God’s Perfect Will
“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. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12.1, 2
I believe that either aggressively or passively, each true follower of Christ would like to know what God’s perfect will for his or her life is. After all, how can anyone believe that they are eternally saved without believing they must follow Christ all the way from salvation into eternity?
I am certain that we all have some idea, whether biblical or personal, about what it takes to be accomplishing the perfect will of God; however, we must understand some of the verbiage.
The word “prove” translates a Greek word meaning, “to test, examine or to scrutinize.” The biblical injunction carries more than a quick scan – it requires a deep and concerted effort to understand completely the matter at hand. So what is the matter at hand?
To a pastor, it may be an emphasis on church attendance, prayer and Bible study. After all, when a person joins a local assembly of believers, the dates and times of services are quite well known. The pastor wonders how in the world can a church member be in the perfect will of God if he is not consistent in his attendance?
To a prospective husband looking to complete his life with a wife, the man may have a list of requirements necessary to him in order to consider a young lady as a prospect. His idea of being in the perfect will of God would include finding a young lady who fits all of his requirements.
To a mother trying to raise her children, it may be seeing her children being obedient and respectful to both her and to others – helping strangers and being kind to those less fortunate. She may believe that since her children are walking in the right (or at least a pleasing) path, she must be in the perfect will of God because He has blessed her with obedience and thoughtful children.
Romans 12.1 & 2 has often been used to support our personal choices such as: 1. Career, 2. Spouse, 3. College, or a myriad of other options. The word “perfect” translates the Greek word “teleios,” which is an adjective related to the verb “teleo” – the word used by Jesus in John 19.30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” The basic form of these words, “telos,” means a point of completion – a termination point at which a process or action is completed. When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He had accomplished what He had set out to do – to be the substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world. (John 3.16; Hebrews 10.7)
We must understand that our Lord Jesus did many good deeds while He was on the earth – He healed the sick and maimed – He fed the poor – He counseled the broken-hearted – He raised the dead; however, His predetermined mission to the world was not to do those things. When counseling His disciples, Jesus said: “For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.” (Mark 14.7) If the perfect will of God for Jesus was to heal and feed everyone, Jesus has been a miserable failure; however, that was not God’s perfect (completed, full grown) will for Him.
While it is a good thing to help the poor when we can – to lift the fallen when we are able – to encourage the hopeless – those things are a part of Christ-like living, not the completed, full grown, perfect will of God.
The perfect will of God is not to be “conformed” to the world, but to be “transformed” by renewing our minds. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8.29)
The perfect will of God is to find our completion in Him – in His finished work as our one and only sacrifice for sins. His sacrifice is, in itself, sufficient for our needs – for our acceptance in the presence of God – apart from our personal efforts. We can rest secure in the accomplishment of our Savior as we renew the way we think about His sacrificial, completed work on our behalf.
I am certain that we all have some idea, whether biblical or personal, about what it takes to be accomplishing the perfect will of God; however, we must understand some of the verbiage.
The word “prove” translates a Greek word meaning, “to test, examine or to scrutinize.” The biblical injunction carries more than a quick scan – it requires a deep and concerted effort to understand completely the matter at hand. So what is the matter at hand?
To a pastor, it may be an emphasis on church attendance, prayer and Bible study. After all, when a person joins a local assembly of believers, the dates and times of services are quite well known. The pastor wonders how in the world can a church member be in the perfect will of God if he is not consistent in his attendance?
To a prospective husband looking to complete his life with a wife, the man may have a list of requirements necessary to him in order to consider a young lady as a prospect. His idea of being in the perfect will of God would include finding a young lady who fits all of his requirements.
To a mother trying to raise her children, it may be seeing her children being obedient and respectful to both her and to others – helping strangers and being kind to those less fortunate. She may believe that since her children are walking in the right (or at least a pleasing) path, she must be in the perfect will of God because He has blessed her with obedience and thoughtful children.
Romans 12.1 & 2 has often been used to support our personal choices such as: 1. Career, 2. Spouse, 3. College, or a myriad of other options. The word “perfect” translates the Greek word “teleios,” which is an adjective related to the verb “teleo” – the word used by Jesus in John 19.30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” The basic form of these words, “telos,” means a point of completion – a termination point at which a process or action is completed. When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He had accomplished what He had set out to do – to be the substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world. (John 3.16; Hebrews 10.7)
We must understand that our Lord Jesus did many good deeds while He was on the earth – He healed the sick and maimed – He fed the poor – He counseled the broken-hearted – He raised the dead; however, His predetermined mission to the world was not to do those things. When counseling His disciples, Jesus said: “For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.” (Mark 14.7) If the perfect will of God for Jesus was to heal and feed everyone, Jesus has been a miserable failure; however, that was not God’s perfect (completed, full grown) will for Him.
While it is a good thing to help the poor when we can – to lift the fallen when we are able – to encourage the hopeless – those things are a part of Christ-like living, not the completed, full grown, perfect will of God.
The perfect will of God is not to be “conformed” to the world, but to be “transformed” by renewing our minds. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8.29)
The perfect will of God is to find our completion in Him – in His finished work as our one and only sacrifice for sins. His sacrifice is, in itself, sufficient for our needs – for our acceptance in the presence of God – apart from our personal efforts. We can rest secure in the accomplishment of our Savior as we renew the way we think about His sacrificial, completed work on our behalf.
Copyright © 2025 Dr. John H. Hill, All rights reserved.
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