God's Will

In Peter’s first letter, he differs between the moral will of God and the sovereign will of God. By moral will, Peter refers to something to be pursued and lived up to. On the other hand, the will of God is the state of affairs that he sovereignly brings about. God’s moral will is most prominently noted in His desire for all to be saved (Ezek. 18:23). From this, God’s moral will is expanded to include a desire for all to do what is right (1Pet. 2:15; 4:19), and live in freedom from lust and other sins (1Pet. 4:2). It is because of all this that God allows His people to suffer if it is for doing what is right (1Pet. 3:17), even to the point of death for the sake of who He is (Acts. 21:14). When God allows evil to occur through His permissive will, He does not necessarily always do it with pleasure, but sometimes with displeasure (Ps. 78:31; 81:11-12).

God’s sovereign will centers on His purpose (Rom. 9:11), which brings good pleasure to Him and will be accomplished (Is. 46:9-11). Because of this, God’s sovereign will cannot be changed (Job 42:2; Prov. 19:21). If not directly predestined, decreed, or purposed, God will use His moving hand of providence, which in its supremacy cannot be stopped (Dan. 4:35), to work all things out for His good (Num. 23:19; Matt. 10:29). Man does not have the final say in anything that occurs (Jer. 10:23; Rom. 9:16) because God has the final say in all that occurs (Prov. 16:33; Am. 3:6; Matt. 10:29); whatever God wants to do is done (Ps. 115:3), and whatever God wants to occur occurs (Prov. 21:1; Rom. 9:18). God’s sovereign will is so exhaustive that God directs all the paths of man (Prov. 16:9), so much so that no one is allowed to live (Jam. 4:15), or speak (Lam. 3:37-38) except by the allowance of God.