Understanding the difference between God’s sovereign will and God’s revealed will is vital for Christians seeking to know God’s purposes and plans. God’s sovereign will refers to God’s hidden plans and purposes which He brings about through His divine providence. God’s revealed will refers to what God has specifically made known to us in Scripture concerning what He wants us to do and how He wants us to live. Though there is mystery in discerning the relationship between these two aspects of God’s will, Scripture provides insight into how God’s sovereignty and His moral commands work together in accomplishing His purposes.
God’s Sovereign Will
God’s sovereign will refers to God’s hidden plans and purposes which He providentially brings about through His almighty power and wisdom. Ephesians 1:11 states that God “works all things according to the counsel of His will.” This verse indicates that God has wise plans and purposes for all things which He providentially governs. God’s sovereignty refers to His supreme authority and control over all things (Psalm 103:19). He can do whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3). His sovereign will cannot be thwarted but will surely come to pass (Isaiah 46:10).
Aspects of God’s sovereign will include the following:
- The saving of specific individuals – God providentially directs the circumstances of people’s lives and graciously works in their hearts to lead them to faith in Christ (John 6:37, 44; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 1:4-5).
- Events in nature – God directs natural forces and events in the physical world to fulfill His purposes (Psalm 148:1-6; Jonah 1:4, 15).
- Actions of human beings – Both good and evil actions of people further God’s plans (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23). God is never the author of evil but uses even evil acts to bring about His good purposes.
- The details of our lives – God ordains and plans the details of our lives according to His will (Psalm 139:16; Proverbs 16:9; 19:21).
In all these things, God works through secondary causes and agents. He does not directly cause evil but uses it within His sovereign will to bring about His righteous purposes (Genesis 45:5-8). As Creator and Sustainer of all things, God is actively involved in and rules over every aspect of reality so that His sovereign will is accomplished. His ways and sovereign purposes are often mysterious and incomprehensible to us due to our finite understanding (Romans 11:33-36). But we can trust the wisdom and goodness of God’s hidden will.
God’s Revealed Will
In contrast to His hidden sovereign will, God has revealed His moral commands and precepts which make known His will for human thought and conduct. God’s revealed will refers to what He has specifically disclosed to humankind in Scripture regarding what He wants us to do, how He wants us to live, and what He wants us to avoid. Through God’s revealed law, mankind is able to know what is pleasing to God and what God’s will is for human behavior and relationships.
In the Old Testament, God revealed His law through Moses beginning with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). The rest of the books of Moses (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) contain hundreds of specific commands and instructions from God regarding sacrifices, religious festivals, ethics, civil law, penalties for breaking the law, and regulations for the priesthood, tabernacle worship, diet, purity, and more. The Psalms and Prophets expand on how God wants His people to live. God’s revelation of His will continues in the New Testament teachings of Jesus and the apostles which focus on moral conduct and attitudes, love for God and neighbors, caring for those in need, refraining from sexual immorality, and living in holiness (Matthew 5-7; Romans 12:9-21; Galatians 5:16-26; Colossians 3:1-17).
Though imperfect, human conscience provides some awareness of God’s basic moral standards (Romans 2:14-15). Special biblical revelation provides much greater light regarding God’s will. Components of God’s revealed will in Scripture include:
- Moral law and commands – Regulations and instructions for human conduct, relationships, and attitudes (Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 13:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:3).
- Principles and teachings – General truths that guide decisions and way of life (Proverbs; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:15-21).
- Wisdom – Practical understanding of how to live an upright life day to day (Proverbs; James 1:5).
- Prophetic correction – Calling God’s people back to obedience when they stray (Jeremiah 7; Ezekiel 22).
- Divine discipline – Consequences designed to correct sin and train in righteousness (Hebrews 12:5-11).
God reveals His moral standards because He wants people to live in ways that reflect His holy character (1 Peter 1:14-16). His commands expose human sin, lead to repentance, instruct in righteousness, and promote love for God and others when obeyed. They demonstrate the wise and good life that aligns with how God designed human beings to live in this world. As redeemed but still fallen people, God’s moral commands serve as a guide and guardrail that direct us into God-honoring thought and behavior.
Relationship Between God’s Sovereign Will and Revealed Will
Both God’s hidden sovereign will and His revealed moral will are in harmony and work together to accomplish His purposes. However, discerning precisely how they interrelate continues to be a matter of debate. Christians have differing perspectives on this issue which has practical impact on how they live the Christian life.
The key question is: How does God’s sovereign plan relate to human choice and responsibility? Did God decree all things, including human decisions and actions, or did He allow freedom of choice in His sovereign plan? Theologians and Bible scholars offer several main views:
1. All is determined
In this view, God’s sovereign will determines everything including all human thoughts, decisions and actions. Humans are morally responsible to obey God’s commands, yet have no ability in themselves to do so apart from God’s intervening grace which also is decreed. God’s revealed will shows us our duty but does not imply ability on our part apart from what God sovereignly works in us. He ordains all things that come to pass including all alleged choices people make. Though humans are responsible moral agents, their choices are not truly free but follow necessarily from God’s eternal decrees.
2. Genuinely free will
In this perspective, God in His sovereignty created humans with a free moral agency and does not decree or determine their choices. His revealed will presents us with moral choices for which we are held accountable. Election of the saved is corporate based on foreknowledge of those who would believe. God does not decree moral evil but it flows from the genuine free-will decisions of creatures. Sovereignty means God’s perfect ability to respond and work with creatures made with libertarian freedom.
3. Compatibilist freedom
This view seeks a middle-ground which affirms that God decrees all things including human choices, yet humans are still responsible and make willing choices that stem from their own moral nature. While God ordains all things, humans freely make the choices decreed. Thus human freedom is compatible with God’s absolute sovereignty. God’s revealed will presents us with genuine moral choices, for which we are responsible, that simultaneously are decreed by God’s hidden will.
4. Two wills in God
Some distinguish between God’s revealed moral will which applies to all and His sovereign efficacious will which decrees all things. The two are not contradictory in God since His transcendence allows Him to will on different levels without it being inconsistent. Yet these two wills often seem contradictory from our limited human perspective. This approach maintains God’s sovereignty while retaining human freedom and accountability.
5. Paradoxical tension
This view simply accepts that God’s sovereign hidden will and His revealed moral will relate in an incomprehensible paradoxical way. We finite humans can grasp neither how God’s sovereignty and human choice fit together nor fully harmonize God’s desires for good and His allowance of evil. Though mysterious, we can trust God amidst the tension and live according to His revealed will knowing He sovereignly works through our willing choices to fulfill His purposes.
Each of these perspectives seeks faithfulness to the teachings of Scripture and extending God’s sovereignty while maintaining meaningful human freedom and responsibility. Since God’s ways are above our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), care must be exercised in handling this issue to avoid dogmatism. Christians should extend grace where the Bible genuinely allows differing conclusions on the matter. Openness to further insight should mark all Christians since no one has yet comprehended the full relationship between God’s sovereign ordination of all things and His purposes for human volition and accountability.
How to Respond to God’s Sovereign and Revealed Will
When seeking to handle the deep issue of God’s sovereign and revealed will, Christians should avoid fruitless speculation and debate that breeds division. Rather, the emphasis must be on responding rightly to what Scripture clearly reveals concerning God’s will. The appropriate response is to:
- Worship God’s sovereign greatness – Worship and bow in awe before the One whose ways are unsearchable and beyond our understanding (Psalm 145:3; Romans 11:33-36).
- Trust in God’s wisdom – Rest in God’s infinite knowledge, wisdom, goodness, love and faithfulness. His sovereign will is always wise and good (Daniel 4:35; Romans 8:28; 11:33-36).
- Obey God’s revealed will – Diligently obey God’s Word and His commands with willing submission. These reveal what pleases God and how He wants us to live (Deuteronomy 29:29; Micah 6:8; James 1:22).
- Thank God for grace to obey – Thankfully rely on God’s grace to empower obedience to His revealed will. He enlightens, convicts, draws, and enables through the Word and Spirit (John 6:44-45; 15:5; Philippians 2:12-13).
- Entrust all to God – By faith entrust both His sovereign will and our lives fully to His hands for safekeeping and working all things for good (Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:25-34; Romans 8:28).
Seeking to master and reconcile every aspect of God’s sovereign will with human responsibility is futile. God’s ways here are past finding out. But Christians have full assurance from Scripture that God is absolutely sovereign, infinitely wise and good, and works all things according to His perfect will. We also know clearly what He requires of us through His revealed will. Both His sovereign rule and His moral commands are to be cherished, honored, and obeyed.
