Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi, here is an example of the will of God being clearly presented in the Christian scriptures
concerning sexual morality, found in 1 Thess. 4:3
"For this is the will (thelema) of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God..."
and another passage in Ephesians 1:9
"He made known to us the mystery of His will (thelema) according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him, with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heaven and things upon the earth."
thelema= some defs: God's gracious disposition towards something, designates what God does Himself of His own good pleasure, what should be done by others as the objects of God's good pleasure, also used as the carrying out of God's will by others with reference to what God has ordained, resolve, denotes the will of God which must be done
God bless.
Last edited by ShanaBrown; 04-27-2008 at 03:46 PM..
Location: The world, where will fate take me this time?
3,162 posts, read 11,449,461 times
Reputation: 1463
Quote:
Originally Posted by ian6479
I have a simple question for the believers on this forum..
Many non-literal believers will answer questions on this forum with 'I think that God wants this', or 'God is merciful and will do this', or 'I'm sure God wouldn't want that', by definition claiming to know God's will or intentions. By claiming to know that which one could not possibly know, one's argument is automatically off the table. So..
How can you claim to 'know' God's will?
I believe it is impossible to know God's will on a macroscopic concept, regarding the entire creation unless you are a fully awakened human being (christ, krsna, buddha, etc), yet it is possible to know God's will regarding our own being, how? Well imho God talks to us through our consciousness, so the way you are feeling in a particular moment is a pretty good indicator if your actions, thoughts, words, etc have been in harmony with God's will.
If you are feeling peace of mind, bliss, love and wisdom you are following God's will, but if you are feeling uneasy, restless, depressed, guilty, etc then you are going against God's will.
I believe it is impossible to know God's will on a macroscopic concept, regarding the entire creation unless you are a fully awakened human being (christ, krsna, buddha, etc), yet it is possible to know God's will regarding our own being, how? Well imho God talks to us through our consciousness, so the way you are feeling in a particular moment is a pretty good indicator if your actions, thoughts, words, etc have been in harmony with God's will.
If you are feeling peace of mind, bliss, love and wisdom you are following God's will, but if you are feeling uneasy, restless, depressed, guilty, etc then you are going against God's will.
So where does it state any of the above in the bible? And if not, where are you gaining this information?
I have a simple question for the believers on this forum..
Many non-literal believers will answer questions on this forum with 'I think that God wants this', or 'God is merciful and will do this', or 'I'm sure God wouldn't want that', by definition claiming to know God's will or intentions. By claiming to know that which one could not possibly know, one's argument is automatically off the table. So..
How can you claim to 'know' God's will?
Ian,
I am copy/pasting a thread that I started some time ago. Perhaps reading through it will help to resolve some answers for you. You will see that I posed a similar question in reference to my own problems.
Also, I would like to try to answer your question as I see it TODAY.
For me, knowing God's will requires prayer and listening. I listen to my heart (which is where I believe the Holy Spirit resides.) Others will tell you (and for them I am sure this is true) that it requires reading the Bible and making sure that what you believe to be God's will lines up with the Bible. I am not one to read the scriptures. (Bad, I know, but reading is not in my schedule right now.) I beleive that God speaks to us. We just have to be willing to listen and acknowledge his voice. No matter how he presents himself to us. God has spoken to me many times in my life. Sometimes the answer came so unbelievably clear. Other times, like in my NC situation, the answer was not so direct. I don't know why I can't always have my answers written out clearly on nice, large tablets. A voice in a burning bush would be great. But if God gave us everything the easy way, how would we learn?
In conclusion, I wanted to state that my decision to not move to NC turned out great. I believe that I got my answer from God. So many needs have been met, so many opportunities have been given to us, so many blessings and answered prayers. I believe that is how I know that my choice to not move was God's plan. I have been blessed richly by choosing to stay where I was.
Knowing God's will only requires you to listen to God's voice.
Location: The world, where will fate take me this time?
3,162 posts, read 11,449,461 times
Reputation: 1463
Quote:
Originally Posted by ian6479
So where does it state any of the above in the bible? And if not, where are you gaining this information?
It's just plain common sense, our heart is the place where the holy spirit resides.
When have you heard of a restless saint? or Jesus feeling nervous or having fear? He was always in peace because he was internally comuning with God, but if you want scripture here you go.
Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you; Numbers 6:25 The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; Numbers 6:26 The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
If you use your intuition and ask the holy spirit for guidance the truth will be revealed to you in this verses.
i can never know god's will for another person, no one can, that is between that individual and god.
i can only know, or seek to know, god's will for myself. There is a line in 12-step work "Praying only for knowledge of god's will for us and the power to carry that out."
i seek to know god's will for myself through prayer, asking what is my highest path in any given situation, and ask to have that revealed to me. So i talk to god and god talks back to me through my intuition, through my conscience, through my common sense, through other people, through any number of means in my daily life such as books or articles i read. God is in constant communication with each and every beloved human on this planet, if we choose to enter into that conversation, that dialogue, but god never forces a relationship on anyone.
the way to god is not through the head, but through the heart. God speaks to me through my feelings, so the deep peace, contentment, joy, well-being, the resounding feeling of being deeply beloved, those are how i recognize god's direction in my life. If it's bossy or mean or sharp or critical or sarcasatic or rude or judgmental, it is not god's guidance at all.
Not only is God a loving God, he is a righteous God. He will not do anything that is not right. We mortals are not capable of comprehending everlasting punishment so God words it in a way that should cause everyone to repent and obey Him so they will not be cast out from His presence and all He is creating for the saved. I certainly would not want to take that chance. I am not fond of complete darkness!
Again, how can you claim such knowledge of who God is, and what courses of action he will or will not take?
Because it is all revealed in the Bible. It is not just a book to read, you need to search the scriptures.
I was not content to just read the bible, I bought a Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible, and a Greek Lexicon, so I could better understand the words of the Bible. This was shortly after I obeyed the Gospel, over 40 years ago.
Because it is all revealed in the Bible. It is not just a book to read, you need to search the scriptures.
I was not content to just read the bible, I bought a Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible, and a Greek Lexicon, so I could better understand the words of the Bible. This was shortly after I obeyed the Gospel, over 40 years ago.
Better to search the still small voice, searching the scriptures alone was a correction that Jesus gave the Jews.
YOu search the scriptures, and in them you think you'll find eternal life, and they testify of me.
Christ is the eternal life we are to seek, not the letter.
godspeed,
freedom
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
