As we've looked at Providence these last several months, it has become clear that the term Providence describes the working out of God's will, His purposes, in creation. We have seen that those purposes, in regard to those who are called together by Him in His pursuits, are for the good of these God lovers. And we surely remember Jesus' words in John 14:15: "If you love Me, you will keep My commands." Since we do love Him, and we do desire to keep His commands, to be found working in accord with God's will, and not opposing it, it's only reasonable that we should seek out what He has to say about just what His will is. As the living sacrifices of Romans 12:1-2, we are seeking to discern that good and perfect will, especially in regards to our own course.

In a general way, we know that the entirety of Scripture is given to us as the revealed will of God. It is our guidebook, our instruction manual for life. In the coming weeks, I'm planning to take us on a brief tour of some of the things this manual tells us directly regarding His will.

Law an Order

While much is recorded of God's revealing His particular plans in the course of history, the earliest reference I find to His will as being His will is in the Psalms. There, David reveals one clear portion of God's will for us.

Ps 40:8
8 I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart.

In a style typical of Hebrew poetry, David writes two parallel thoughts here, two views of the same idea. Delight is the positive emotion of the heart. We all have heart desires. The desire of David's heart was to do God's will. How to do that? This is our quest and our question, for it is our desire as well. David hands us the answer. The Law of God is the expression of His will in terms understandable to us. We spent a fair amount of time looking into that law, as God revealed it to Moses. Here, then, is one piece of God's will. It's the same piece Jesus spoke out in that verse from John. His will is obedience to His commands. Pure and simple. Do as He says, without argument, without delay, as it is in heaven. Do His will as you pray His will would be done.

If there is any thought in our minds that the Law as Moses received it is null and void in our New Testament life, we need look no further than Jesus' teaching to recognize that this isn't true. His own teaching was that not the smallest portion of the Law would be dropped until heaven and earth themselves were dropped from creation (Matthew 5:18). But there's another confirmation to be found after Jesus' return to the throne room of God. Peter also echoes the Law in his letters.

1Pe 2:13-17
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

As we saw when we studied the 5th commandment, this idea of obedience to authority is a simple extension of the commandment to honor parents. All rebelliousness, even towards human authorities, is rebelliousness against God. But God is kind to us. He doesn't just leave us with the naked command, He gives us good reason to heed His command.

Why be in submission to these authorities? Through Peter, God is giving us one very good reason. It will silence the complaints of ignorant folk. It will put the lie to all claims that Christianity is attempting to usurp the rightful government, that it is some sort of subversive action. This was one charge leveled against the Church from its earliest days. It was the cry of the Jewish opposition, and the Roman polytheists, threatened by this new Truth, took up the same cry. Such insurrection and rebellion, were it true, would have justified every persecution Rome ever leveled against the early believers. Submit to these authorities, Peter wrote, so that every accusation laid against God's earthly representatives may be shown false.

You are free. Freed by the Son, you are free indeed, he continues. But don't you dare use that freedom as cover to do evil. Far be it from you! Don't you dare to take rebirth as an excuse to set aside responsibility for your past actions! In doing so, you show that there has been no rebirth on your part, and in doing so, you bring dishonor on all who truly have been reborn into newness of life in Christ, you bring dishonor to the name of the One True God. Don't you dare use God's Church as a cover for continued sin! God is not willing that His name should be mocked, nor does He tolerate a religion that makes a mockery of His name.

There is another reason for this obedience, one we can find in John's comment regarding love towards our brother.

1Jn 4:20
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

The question is the same with regard to submission. If we cannot or will not submit to those earthly authorities God has placed over us, authorities which we can see, how then will we ever willingly submit to the Holy God who is over all authorities, whom we cannot see?

We are in training for holiness. Obedience to law, an aligning with the due order that God establishes, is a large part of that training.