Walking in His Will
New, published 4 November 2026. What else is new
Paul spent eleven chapters of Romans on what God has done: sin judged, sinners justified, the Spirit given, Israel and the nations held in one plan of mercy. Then he wrote "therefore", and told the church in Rome what to do with their lives.
✝️ Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
In one sentence: God has made His will known in His word and in His Son, and as you hand Him your will, He renews your mind to test and approve it and works in you to walk in it (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 13:21).
Key Takeaways
(This section follows the Key Takeaways format — see that page for what each part is for.)
Types & Prophecy
- Prophecy applied to Jesus. David wrote, "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8, ESV). Hebrews puts the psalm in the mouth of Christ coming into the world: "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:7, ESV).
Lessons about Jesus
- Jesus lived on His Father's will. "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (John 4:34, ESV). He came down from heaven to do it (John 6:38), and He sought it in every judgment He made (John 5:30).
- Jesus prayed the prayer He taught. In Gethsemane His second prayer was "your will be done" (Matthew 26:42, ESV), the same Greek words He gave His disciples in Matthew 6:10.
- Jesus' obedience is your sanctification. "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10, ESV). He offered His body to do God's will, and you now present yours (Romans 12:1).
- Jesus' Father wills that you be saved. "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life" (John 6:40, ESV).
Memory verses
✝️ Romans 12:2 (ESV)
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
✝️ Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Be Transformed
- Think. God has a will for you, and He has shown you most of it already. He wants you saved (1 Timothy 2:4), made holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and He prepared good works for you before you were born again (Ephesians 2:10).
- Attitude. Hold your plans with an open hand, the way James teaches: "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15, ESV).
- Do. This week, pray Colossians 1:9-10 by name for one person you are praying about a decision with, and then for yourself: "filled with the knowledge of his will… so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord."
Prayer
Father, your will is good, pleasing and perfect, and you have made it known to your children. You want every person to come to you, and you sent your Son Jesus, who delighted to do your will and offered His body for us. We present ourselves to you now, body and mind. Not our will, but yours, be done. Teach us to do your will, and let your good Spirit lead us on level ground. Renew our minds, so that we can test and approve what you want. Show us the good works you prepared for us, and give us strength to walk in them.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Study outline
- Romans 12:1-2 in its place. Where the passage sits, and one Greek verb Paul uses four times in Romans.
- Submitting your will. Presenting yourself to God, and Jesus in Gethsemane.
- Knowing His will. What God has revealed: His will for every person, for His people, and for you.
- Seeking His will. Jesus seeking His Father's will, and how Scripture tells you to ask.
- Testing and approving His will. The renewed mind, and how a believer discerns the choices Scripture does not name.
- Following His will. The walk, and the God who equips you for it.
- Discussion questions. Six, for a group or on your own.
Romans 12:1-2 in its place
Paul wrote Romans from Corinth around AD 57, to churches he had not yet visited (Romans 1:10-13; 15:22-25). Chapters 1-11 set out the gospel. Chapters 12-16 tell those churches how to live it. The two verses above stand at the turn, and the rest of the letter fills them in: humility and gifts (Romans 12:3-8), love (Romans 12:9-21), the governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7), the weak and the strong (Romans 14:1-15:13). That is "the will of God" in Paul's own sentences.
The verb at the end of verse 2 is δοκιμάζω (dokimazō, dok-ee-MAD-zo, G1381). It means to test something and, having tested it, to approve it, as a metal is tried and passed. It occurs 23 times in the New Testament, and four of them are in Romans. Three of those four tell a story:
| The mind | What it does with God | |
|---|---|---|
| Romans 1:28 | ἀδόκιμος, "debased", unapproved | "they did not see fit (οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν) to acknowledge God" |
| Romans 2:17-23 | instructed from the law | "know his will and approve what is excellent" (2:18), then stand accused of theft and adultery (2:21-22) |
| Romans 12:2 | renewed | tests and approves "the will of God" |
The world that refused to approve God was handed over to a mind God could not approve. The man who knew God's will and approved it went on breaking it. Romans 12:2 answers both. God gives His people a new mind, and that mind approves His will and does it. That is the gospel of Romans 1-11 at work in a life.
Submitting your will
Present your bodies
"Present" is παρίστημι (paristēmi, pah-RIS-tay-mee, G3936), to place something at another's disposal. Paul used it five times in Romans 6 before he used it here:
✝️ Romans 6:13 (ESV)
13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Every person presents themselves to someone, and "you are slaves of the one whom you obey" (Romans 6:16, ESV). Romans 12:1 asks for the whole of you, the body included, laid on God's altar alive. The motive is "the mercies of God". You give yourself to a God who has already given you everything in His Son. True Worship works through the word Paul uses for that offering, λατρεία (latreia, lah-TRY-ah, G2999), "worship".
Willing comes before knowing
Jesus promised knowledge to the person who has already decided to do God's will. He said, "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God" (John 7:17, ESV). The Greek is ἐάν τις θέλῃ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιεῖν, "if anyone wills to do His will". The noun is θέλημα (thelēma, THEL-ay-mah, G2307), "will" or "what is willed".
So submission comes first in this study. Romans 12 runs the same way: present yourself (verse 1), be renewed (verse 2), then you will test and approve.
Not my will
In Gethsemane Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39, ESV). He went away a second time and prayed, "your will be done" (Matthew 26:42, ESV). The Greek is γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, word for word the petition He taught His disciples (Matthew 6:10). Jesus prayed His own prayer at the hardest moment of His life. The Lord's Prayer works through that petition, and The Cups Jesus Drank through the cup itself.
This shows that God the Son, equal with the Father, chose His Father's will over His own wish, and that His choosing is your salvation: "by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10, ESV).
James brings the same submission into a business plan. "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that'" (James 4:15, ESV). In Humility takes up that verse.
Knowing His will
The revealed things belong to you
What God has revealed is yours to know, and you know it in order to do it. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29, ESV; 29:28 in the Hebrew). God's purpose for the whole creation is His to carry out. He "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11, ESV).
Micah says the same to Israel: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8, ESV). "He has told you" is הִגִּיד (higgid, hig-GEED, H5046), He has declared it.
Scripture names God's will in three circles, from the widest to the nearest.
His will for every person
God wants every person saved. He "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4, ESV). He is "not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, ESV). Jesus said, "it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish" (Matthew 18:14, ESV), and named the way: "everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life" (John 6:40, ESV).
This shows that God is a Saviour by will. The cross was His plan, and the invitation goes to everyone. If you have not yet come to His Son Jesus, His will for you today is that you come.
His will for His people
Some of God's will is named in so many words:
- "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality" (1 Thessalonians 4:3, ESV).
- "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV).
- "Whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17, ESV), set against loving the world (1 John 2:15-16).
Romans 12:3-15:13 is a long list of the same kind. Most of what God wills for your Monday is already on the page. A believer who is praying about a job and stealing from the current one has the question the wrong way round.
His will for you
God also has work for each person by name. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, ESV). "Workmanship" is ποίημα (poiēma, POY-ay-mah, G4161), a thing made. "Prepared beforehand" is προητοίμασεν (proētoimasen, pro-ay-TOY-mah-sen, G4282). God made you, and He made the works ready before you arrived at them.
Scripture shows this will at work in particular lives:
- Before birth. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5, ESV). "In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me" (Psalm 139:16, ESV). Paul says God "set me apart before I was born" to preach to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15-16, ESV).
- A calling. Paul was "called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:1, ESV).
- Gifts. Straight after Romans 12:2, Paul says each believer has "gifts that differ according to the grace given to us" (Romans 12:6, ESV). The Spirit "apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11, ESV).
- A route. In Acts 16:6-10 the Holy Spirit closed Asia and Bithynia to Paul, and a vision called him to Macedonia.
Vessels for honourable use
Paul pictures a great house with "vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable" (2 Timothy 2:20, ESV). Then he says who becomes which:
✝️ 2 Timothy 2:21 (ESV)
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
"Ready" is ἡτοιμασμένον (hētoimasmenon, hay-toy-maz-MEN-on, G2090), from the same root as Ephesians 2:10's "prepared". God prepares the works, and He prepares the vessel for them. The door into honourable use is open to "anyone".
The potter in Romans 9, a contested reading
Romans 9:21 uses the same picture: "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" (ESV). What it is about is contested, and the text gives reasons on both sides.
- Persons, to mercy or to wrath. Paul's examples are individuals: Jacob and Esau, chosen "though they were not yet born" (Romans 9:11-13, ESV), and Pharaoh, raised up "for this very purpose" (Romans 9:17, ESV). His conclusion is "he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills" (Romans 9:18, ESV), and the vessels of mercy are "us whom he has called" (Romans 9:24, ESV). The ESV Study Bible reads the two vessels as the saved and the unsaved (note on Romans 9:20-21).
- Peoples, in God's plan. Paul's question is about Israel and the Gentiles (Romans 9:24; 9:30-31), and the potter comes from Jeremiah 18, where the clay is "the house of Israel" and the outcome turns on whether a nation repents (Jeremiah 18:6-10).
Either reading has to account for Romans 9:23: the vessels of mercy are ones God "prepared beforehand for glory" (ESV). The verb is προητοίμασεν, the same verb as Ephesians 2:10's good works "prepared beforehand", and those are its only two uses in the New Testament. Both readings affirm what the verse says plainly: God is the potter, He has the right to shape each vessel for a use, and no clay may answer back.
Seeking His will
Jesus sought it
The Son of God sought His Father's will. "I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 5:30, ESV). The verb is ζητέω (zēteō, dzay-TEH-o, G2212), "seek". He judged rightly because He sought it. If He sought, you will need to.
Ask Him
Scripture's first instruction for seeking is to ask.
- Ask to be taught. "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" (Psalm 143:10, ESV). "Your will" is רְצוֹנֶךָ (retsonekha, from רָצוֹן ratson, rah-TSOHN, H7522), what pleases you. The Septuagint translates it τὸ θέλημά σου, the New Testament's word.
- Ask for wisdom. God "gives generously to all without reproach" (James 1:5, ESV).
- Ask for others. Paul prayed that the Colossians would "be filled with the knowledge of his will" (Colossians 1:9, ESV), and Epaphras prayed for the same (Colossians 4:12).
Prayer: Communion with God shows how seeking His will first shapes everything else you ask, and How God Answers Prayer shows how He answers, Gethsemane included.
Seek in the word, and keep walking
"Knowledge" in Colossians 1:9 is ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis, ep-IG-no-sis, G1922), knowledge that has taken hold. Paul prays for it in a letter written against teachers who offered a higher knowledge (Colossians 2:4, 8). The knowledge of God's will grows where His word is read. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105, ESV). A lamp lights the next step.
Acts 16 shows a seeker on the move. Paul tried Asia and was stopped; he tried Bithynia and was stopped again. When the vision came, "we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us" (Acts 16:10, ESV). "Concluding" is συμβιβάζοντες (symbibazontes, soom-bee-BAD-zon-tes, G4822), putting it together. Paul reasoned from what God had shown him. This is a narrative. It shows God directing a missionary who was already obeying the Great Commission. It gives no method you are told to copy, and Scripture never promises you a vision for a decision.
Testing and approving His will
Transformed
Romans 12:2 uses two rare verbs. "Be conformed" is συσχηματίζω (syschēmatizō, soos-khay-mah-TID-zo, G4964), to be pressed into a pattern. It occurs twice in the New Testament, here and in 1 Peter 1:14, "do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance" (ESV). "This world" is αἰών (aiōn, eye-OHN, G165), "this age"; The End of the Age traces that word.
"Be transformed" is μεταμορφόω (metamorphoō, met-ah-mor-FO-o, G3339). Besides Romans 12:2 it occurs three times. Two are the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:2). The third is Paul on the believer: "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV).
Both verbs in Romans 12:2 are present imperatives in the SBLGNT. The first, συσχηματίζεσθε, has a form that can be middle or passive; the second, μεταμορφοῦσθε, is passive. You are told to keep being changed, and the One changing you is the Holy Spirit. He does it "by the renewal of your mind", ἀνακαίνωσις τοῦ νοός (anakainōsis tou noos, an-ah-KAI-no-sis too NO-os, G342, G3563). The mind Romans 1:28 left unapproved is the mind He makes new. Paul calls salvation itself "the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5, ESV), the only other New Testament use of ἀνακαίνωσις.
Testing in practice
The renewed mind then does what Romans 12:2 says: "that by testing you may discern what is the will of God". Paul uses the verb the same way elsewhere:
- "Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10, ESV). The Legacy Standard Bible footnotes it "Lit proving what".
- "That your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent" (Philippians 1:9-10, ESV).
- "Test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21, ESV). John uses the same verb for testing teachers: "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1, ESV), which Test the Spirits works through.
The ESV Study Bible says the verb often means finding out the worth of something "by putting it to use or testing it in actual practice" (note on Romans 12:2). Testing God's will happens in a life that is doing it. You try what God has said, find it good, and hold it fast.
The English versions show the verb two ways. The ESV divides it into two verbs, "by testing you may discern". The NIV and BSB keep both halves: "test and approve". Read the NIV or BSB beside the ESV here, and you will see that Paul's word ends in approval.
When Scripture names no choice: two views
Most of God's will is written. Some choices are not: which job, which city, whom to marry among believers. Christians agree that God directs those (Proverbs 16:9; James 4:15). They differ on how you discern His direction.
- One view holds that God has a specific choice for each decision and leads you to it, by Scripture, prayer, circumstances and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. It points to Proverbs 3:5-6, "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (ESV), to Acts 16:6-10, to Ephesians 2:10's works "prepared beforehand", and to Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go" (ESV).
- Another view holds that God's will has two parts, His sovereign will, which governs all things, and His moral will, which Scripture reveals. Inside the moral will He gives you freedom, and calls you to choose with wisdom, asked for in prayer (James 1:5). On this view there is no third, individual will to be found. Garry Friesen's Decision Making and the Will of God is the best-known case for it. It points out that Romans 12:2's "will of God" is spelled out in Romans 12:3-15:13 as moral will, that the Jerusalem council wrote "it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28, ESV), and that Paul planned "if the Lord permits" (1 Corinthians 16:7, ESV).
Both views stand on the same ground: God's sovereign will governs each life, the written word governs every choice, and wisdom is asked of God. They differ on what to expect along the way. This study holds that God has particular work for each person (Ephesians 2:10), and that Scripture leaves room in how He shows it.
Following His will
Walk
Scripture's word for living is "walk". In Hebrew it is הָלַךְ (halakh, hah-LAKH, H1980): Micah 6:8's "walk humbly with your God" is הַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת (hatsnea lekhet, hats-NEH-ah LEH-khet, H6800, H3212; Strong's files the form lekhet under H3212). In Greek it is περιπατέω (peripateō, per-ee-pah-TEH-o, G4043), and Paul uses it at every turn:
- Knowledge of His will is "so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work" (Colossians 1:10, ESV).
- The works God prepared are there "that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).
- "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:15-17, ESV).
A walk is made of steps. God's will is done the same way, one obedience at a time, in the place you are standing. Take Up Your Cross works through Jesus' own word for it: "follow me" (Matthew 16:24).
He works in you
The God who wills is the God who equips. "It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13, ESV). Hebrews closes with a blessing over its readers:
✝️ Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV)
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
This shows that God equips the people He commands. He raised Jesus from the dead, and He works His will in you through Jesus. The doctrine is sanctification, and the statement of faith on this site puts it plainly: "this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3, ESV), and "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24, ESV).
It lasts
"The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17, ESV). A life spent walking in God's will is the one thing in this age that will still be standing in the next. So present yourself to Him today, and walk.
Discussion questions
- The language. Paul's δοκιμάζω means both "test" and "approve". The ESV renders it "by testing you may discern" and the NIV "test and approve" (Romans 12:2). What does the word's "approve" add to the way you think about God's will?
- The text in its context. In Romans 2:17-23 a man knows God's will and approves what is excellent, and still steals and commits adultery. What does Romans 12:1-2 supply that he did not have?
- Christ. Jesus prayed "your will be done" in Matthew 6:10 and again in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:42). What did it cost Him to pray it the second time, and what did His praying it give you (Hebrews 10:10)?
- The hard part. Ephesians 2:10 says God prepared good works for you beforehand, and the apostles decided with "it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28, ESV). How do you hold God's prepared works and your own wise choices together in a decision you are facing?
- Seeking. Jesus said, "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know" (John 7:17, ESV). Which part of God's written will are you waiting to understand better before you obey it?
- Be transformed. Paul prayed Colossians 1:9-10 for a church he had never met. Whom will you pray it for this week by name, and what decision of theirs will you name before God?
Group study sheet for a 40-minute group: two A4 sheets, or one with the guided path
The point, the passage, the questions and the response, from this study. Print on both sides of two A4 sheets, flipping on the long edge. While this block is open, printing the page prints the sheet; close it to print the study.
Walking in His Will
Romans 12:1-2The point God has made His will known in His word and in His Son, and as you hand Him your will, He renews your mind to test and approve it and works in you to walk in it (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 13:21).
Ask: what comes to mind when you hear Walking in His Will
? Hear a few answers before anyone reads.
Romans 12:1-2 1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Also read:
Walking in His Will
- Romans 12:1-2 in its place. Where the passage sits, and one Greek verb Paul uses four times in Romans.
- Submitting your will. Presenting yourself to God, and Jesus in Gethsemane.
- Knowing His will. What God has revealed: His will for every person, for His people, and for you.
- Seeking His will. Jesus seeking His Father's will, and how Scripture tells you to ask.
- Testing and approving His will. The renewed mind, and how a believer discerns the choices Scripture does not name.
- Following His will. The walk, and the God who equips you for it.
Walking in His Will
1The language. Paul's δοκιμάζω means both "test" and "approve". The ESV renders it "by testing you may discern" and the NIV "test and approve" (Romans 12:2). What does the word's "approve" add to the way you think about God's will?
2The text in its context. In Romans 2:17-23 a man knows God's will and approves what is excellent, and still steals and commits adultery. What does Romans 12:1-2 supply that he did not have?
3Christ. Jesus prayed "your will be done" in Matthew 6:10 and again in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:42). What did it cost Him to pray it the second time, and what did His praying it give you (Hebrews 10:10)?
4Seeking. Jesus said, "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know" (John 7:17, ESV). Which part of God's written will are you waiting to understand better before you obey it?
5The hard part. Ephesians 2:10 says God prepared good works for you beforehand, and the apostles decided with "it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28, ESV). How do you hold God's prepared works and your own wise choices together in a decision you are facing?
Walking in His Will
6Be transformed. Paul prayed Colossians 1:9-10 for a church he had never met. Whom will you pray it for this week by name, and what decision of theirs will you name before God?
- Think. God has a will for you, and He has shown you most of it already. He wants you saved (1 Timothy 2:4), made holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and He prepared good works for you before you were born again (Ephesians 2:10).
- Attitude. Hold your plans with an open hand, the way James teaches: "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15, ESV).
- Do. This week, pray Colossians 1:9-10 by name for one person you are praying about a decision with, and then for yourself: "filled with the knowledge of his will… so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord."
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (ESV)Father, your will is good, pleasing and perfect, and you have made it known to your children. You want every person to come to you, and you sent your Son Jesus, who delighted to do your will and offered His body for us. We present ourselves to you now, body and mind. Not our will, but yours, be done. Teach us to do your will, and let your good Spirit lead us on level ground. Renew our minds, so that we can test and approve what you want. Show us the good works you prepared for us, and give us strength to walk in them.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Walking in His Will
Romans 12:1-2Open Ask: what comes to mind when you hear Walking in His Will
? Hear a few answers before anyone reads.
Read it aloud Romans 12:1-2
1The language. Paul's δοκιμάζω means both "test" and "approve". The ESV renders it "by testing you may discern" and the NIV "test and approve" (Romans 12:2). What does the word's "approve" add to the way you think about God's will?
2The text in its context. In Romans 2:17-23 a man knows God's will and approves what is excellent, and still steals and commits adultery. What does Romans 12:1-2 supply that he did not have?
3Christ. Jesus prayed "your will be done" in Matthew 6:10 and again in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:42). What did it cost Him to pray it the second time, and what did His praying it give you (Hebrews 10:10)?
4Seeking. Jesus said, "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know" (John 7:17, ESV). Which part of God's written will are you waiting to understand better before you obey it?
5The hard part. Ephesians 2:10 says God prepared good works for you beforehand, and the apostles decided with "it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28, ESV). How do you hold God's prepared works and your own wise choices together in a decision you are facing?
6Be transformed. Paul prayed Colossians 1:9-10 for a church he had never met. Whom will you pray it for this week by name, and what decision of theirs will you name before God?
- Think. God has a will for you, and He has shown you most of it already. He wants you saved (1 Timothy 2:4), made holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and He prepared good works for you before you were born again (Ephesians 2:10).
- Attitude. Hold your plans with an open hand, the way James teaches: "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15, ESV).
- Do. This week, pray Colossians 1:9-10 by name for one person you are praying about a decision with, and then for yourself: "filled with the knowledge of his will… so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord."
Walking in His Will
The point God has made His will known in His word and in His Son, and as you hand Him your will, He renews your mind to test and approve it and works in you to walk in it (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 13:21).
References & Recommended Reading
- English Standard Version (Crossway), the study's default translation; New International Version (Biblica) and Berean Standard Bible (public domain) compared at Romans 12:2.
- SBLGNT and MACULA Greek for the Greek text and word counts (δοκιμάζω 23 times, συσχηματίζω twice, μεταμορφόω four times, θέλημα 62 times); Westminster Leningrad Codex for Psalm 143:10, Micah 6:8 and Deuteronomy 29:28; the Septuagint's θέλημα at Psalm 143:10 and Psalm 40:8 (LXX 142:10; 39:9), from the repo's LXX lemma data.
- ESV Study Bible (Crossway): introduction to Romans; notes on Romans 12:1-2, Romans 9:20-21 and Ephesians 5:10.
- NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Zondervan): notes on Romans 12:2, Colossians 1:9 and Ephesians 2:10.
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Zondervan): note on Romans 12:2.
- Legacy Standard Bible (Lockman Foundation): footnotes on Romans 12:2, Ephesians 5:10 and Colossians 1:9.
- Garry Friesen with J. Robin Maxson, Decision Making and the Will of God (Multnomah, rev. ed. 2004), for the view that God's moral will leaves room for wise choice.
On this site
- Prayer: Communion with God — seeking His will first in prayer.
- The Lord's Prayer — "your will be done", petition by petition.
- How God Answers Prayer — Gethsemane, heard.
- True Worship — Romans 12:1's whole-life worship.
- The End of the Age — "this age" in Romans 12:2.
- Take Up Your Cross — deny yourself, and follow.
- In Humility — "If the Lord wills".
- The Cups Jesus Drank — the cup of Gethsemane.