Šta je Božija volja?/What is the difference between God’s sovereign will and God’s revealed will?

Kada govorimo o Božijoj volji, mnogi vide njena tri različita aspekta u Bibliji. Prvi aspekt je poznat kao Božiji dekret, suverena ili skivena volja. To je Božija „krajnja" volja. Ovaj akpekt Božije volje proizilazi iz priznanja Božije suverenosti i drugih aspekata Božije prirode. Ovaj izraz Božije volje će se fokusirati na činjenici da Bog suvereno sve određuje da se desi. Drugim rečima. Ništa se ne dešava van Božije volje. Ovaj aspekt Božije volje se vidi u stihovima kao što je Efescima 1:11, gde vidimo da je Bog onaj „koji sve čini shodno savetovanju svoje volje", i Jov 42:2, „Ja priznajem da sve možeš i ništa se misli protiviti ne može". Ovo viđenje Božije volje je zasnovano na činjenici da, pošto je Bog suveren, On nikada ne može da bude osujećen. Ništa se ne dešava van Njegove kontrole. Ovo razumevanje Njegove suverene volje ne podrazumeva da Bog proizvdi sve što se dešava već potvrđuje da, pošto je suveren, On mora bar da dozvoli da se desi bilo šta što se dešava. Ovaj aspekt Božije volje potvrđuje da čak i kada Bog pasivno dozvoljava da se stvari dese, On mora da izabere da se dese, jer uvek ima snagu i pravo da interveniše. Bog uvek može da odluči da ili dozvoli ili zaustavi dela i događaje u svetu. Tako da, kao što je dozvolio da se stvari dese, on ih je „hteo". Dok je Božija suverena volja često skrivena od nas sve dok se ne desi, postoji drugi aspekt Njegove volje koji nam je jasan: Njegova očigledna ili otkrivena volja. Kao što reč podrazumeva, ovo viđenje Božije volje znači da je izabrao da u Bibliji otkrije svoju volju. Jasna Božija volja je Božja volja koja govori šta treba a šta ne treba da činimo. Na primer, zbog otkrivene Božije volje, jasno nam je da ne treba da krademo, da treba da volimo svoje neprijatelje, da se pokajemo od svojih grehova, i da budemo sveti kao što je On svet. Ovaj izraz Božije volje se otkriva kako u Njegovoj Reči, tako i u našoj savesti, kroz koju je Bog napisao svoj moralni zakon u čovečjim srcima. Božiji zakoni, bez obzira da li se nalaze u Bibliji ili u našim srcima, obavezuju nas. Mi smo odgovorni kada im nismo poslušni. Razumevanje ovog aspekta Božije volje potvrđuje da iako imamo snagu i sposobnost da se ne pokorimo Božiji zapovestima, nemamo pravo da to radimo. Zato nema izgovora za naš greh, i ne možemo da tvrdimo da izabravši greh jednostavno ispunjavamo Božiju suverenu volju ili odredbu. Juda je ispunjavao Božiju suverenu volju kada je izdao Hrista, kao i Rimljani kada su ga razapeli. To ne opravdava njihove grehe. Nisu bili ništa manje zli niti pokvareni, i bili su pozvani na odgovornost za to što su odbacili Hrista (Dela 4:27-28). Iako njegova suverena volja dozvoljava da se desi greh, i dalje smo njemu odgovorni za taj greh. Treći aspekt Božije volje koji vidimo u Bibliji je Božija volja koju dozvoli da se desi ili savršena volja. Ovaj aspekt Božije volje opisuje Božiji stav i definiše šta je to što mu je ugodno. Na primer, jasno je da Bog ne uživa u smrti zlih, takođe je jasno da on svojom voljom određuje njihovu smrt. Ovaj izraz Božije volje se vidi u mnogim stihovima u Bibliji koji nagoveštavaju šta Bog radi a da u tome ne uživa. Na primer, u 1.Timoteju 2:4, vidimo da Bog želi da svi ljudi budu spaseni i dođu do poznanja istine a ipak znamo da je Božija suverena volja da „Niko ne može da dođe k meni, ako ga ne privuče Otac koji me je poslao, i ja ću ga vaskrsnuti u poslednji dan." Jovan 6:44. Ako nismo pažljivi, lako možemo da postanemo opsednuti Božijom „voljom" za svoj život. Međutim, ako je volja koju tražimo Njegova tajna, ili odlučena volja, naše traganje je besmisleno. Bog nije odabrao da nam pokaže taj akspekt Svoje volje. Ono što bi trebalo da tražimo da poznajemo je Njegova očigledna ili otkrivena volja. Pravo obeležje duhovnosti je kada znamo i živimo u skladu sa Božijom voljom koja je otkrivena u Pismu, i to može da se sumira rečima: „Budite sveti, jer sam ja svet" (1. Petrova 1:15-16). Naša odgovornost je da se pokorimo otkrivenoj Božijoj volji i da ne spekulišemo šta bi mogla da bude Njegova skrivena volja za nas. Dok bi trebalo da budemo „vođeni Svetim Duhom", nikada ne treba da zaboravimo da nas Sveti Duh prvenstveno vodi pravednosti i saobraženju sa likom Hrista, tako da naši životi proslavljaju Boga. Bog nas poziva da živimo u skladu sa svakom rečju koja proizilazi iz Njegovih usta. Život u skladu sa Njegovom otkrivenom voljom trebalo bi da bude naš glavni cilj u životu. Rimljanima 12:1-2 sumira ovu istinu tako što kaže sa smo pozvani „da svoja telesa prinesete na živu, svetu, bogougodnu žrtvu, da to bude vaša umna služba Bogu. I ne upodobljavajte se ovom svetu, nego se preobražavajte obnavljanjem svoga uma, da biste mogli da razaberete šta je volja Božija, šta je dobro, i ugodno, i savršeno." Da bismo poznavali Božiju volju trebalo bi da uronimo u pisanu Božiju Reč, da preplavimo svoj um Rečju, da se molimo da nas Sveti Duh transformiše obnovom uma, tako da ishod bude ono što je dobro, prihvatlijvo i savršeno – Božija volja.

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Human will is fairly straightforward: when we want something to happen, we “will” for it to take place; when we do something, we have shown our “will” in the matter. God’s will is a little more complex. In fact, theologians see three different aspects of God’s will in the Bible: His sovereign (decretive) will, His revealed (preceptive) will, and His dispositional will. God’s sovereign or decretive will is also called His “hidden” will. It is “sovereign” in that it shows God to be the Sovereign ruler of the universe who ordains all that happens. It is “decretive” because it involves God’s decrees. It is “hidden” because we are usually unaware of this aspect of God’s will until what He has decreed takes place. There is nothing that happens that is outside of God’s sovereign will. For example, it was God’s sovereign will that Joseph be taken to Egypt, languish in Pharaoh’s prison, interpret the king’s dreams, and eventually save his people from famine and be honored by all (Genesis 37–50). At first, Joseph and his brothers were completely ignorant of God’s will in these matters, but, every step along the way, God’s plan was made plainer. When Ephesians 1:11 describes God as the one “who works all things according to the counsel of His will,” it speaks of God’s sovereign or decretive will. God Himself expresses the fact of His sovereign will in Isaiah 46:10: “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Because God is sovereign, His will can never be frustrated. The sovereign or decretive will of God can be divided into His efficacious will and His permissive will. We must do this because God does not directly “cause” everything to happen. Some of His decrees are efficacious (that is, they directly contribute to the fulfillment of God’s desire); others of His decrees are permissive (that is, they allow for an indirect fulfillment of God’s desire). Because God is sovereign, He must at least “permit” all events and happenings. Within God’s sovereign will, He chooses to permit many things to happen that He takes no pleasure in. Again citing the example of Joseph and his brothers, God chose, by an act of decretive will, to allow the kidnapping and enslavement of Joseph. God’s permissive will allowed the sins of Joseph’s brothers in order to bring about a greater good (see Genesis 50:20). At every mistreatment of Joseph, God had the power to intervene, but He “permitted” the evil and, in that limited sense, He sovereignly “willed” it to happen. God’s revealed or preceptive will is not hidden from us. This facet of God’s will includes that which God has chosen to reveal to us in the Bible—His precepts are plainly stated. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). The preceptive will of God is what God wants us to do (or not do). For example, we know that it is God’s will that we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), repent, and turn to God (Acts 3:19). It is God’s revealed will that we not commit adultery (1 Corinthians 6:18) or get drunk (Ephesians 5:18). God’s revealed will is constantly “making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). We are obligated to obey God’s revealed or preceptive will; however, we have the ability to disobey. God’s revealed will for Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply, tend the garden, subdue the earth, and not eat of a certain tree (Genesis 1–2). Unfortunately, they rebelled against God’s revealed will (Genesis 3). The consequences they suffered show that they could not excuse their sin. Neither can we claim that our sin simply fulfills God’s sovereign will, as if that absolves us from guilt. It was God’s will that Jesus suffer and die, but those responsible for His death were still held accountable (Mark 14:21). God’s dispositional will deals with His “attitude”; His will of disposition is what pleases or displeases Him. For example, God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). This is an expression of God’s disposition toward the lost—He wants them to be saved (if He did not, then He would not have sent the Savior). Although God’s heart desires all to be saved, not all are saved. So, there is a difference between God’s dispositional will and His sovereign will. In summary, the will of God involves three aspects: 1) God’s sovereign will is revealed in His unchangeable decrees. He decreed that there be light, and there was light (Genesis 1:3)—an example of His efficacious decree. He allowed Satan to torment Job (Job 1:12)—an example of His permissive decree. 2) God’s revealed will is contained in His precepts, given to us in order that we may walk in holiness. We have the ability (but not the right) to break these commands. 3) God’s dispositional will is His attitude. At times, God decrees something that gives Him no pleasure, such as the death of the wicked (see Ezekiel 33:11).