusing on wanting to know the future and wanting to know things ahead of time so that we don’t make mistakes. In other words, we should stop focusing on trying to know God’s decretive will. That is for Him, and Him only. God has revealed everything we need to know through His word. His preceptive will will guide us in our decision-making and every area of our lives because His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).