LAWTON CHURCH OF GOD, LAWTON, OKLAHOMA

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41 THE WILL OF GOD

To the obedient child the will of the parent is law, and to the truly consecrated child of God the will of God—either as revealed in His Word or by His Spirit—is the rule for life and practice. Just in proportion as the human will embraces the will of God just in that proportion can the individual know true rest of soul, and fellowship with God. And our surrender and obedience to the will of God is the measure of our love to God and faith in God. It is foolish for a man to profess that he loves God, and yet be in rebellion against the revealed will of God. Jesus taught, “If a man love me, he will keep my words.” “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.” The commandments of God are simply the revealed and expressed will of God. No man can be a Christian and be indifferent concerning the will of God.

“If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine.” So we see it is not mental difficulties but heart difficulties—an unwillingness to do the will of God—that hinders one from experiencing and understanding “the doctrine” expressing the will of God. “This is the will of God, even your sanctification.” Many regard the doctrine of sanctification as though it were simply the dogma of some church or the theory of some zealots and religious fanatics; but the Bible says plainly “this is the will of God—EVEN YOUR SANCTIFICATION.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3.) If sanctification is the will of God concerning us, then we should not be content until we know definitely and positively that the will of God, even our sanctification, is accomplished in us.

Sanctification being the will of God concerning us, no one is what God wills and desires him to be until he is sanctified.

Not only is sanctification the will of God, but we read (Ephesians 5:25–27) “Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it.” “Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.” From these passages we learn, first, that Jesus died in order to make our sanctification a possibility, thus enabling us to have the will of God accomplished in us. Second, we learn that sanctification is for “the Church,” which is made up of God’s children—only true believers; that sanctification is a second experience, being for those who already have been converted, and so constitute “the Church.” Third, we learn that sanctification is a divine act—something that Jesus must do in us—and therefore cannot be attained by growth, or death, or religious activities, or purgatory, but that Jesus does the work of sanctifying, “with His own blood.” We can never grow into something He must do for us. “Sanctified by faith.” (Acts 26:18.)

To resist and reject “the will of God” is disobedience, and disobedience is sin, and sin brings guilt, condemnation and spiritual death. Hence, the person that refuses or neglects sanctification, because of his disobedience, is in danger of losing his soul. True happiness can only be known to those who abide in the center of God’s will.