Will of God
Romans 12:2 “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.”
Here Paul moves from what our body does to how our mind thinks.
You see three layers.
Transformation and renewing
“Be not conformed… but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
The world wants to press you into its mold. Paul says, do not let that happen. Instead, let your mind be changed from the inside by the Word of God.
This is not a one-time thing. It is daily. Old thoughts scraped away. New thoughts laid down. Your position in Christ is settled the moment you get saved, but your mind needs constant renewing so your direction lines up with that position.
Abraham is a good picture of this. God did not start with a full map. He started with a clear call.
Genesis 12:1, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.”
He had the will of God presented to him, but it was mostly in the form of a direction. Leave your country. Leave your family. Go to a land I will show you. God didn’t give many details and I could only imagine how Abrahmah’s wife felt! The Lord only provided a clear first step.
Abraham’s thinking had to change. God was moving him from a life built around his old country and kin, into a life built around promises he could not yet see.
Proving His will
“…that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable…”
“Prove” is the word for testing metal. You do not learn the will of God like you memorize a chart. You learn it by walking it out.
Abraham did not get a full schedule from God. He moved in the direction God gave, and as he obeyed, God proved His faithfulness and made more things clear.
It is that way with us. God does not usually line out all the details of the next 20 years. He gives light for the step in front of us. As we obey, we “prove” that His way is good and acceptable. Our feet test what our mind is beginning to understand.
You can see this in a simple area. A young man senses God wants him to give his life to serve in some full-time way, maybe missions or ministry. He does not know where, how, or when. If he waits until all that is clear, he will sit for years. The right move is to obey what he knows now: be faithful in his church, learn, train, stay clean, and tell others about Christ. As he does the will he knows, God proves His will, and more direction comes.
The perfect will of God
“…and perfect, will of God.”
There is nothing flawed in God’s will. The “perfect” will of God is not some secret level for a few people. It is the complete will of God, fully carried out in a life.
You see a picture of this again with Abraham and Lot.
Abraham obeyed and left his country, but for a while he pulled Lot along with him. Lot was not part of the original command. He was extra. God blessed Abraham, but there was still trouble. Their herds grew, their servants argued, and the land could not hold them both.
Then came a separation. When Abraham and Lot parted, and Abraham finally stood alone where God had wanted him in the first place, God spoke again and widened the promise.
Genesis 13:14–15, “And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes… For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it…”
When Abraham fully lined up with what God had already said, more of God’s perfect will opened up. The direction he had obeyed led into a fuller view of what God had planned.
This is why God does not tell us everything at once. Imagine if you knew the exact day you would die. You would live today differently, and not in a good way. Some would waste time, thinking they have years. Others would live in fear, counting down. God is wise not to give us that kind of detail. He gives enough light to obey today, and His perfect will unfolds as we walk.
So the will of God in Romans 12:2 runs like this. A renewed mind that will not wear the world’s mask. A life that tests and proves truth by obedience. A path where, as we carry out the will we know, the good, acceptable, perfect will of God opens more clearly.
