We Can Know

One of the greatest problems that bothers most of God's people is, how to know the will of the Father. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things." (Colossians 1:9 AMP) Simply put, the will of the Father is found in His Word and personified in Jesus, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." ( John 6:38) "He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." (John 8:29)

The Apostle Paul tells us, "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:9) If Jesus could please the Father and do His will, if Paul could please the Father know His will and do it, then it is possible for us to do it also, because we have His Word which is His will. When Paul was saying farewell to the believers at Ephesian, he said, "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:30)

Looking back to Colossians 1:9 Some may say, "It does not seem credible that we could have a full, deep clear knowledge of God’s will.” But why shouldn't we? His Word is a perfect revelation of His will. The Bible is a perfect book. The Holy Spirit is a perfect teacher. We are perfect New Creations, created in Christ Jesus. We have perfect Righteousness. We have a perfect relationship with the Father and the Son. We have a complete and perfect redemption. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle John tells us, "...and of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." (John 1:12) and the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter tells us, "...we are partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4)

So, if these things are true, which they are, then it should be obvious that we can have complete knowledge of His will. Fear, doubt and unbelief from dogma and doctrines that have held believers in bondage for centuries have thwarted faith from believing God's Word. The Apostle Paul tells us, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:14-16) "We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up." (1 Corinthians 1:8)

Wait a minute. First you are saying that we can have the concise, complete knowledge of God’s will and now, knowledge puffs up. This shows us two type of knowledge. First, in 1 Corinthians 1:8 the Greek word for knowledge is "gnosis" which means intellectual knowledge; mental assent; sense knowledge. In Colossians 1:9 the Greek word for knowledge is "epignosis" which means precise and correct knowledge, revelation knowledge. The first is carnal and comes via the five senses. The latter is spiritual and comes via the recreated spirit. Paul also tells us, "giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." (Colossians 1:12) and "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." (Ephesians 1:17-18 )

We have an enormous inheritance. The Father wants to open the eyes of our understanding and enlighten us to all these things that are legally and vitally ours through faith in Jesus Christ. He has given us His ability to know His will and to know what our share is in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, therefore the believer should not be ignorant of the Father's will, our place and standing in Christ and of our rights and privileges that we have been given through faith in Jesus Christ. We are the sons and daughters of God. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. So, let us believe and receive all that He has for us. Amen?