“Everything happens for a reason.”
“God has a plan for you/this is part of His plan for you.”
I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard this sentiment expressed by well-meaning people. Hearing those words sounds great when someone gets into the school of their dreams, gets married, or wins their dream vacation. But when someone passes away, gets a divorce, or has a relapse into their alcohol addiction, this sentiment that “everything happens for a reason/it was God’s plan” can hurt people and is not the way to express a biblical understanding of the situation. Saying this would mean that whatever happens is God-caused, and God-willed, including sin that happens daily. But, verses such as 2 Peter 3:9 show us that God never wills for us to sin or to be separated from Him.
Have we ever been concerned with making the “right” choice? Not in a moral dilemma, but when there are two or more righteous choices and we can only pick one.
After graduating high school, what if I choose the wrong college? Is buying a certain model car over another going to influence my ability to serve God fully? With all of the options, how am I to know where God wants me to move and what job he wants me to take? Did I just break up with the one He had picked for me? What if I messed it all up? If God has a plan for me, how do I know what that is?
If questions like these have run through your mind, you are not alone. And if God does have a certain, specific path for us to be on that is impacted by every decision, it is scary to think that one little mess up could take away our chances of pleasing Him. But, God is not a sneaky God. He does not want us to fail, and He is not setting us up for unattainable salvation. If He truly wills for all people everywhere to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4-6; 2 Peter 3:9), then we should not fear that He has worked against us in making that happen. If He is not trying to trick us, then what is this plan or destiny that He has laid out for us, and how do we achieve it?
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)
So to address this passage, we first have to find out whom it is talking about. Who are the called? Who are the predestined?
Ephesians helps us see who Paul is referring to as those who are “predestined”.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:3-14, emphasis added).
The ones who are predestined are those who are “in Him”. Those who believe in Him and obey the gospel have been adopted, predestined, and chosen by God and have a plan by Him in His will.
For anyone who chooses to be in Him, what is God’s will? What is His specific plan for us?
God’s will is not an unexplained maze for us to discover. 2 Peter 1:3-4 assures us that “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these things you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” If there is a plan that relates to life and godliness, He has given it to us.
God’s Will:
For us to follow His plan.
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 ). Paul goes on to talk about how this is applied in the context of sexual immorality, but nonetheless states here exactly what God’s will is for us: our sanctification! We can be pleasing to God by keeping His scripture given to us by His Spirit. Us being set apart, being sanctified and redeemed by His blood, being in Him, that is His will for us. That is His calling for us. We can reject that calling (Galatians 1:6; 5:7-8), but it is offered to all.
“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning choose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Sanctification is God’s will; walking worthy of the Lord is His desire (Colossians 1:9-14). Seek the things that are going to add to your sanctification (Matthew 6:33).
God’s Plan
Paul was given the ministry to share this plan: “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:8-12).
God’s eternal purpose/plan has been accomplished. It is complete. The plan is Jesus being sent as a sacrifice to die for the sins of all, and for those who love Him to be set free from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ (Romans 5:6-11). His plan is not concerning your new car purchase or your vocational choices, but rather your eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” In other words, there are many “plans” you can choose from, but in each of these paths God’s word will be the guide that ensures you are in His will (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Since there are no exact choices marked out in His plan for us in everyday life, does this mean we can live however we want so long as we have obeyed the gospel? Romans 6’s answer: “Certainly not!” Since we have submitted to His will, He has shown us the ways of righteousness. We can no longer choose paths that make us slaves to sin (Romans 6:1-23). In this, God’s plan does close some doors. We must analyze whether or not making this decision will help us increase in Christ-likeness or surround us with temptation and worldly things. If there is something in an option that spiritually may not be good for you, that is a shut door from God’s plan. But, that same door may be what another person needs to choose in order to seek God first. Going to law school may be detrimental to your faith but the inspiration for another's. One guy/girl may be a date who would bring you closer to God, but for another person they may be the date that draws attention away from their service to Him. Whatever pushes you towards God’s truth and His will, any of those choices can be within God’s plan; and these choices may look different in each of our lives.
As long as you are living out the doctrine and law God has set before us in scripture, the options that are left are all okay to choose. We do not have to worry about each individual temporal choice if we are seeking Him in those decisions.We are not big enough to mess up God’s plan. We do not have the control to un-accomplish God’s will for mankind. Even after taking a “wrong path”, we have the opportunity to choose a plan within His will. Matthew 6:33 (read 6:25-34): “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This means you are free to make some decisions about your future and trust God with them as you seek His kingdom first (Colossians 3:1-3). He has a purpose for us, and that is growth in Christ-likeness.
“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18)
His will is not which house we end up in but how faithful we are. Wherever I am, God’s will is that I am pursuing good, and that I am doing what I’m doing joyfully, prayerfully, and thankfully.
Pray for our will to be His will. Thank Him for our free will to explore many opportunities to glorify Him and serve His purpose. Live with joy in the fact that God wills for us all to be saved and that we can share that knowledge with anyone we meet.
“The only chains God wants us to wear are the chains of righteousness - not the chains of hopeless subjectivism, not the shackles of risk-free living, not the fetters of horoscope decision making--just the chains befitting a bond servant of Christ Jesus. Die to self. Live for Christ. And then do what you want, and go where you want, for God's glory.” - Kevin DeYoung, in book “Just Do Something”
For further study: Romans 9:22-26; 1 Corinthians 2:7-16; Ephesians 1:3-7; Colossians 1:18-20; Galatians 1:6; Galatians 5:7-8; Ephesians 1:11-12; Ephesians 3:8-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Hebrews 9:15; 1 Peter 2:9, 3:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:4-6; John 1:12; James 1:18; Ephesians 5:13-21; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:8-10