Dear Father: We understand that you "will" all mankind to be saved, but alas this is not possible. We tiny wills have the final say.
“…Nothing can be lost that is not first owned. Just as a parent is compelled by civil law to be responsible for his family and his property, so the Creator --by His own divine law–in compelled to take care of the children He has created. And that means not only caring for the good children, but for the bad ones and lost ones as well. So the word lost came to be for Mrs. Smith (Hannah W. Smith), a term of greatest comfort. If a person is a “lost sinner” it only means that he is temporarily separated from the Good Shepherd who owns him. The Shepherd is bound by all duties of ownership to go after all those who are lost until they are found.” -Catherine Marshall-
Just as I will it for my son to be successful, means it's my desire for him to be so. Doesn't mean he will. He still has to make the right choices.
I see you don't understand about the will of God.
There are two will's...His Will of Decree, or Sovereign Will.
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1. God’s Will of Decree, or Sovereign Will
Let’s see the passages of Scripture that make us think this way. First consider passages that describe “the will of God” as his sovereign control of all that comes to pass. One of the clearest is the way Jesus spoke of the will of God in Gethsemane when he was praying. He said, in
Matthew 26:39, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as
you will.” What does the will of God refer to in this verse? It refers to the sovereign plan of God that will happen in the coming hours. You recall how
Acts 4:27–28 says this: “Truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” So the “will of God” was that Jesus die. This was his plan, his decree. There was no changing it, and Jesus bowed and said, “Here’s my request, but you do what is best to do.” That’s the sovereign will of God.
And don’t miss the very crucial point here that it includes the sins of man. Herod, Pilate, the soldiers, the Jewish leaders — they all sinned in fulfilling God’s will that his Son be crucified (
Isaiah 53:10). So be very clear on this: God wills to come to pass some things that he hates.
Here’s an example from 1 Peter. In
1 Peter 3:17, Peter writes, “It is better to suffer for doing good,
if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” In other words,
it may be God’s will that Christians suffer for doing good. He has in mind persecution. But persecution of Christians who do not deserve it is sin. So again, God sometimes wills that events come about that include sin. “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will.”
Paul gives a sweeping summary statement of this truth in
Ephesians 1:11, “In him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works
all things according to the counsel of his will.” The will of God is God’s sovereign governance of all that comes to pass. And there are many other passages in the Bible that teach that God’s providence over the universe extends to the smallest details of nature and human decisions. Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from our Father in heaven (
Matthew 10:29). “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (
Proverbs 16:33). “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord” (
Proverbs 16:1). “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (
Proverbs 21:1).
That’s the first meaning of the will of God: It is God’s sovereign control of all things. We will call this his “sovereign will” or his “will of decree.” It cannot be broken. It always comes to pass. “He does according to
his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (
Daniel 4:35). [/quote/]
His Will of Command
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2. God’s Will of Command
Now the other meaning for “the will of God” in the Bible is what we can call his “will of command.” His will is what he commands us to do. This is the will of God we can disobey and fail to do. The will of decree we do whether we believe in it or not. The will of command we can fail to do. For example, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (
Matthew 7:21). Not all do the will of his Father. He says so. “Not everyone will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Why? Because not all do the will of God.
Paul says in
1 Thessalonians 4:3, “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.” Here we have a very specific instance of what God commands us: holiness, sanctification, sexual purity. This is his will of command. But, oh, so many do not obey.
Then Paul says in
1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” There again is a specific aspect of his will of command: Give thanks in all circumstances. But many do not do this will of God.
“Immerse yourself in the written word of God. Saturate your mind with it.”
1 John 2:17). Not all abide forever. Some do. Some don’t. The difference? Some do the will of God. Some don’t. The will of God, in this sense, does not always happen.
So I conclude from these and many other passages of the Bible that there are two ways of talking about the will of God. Both are true, and both are important to understand and believe in. One we can call God’s
will of decree (or his sovereign will) and the other we can call God’s
will of command. His will of decree always comes to pass whether we believe in it or not. His will of command can be broken, and is every day. [/quote/]
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And corresponding to these two wills are the two things you need in this situation: one is a God who is strong and sovereign enough to turn it for good; and the other is a God who is able to empathize with you. On the one hand, Christ is a sovereign High King, and nothing happens apart from his will (
Matthew 28:18). On the other hand, Christ is a merciful High Priest and sympathizes with our weaknesses and pain (
Hebrews 4:15). The Holy Spirit conquers us and our sins when he wills (
John 1:13;
Romans 9:15–16), and allows himself to be quenched and grieved and angered when he wills (
Ephesians 4:30;
1 Thessalonians 5:19). His sovereign will is invincible, and his will of command can be grievously broken.
We need both these truths — both these understandings of the will of God — not only to make sense out of the Bible, but to hold fast to God in suffering. [/quote/]
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (
Romans 12:1–2)
We must renew our mind through the scriptures. So that we can discern what is his will.
And the scriptures say, time and time again. You must repent of your sins, place your trust in Christ, and be saved by Grace alone and faith alone.
Many will do so, yes. But many won't either. By their own choice. Even though God Will's it to be so. The choice is yours.
There is one more will to add to this. His Permissive Will. He allows things to happen for a reason. Some reasons we Discern through the Holy Spirit. Some may not affect us at all, but will be for someone else. Yet, it's still Gods will for what ever it was to happen.
God's Permissive will, allows us to make choices. He let's us do that. But His Sovereign Will or Will of decree, does NOT in any way, change the consequences of the choices we have made.
So again, if you have broken God's commandments and have not repented of your sins and place your trust in Christ, You will not be able to enter into Heaven.
