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NASB | Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 115:3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. |
Bible Question: How are Christians, according to your understanding of the Bible, to define what is meant by the phrase "the perfect will of God"? |
Bible Answer: Dear Lookn4ward2Heavn, That is a good question. I remember seeing a Star Trek (TNG) episode in which one of the characters said, "That's the trouble with having a god: knowing what he wants." Fortunately, we don't have this problem. Instead, Christians have the holy Scripture which is "the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience." It is a treasured gift (Deuteronomy 29:29) that is eternal (Isaiah 40:8). From a practical standpoint -- and I believe I have the spirit of Scripture in this -- when people ask me about knowing the will of God, I generally answer as follows: Work on living a life in obedience to the clear commands of Scripture. A disciple of Christ (see post #153858), when he diligently pursues obedience in the black-and-white directions of Scripture, will find the provision of God in "gray" areas more than sufficient. "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:3-8 ESV) Note, however, that there is a flip side to this: Only ineffectiveness and unfruitfulness can be expected of people who refuse to walk in the black-and-white commands. In Him, Doc |