What the Bible Says about How to Know God’s Will

by Wayne Grudem

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2020

Overview

At some point, every Christian wonders, What is God’s will for me in this situation? There are many situations for which Scripture doesn’t provide a black-and-white answer. In this book, adapted from his larger work Christian Ethics, Wayne Grudem helps readers stop overcomplicating God’s will and instead embrace the different ways they acquire wisdom for daily life. He lays out guidelines for making decisions both big and small. After looking at the 4 dimensions of every action (the action itself, attitudes, motives, and results), Grudem works through 9 sources of information and guidance, both objective (information from the Bible, information from studying the situation, information about ourselves, advice from others, changed circumstances) and subjective (the conscience, the heart, the human spirit, and the Holy Spirit). Readers will gain insight into how to make the right decisions about situations that arise in their lives.

Key Features

• Helps readers stop overcomplicating God’s will and embrace the different ways they acquire wisdom for daily life
• Provides guidelines for making decisions both big and small
• Examines 9 sources of information and guidance

Contents

• Decisions Can Be Quick or Drawn-Out, and Can Involve Major Events or Small Daily Activities
• Four Dimensions of Every Action
• Nine Sources of Information and Guidance
• The Danger of Making this Process Too Complicated
• Acquiring Wisdom: The Personal Skill Necessary for Ethical Living
• Appendix: A Response to Garry Friesen’s Book Decision Making and the Will of God

Top Highlights

“‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments’ (John 14:15)” (Page 9)

“This indicates that the deep, heartfelt desires of a person who loves God and takes delight in him will often be the very desires that God wants that person to have, the desires that God will be pleased to grant.” (Pages 25–26)

“But in general, Christian believers have become ‘obedient from the heart’ to God’s teachings (Rom. 6:17), and I have found again and again that, for Christians who are walking in obedience to the Lord, staying in fellowship with him, and maintaining regular prayer and Bible reading, their heart desires should be a large factor in discerning God’s will in particular situations.” (Page 27)

“The Action Itself. The first question to ask is, Is this a morally good action? To decide that, we need to know the commands of Scripture regarding the action.” (Page 12)

“I am convinced that the New Testament teaches that direct guidance from the Holy Spirit is a normal component of the life of Christians generally, and it is one of the factors we should take into account in seeking to know God’s will.” (Page 30)

Product Details

• Title: What the Bible Says about How to Know God’s Will
• Author: Wayne Grudem
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 80
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Theology

About Wayne Grudem

Wayne Grudem is a New Testament scholar turned theologian, author, and research professor of Bible and theology at Phoenix Seminary, Arizona. He earned a BA from Harvard University, an MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. In 2001 Grudem moved to Phoenix Seminary after having taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for more than twenty years where he was also the chairman of the Department of Biblical and Systematic Theology.