A Path Carved in the Hearts of Men

In the following entry I do not wish to imply that there is any complexity inside of the Economy of the Godhead nor a contradiction of any of its members. Please correct me for any mistakes I have uttered with my hand and forgive my clouded thoughts.

The Will of God, shown to us by scripture, is much like three individual strands of twine woven together to create one rope: God's Sovereign Will, God's Moral Will, and God's Specific Will. God's Sovereign Will is the umbrella under which the rest fall. It is evident in Scripture any time the Probate and the Reprobate are spoken of, when the future is spoken of, or when the word "predestined" appears. When one sees the word "thwart" it often is referring to what none can do to the Sovereign Will of God. Look back in time--one second or ten-thousand years. All that you see behind you that has been is the Sovereign Will of God. If it occurs (or will occur) it is this that I speak of.

God's Moral Will is probably the one most Christians are familiar with (or don't argue as much over) This is a list of Do and Do-nots. This will, God does allow defiance. Most sermons (especially lukewarm, watered-down sermons) focus much of their attention on what we should be doing and don't pay much attention to the rest. I do not intend to imply that morality is a weak focal-point in life; just that it becomes weak if not seen in conjunction with the other two. I imagine that the majority of Christians spend their lives seeking after this particular Will of God.

The Sovereign Will and Moral Will are easily understood, because we spend no effort trying to change what we cannot (God's Sovereign Will) and every effort trying to become what we may be in Christ (God's Moral Will). However, most are unfamiliar with God's Specific Will. We are all so concerned with how to live life that we don't pay much attention about what to do in life. Let's look at some examples from scripture: In Ephesians (and similar in many other Pauline Epistles) Paul introduces himself with, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" (cf. 2 Cor. 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:1) Which will is Paul speaking of? Is he looking in hindsight of what his life has become (God's Sovereign Will), or is he speaking in full knowledge that he knows who he is--who God destined him to be? Later on in Ephesians, Paul writes, "[I] urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called" (Eph 4:1) Next he speaks of unity of the body. (side-note: If you speak of unity, don't you imply that there are individual pieces, and that they must come together to create unity. Unity is a whole made from individuals) Then he writes, "It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers" (Eph 4:11). Paul writes of specific members of the body edifying the whole. I think that there is evidence enough in my mind to stand on the proposition that God not only has a will on how to live (God's Moral Will), but who specifically we are to be (God's Specific Will) in Christ.

I believe that God has a Specific Will for each of us, and this is driven by the internal desires of our heart--God carves a path in the hearts of each individual. God's Sovereign Will, simply, is. In God's Moral Will, He calls the whole to body to sanctification in Christ, and it is the outward expression of an inward renewal of the heart: a life well lived. God's Specific Will (according to what I understand, which isn't much) is directed by God forging in us the desires of our heart, and then we acting upon them. (I'm assuming that none of them violate God's Moral Will) My question is this: How do you differentiate God's Specific Will from your sin-nature that battles inside? ("But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death" [Jas 1:14-15] and "Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions...'The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning'." [Jas 4:1-5] and "For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want." [Gal 5:17])

Lately, I have felt outside of God's Specific Will for my life, but how do I discern what it is without sinning? How do I move my life back to where it departed? What's my next step? ...This is what I struggle with everyday. It keeps me up at night. It puts a weight on my heart. It is why I got up to write this hours before my alarm went off this morning. I pray for an answer to come soon.