Gospel

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Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—-his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2b (NIV)

In the last article, I discussed the good will. The good will, as you remember is the will of God as refers to salvation. It is God's will that we come to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus.

This brings us to the second will of God. This is the acceptable will. This is God's understood will.

What do I mean by understood? It is what God expects from us. In this case, it speaks to our actions and character. It is how God expects us to act, because He is God and we are His. It is His understood will. It is what He expects from us.

We find references to this will in Romans 12:1(KJV). The Word says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

God's Word lets us know that we are to present our bodies to the Lord as living sacrifices. Our walk should reflect His holiness and righteousness. God accepts such a walk and God expects such a walk, because we are His. It is our reasonable service to Him. It is our spiritual act of worship.

Becoming a living sacrifice to God is a reasonable or rational expectation. God is Holy. Because He is Holy, He expects us to walk in righteousness. He expects us to become living sacrifices; meaning, we are to die to our desires and our various lusts and follow Him.

Of course, we cannot offer Him anything on our own. For, we have nothing to give Him, except His Son Jesus, who is our holiness—who is our righteousness. Without Him, we would be nothing but filthy rags. However, because of Him, we can stand before God and seek His will for our lives, which is to walk in holiness, always ready to confess and forsake the sins that beset or entangle our walk with God.

What are some of the acts that God expects from us? We are to love God. We are to love one another. We are to honor our fathers and mothers. We are to live godly lives. We are to have the mind of Christ. We are not to lie, steal, commit adultery, or cheat someone out of his or her money. We are to offer a drink to the thirsty, and food to the hungry. We are to serve no other gods. We are to treat others like we expect to others to treat us. We are to be the light in a darkened world. We are to share the Gospel with the lost, disciple those who know Christ, and yet, we are to remain humbled before the Lord. Above all, we must know that God bought us with His Son's precious blood, so we are no longer our own, but His. Thus, we are not to continue down the path of unrighteousness. Instead, we are to serve Him, by trusting Him, following His will, and having faith in His Son Jesus.

Yes, God expects us to be Holy. Yet, we try to present our unholy actions, thoughts, and works to Him believing He will accept them or overlook them. Truth is, He does not overlook them. They are stench to His nostrils. If God would not accept a blemished sacrifice in the Old Testament, then how can we expect Him to accept our unholy actions, thoughts and deeds? He cannot and will not accept them.

God did not give us His grace so we may continue in sin. No, He gave us grace because of our sins. Thus, instead of destroying us when we sin, He gives us mercy and time to overcome them, so they may become the living sacrifices He desires us to be. For this is His acceptable or understood will and it is our reasonable or rational service to God—our spiritual worship. To offer anything less is irrational and unacceptable to God.

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