Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion?, 2nd ed.
Overview
Does the Bible teach Christians to "find God's special will" for their lives? No, it does not, says respected biblical scholar Bruce Waltke, contrary to much popular evangelical teaching. In this acclaimed book Waltke clearly distinguishes between pagan divination (“guessmancy”) and solid, Bible-based guidance as he distills from Scripture a six-point program to help guide Jesus followers on their life journey.
This expanded and extensively rewritten second edition of Waltke's Finding the Will of God incorporates the best insights from many other books on guidance that have appeared since the first edition came out (2002), and it includes an entirely new chapter on learning to protect one's heart. This edition also features thoughtful questions for reflection at the end of each chapter.
- Indepth Bible-based critique of traditional evangelical ideas about the nature of God's will
- Extensively revised and rewritten 2nd edition
- Additional exanded content from the first edition
- Part One: God's Will
- Is Finding God's Will a Biblical Idea
- How Pagans Divine the Will of God
- God's Will in the Old Testament
- Part Two: God's Program of Guidance
- Read Your Bible
- Develop of Heart for God
- Develop a Heart for God
- Protect Your Heart
- Seek Wise Counsel
- Recognize God's Providence
- Does This Make Sense?
- Divine Intervention
Top Highlights
“The ‘will of God’ can also mean his providence. Theologians commonly use the term ‘providence’ for his eternal plan, but I am using it to refer to the outworking of his plan in our particular circumstances. God creates circumstances that control our lives and destiny apart from our will.” (Page 10)
“First, it is a non sequitur, a conclusion that does not logically follow the premise. Simply because God has a specific plan for you does not mean that he necessarily intends to reveal it to you.” (Page 16)
“I have concluded that by righteousness Solomon means ‘disadvantaging yourself to advantage others,’ and by wickedness he means ‘disadvantaging others to advantage yourself.’” (Page 76)
“The Bible forbids pagan divination or fortune-telling because it is based on the idea of Fate, not on belief in a living God who rules all things with justice and love.” (Page 13)
“They interpret ‘wisdom’ to mean specific guidance, and their reasoning goes something like this: If you need special wisdom (read: specific guidance) when making a decision, go to God, consult him, and wait for him to give you the answer you’re looking for. However, James is not referring to guidance. By ‘wisdom’ he means a heavenly way of life, as opposed to an earthly wisdom, which is self-centered and ambitious. This earthly wisdom is not of God. ‘But the wisdom that comes from heaven [by prayer] is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere’ (James 3:17). In short, when James says, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom,’ he refers to a lack of purity, peacefulness, gentleness, and the like.” (Page 25)
Bruce Waltke shows that God guides his servants not by dubious techniques of divination but by the discipline of purehearted decision-making. Waltke’s quiet, honest, Bible-soaked wisdom will be a godsend to puzzled people in this much-misunderstood area of Christian concern. This book is a beam of true light and a breath of fresh air.
—J. I. Packer
What a rare combination — good biblical interpretation and judicious common sense, blended in the right mixture — all in one book. Waltke’s style is provocative, thoughtful, refreshing, and richly illustrated from living applications of the principles he advocates.
—Walter C. Kaiser
- Title: Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion?
- Author: Bruce K. Waltke
- Edition: Second Edition
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Print Publication Date: 2016
- Logos Release Date: 2018
- Pages: 247
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Christian life; Discernment (Christian theology); God (Christianity) › Will
- ISBNs: 9780802872678, 9780802839749, 0802872670, 0802839746
- Resource ID: LLS:FNDNGWLLSCNDDTN
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:01:03Z
Bruce Waltke (1930– ) is an Old Testament scholar, distinguished professor of Old Testament at Knox Theological Seminary, and professor emeritus of Old Testament studies at Regent College. He has also taught at Dallas Theological Seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Regent College. He has served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society.
Waltke was on the translation committee of both the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version. He is the author of numerous award-winning books like Genesis: A Commentary (co-authored with C. J. Fredricks) and An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach. Other books from Waltke include The Book of Proverbs (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament) and The Psalms as Christian Worship.