Creator, Father, King #132

Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.

TIME FOR A BRAINTEASER! Try to reconcile these two biblical truths:

• In Exodus 23:7, God commanded, “Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death.”
• Yet in Isaiah 53:10, we read, “It was the LORD’s good plan to crush” Jesus on the cross. Furthermore, Acts 4:27-28 says that everything Herod, Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and the wicked Jewish leaders did against Jesus during his crucifixion “was determined beforehand according to [God’s] will.”

How can God’s will—the sacrificial death of his blameless Son on the cross—also be something he outlawed? It’s a fascinating question—one that might appear to present a spiritual conundrum. But a closer look at Scripture reveals no contradiction. That’s because “the will of God” is a far broader subject than it initially appears. The Bible seems to indicate three different aspects to what is generally referred to as “God’s will”—his decretive will, his preceptive will, and his will of disposition.

Today’s psalm, which alludes to the Lord’s decretive will (more on that in a moment), kicks off a four-day study of this important topic. Time to put on your swimsuit, because we’re diving into the deep end of the theological pool!

What’s It Mean?

God’s decretive will is sometimes called his sovereign will, or his will of decree. These are the things God sovereignly commands that cannot be thwarted or altered. For instance, when God commanded, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), light instantly appeared. Nothing could hinder that decree. (Today’s verse speaks to this.)

There is also God’s preceptive will. This refers to God’s moral laws in Scripture (i.e., his precepts) that he commands us to obey. Sadly, both Christians and non-Christians disobey God’s preceptive will.

Finally, there is God’s will of disposition, which is perhaps the trickiest to understand. This describes what God may allow to transpire, although not sanction. This is where Jesus’ crucifixion comes into play. God’s sovereign will (thankfully for us!) was for Jesus to die for our sins. Yet God condemned the wicked actions of those who humanly instigated Jesus’ crucifixion. Scripturally speaking, all this can coexist without contradiction in the Lord’s inscrutable sovereignty.

We could say much more about God’s will, but today’s pool time is over. Bring your swimsuit tomorrow for another deep-dive into this gloriously rich topic!

Now What?

Exploring the beautifully mysterious nature of God’s will should drive us to worship the one who transcends our understanding. Praise him!

Did You Know?

When it comes to God’s will of disposition, just because he allows things to happen that he doesn’t approve of doesn’t mean he is powerless to stop them.