Seeking God's Will Through Scripture Rather Than Human Experience
Seeking God's Will Through Scripture
The concept of seeking God's will is deeply rooted in biblical teachings. Scripture emphasizes the importance of aligning one's desires and actions with God's will, rather than relying on human experiences or desires. In I Peter 4:2, believers are exhorted to live according to God's will, rather than human desires [1]. This theme is echoed in Hosea 6:6, where God expresses a desire for "the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" [2].
The Bible underscores the significance of Scripture in understanding God's will. According to Calvin, the will of God is not to be sought anywhere else than in His word [6]. This Reformed perspective emphasizes the authority of Scripture in guiding believers. In John 5:39, Jesus instructs his listeners to "search the Scriptures," highlighting the importance of engaging with biblical texts to discern God's will [5, 9].
The Protestant academic tradition also stresses the role of Scripture in understanding God's will. Tyndale House notes that Jesus trusted God to provide for his needs, illustrating the importance of relying on God's provision rather than human wisdom [4]. Similarly, John Gill observes that the Scriptures were written "for our learning" and to instruct believers in the knowledge of Christ [8].
In contrast to relying on human experiences or emotions, the biblical approach to seeking God's will is grounded in the authority and reliability of Scripture. As I Corinthians 2:5 states, faith should be "based not on man's wisdom but on the power of God" [3]. This emphasis on the sufficiency of Scripture for understanding God's will is a common thread across various Protestant traditions, including Reformed, Baptist/Reformed, and Methodist/Wesleyan perspectives [6, 7, 9, 10].
The historical development of this doctrine is closely tied to the Protestant Reformation, which reaffirmed the authority of Scripture in matters of faith and practice. By emphasizing the importance of Scripture in seeking God's will, Christian traditions encourage believers to look beyond human experiences and emotions, and instead, to ground their understanding of God's will in the biblical text.
Sources
- I Peter “I Peter 4:2 (LEB) — in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for the will of God.”
- Hosea “Hosea 6:6 (BSB) — For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
- I Corinthians “I Corinthians 2:5 (BBE) — So that your faith might be based not on man's wisdom but on the power of God.”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 4:3: 4:3-4 Jesus refused to use his supernatural power to obtain the food that he trusted God to provide. Unlike the people of Israel, who sorely tested God through complaint and unbelief (see Exod 16), Jesus refused to question God’s faithfulness. Instead, he trusted God to provide for his true need, the sustenance of every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 5:39: Search the scriptures, &c.--"In the Scriptures ye find your charter of eternal life; go search them then, and you will find that I am the Great Burden of their testimony; yet ye will not come to Me for that life eternal which you profess to find there, and of which they tell you I am the appointed Dispenser." (Compare Act 17:11-12). How touching and gracious are these last words! Observe here (1) The honor which Christ gives to the Scriptures, as a record which all have a right and are bound to search--the reverse of which the Church of Rome teaches; (2)”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, section 25.2: be a hinderance in the way of their cheerfully making progress, and allowing what had been begun in them to receive an additional polish. But what knowledge does he desire in their behalf? The knowledge of the divine will , by which expression he sets aside all inventions of men, and all speculations that are at variance with the word of God. For his will is not to be sought anywhere else than in his word. He adds — in all wisdom; by which he intimates that the will of God, of which he had made mention, was the onl”
- 2 Peter (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Peter 1:21: For the prophecy,.... The whole Scripture, all the prophetic writings; so the Jews call the Scriptures "the prophecy" (g), by way of eminence, and from the subject matter of the sacred word: came not in old time by the will of man; was not brought into the world at first, or in any period of time, as and when man would, according to his pleasure, and as he thought fit: neither Moses, nor David, nor Isaiah, nor Jeremiah, nor Ezekiel, nor Daniel, nor any other of the prophets, prophesied when they pleased, but when it was the will of God they should; they were stirre”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 15:3: For whatsoever things were written aforetime,.... In the books of the Old Testament; the apostle says this, to vindicate the pertinency of the above citation, and to prevent any objection that might be made against it; since whatsoever was written in that psalm did not belong personally to David, but to Christ; and what is written concerning him, is designed for the use and instruction of his people; yea, whatever is written anywhere in the sacred Scriptures, were written for our learning; to instruct in the knowledge of Christ, of his person, offices, grace, righte”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 5:39: Search the Scriptures,.... The writings of Moses, and the prophets, which were of divine inspiration and authority, and are often appealed unto by Christ, and his apostles, for the truth of what they delivered; and were the standard of faith, and the test of doctrines; and therefore to be searched diligently into, for finding divine knowledge and improvement in it, and for the trial of doctrines. The words may be rendered in the indicative, as an assertion, "ye do search the Scriptures": the Jews had the sacred oracles committed to them, and these they read, not only th”
- 1 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 12:3: No man speaking by the Spirit of God - It was granted on all hands that there could be no religion without Divine inspiration, because God alone, could make his will known to men: hence heathenism pretended to this inspiration; Judaism had it in the law and the prophets; and it was the very essence of the Christian religion. The heathen priests and priestesses pretended to receive, by inspiration from their god, the answers which they gave to their votaries. And as far as the people believed their pretensions, so far they were led by their teaching. Both Juda”