The Will (Part 3) Rom. 6:12; Eph. 4:27; I Thess. 4:3: Value of The Study of the Will

Value of a study of the will (of God and man)

• Increased ability to make a decision

• Increased understanding of the sovereignty of God

• Increased understanding of responsibility

• Definite means self-control

• Understanding the relationship of thoughts to choices

Three wills:

• God’s

• Satan’s

• Man’s

Generalizations on the will

• Human will is not free like Adam was

• Human will is free in the sense that men can will as they please

• God does not desire to break man’s will

• The will of man must be seen in terms of response

o Response to Satan, Ephesians 4:27

o Response to God, I Thessalonians 4:3

o Response to our sin nature, Romans 6:12

• The will is most often dominated by the sin nature

• The will is vacillating and easily influenced

• The pagan idea about the will is part of human mentality

From the standpoint of human viewpoint man has no answers

• He has no idea where he came from

• He doesn’t know why he is here

• He doesn’t know why he does what he does

Trust of the will and sovereignty is found in Scripture alone

• God is personal

• God has revealed

• God is sovereign