Based on 2 Peter 1:16 – 2:3 (New King James Version)
“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
It is necessary for all of us who desire to attain eternal life through Jesus Christ to clearly understand what God's will is and is not, what is true and what is false. Contrary to what is commonly preached today, eternal life, salvation, is not only achieved through repentance and conversion from sins, and not only through confessing Jesus as Lord. It is also necessary, as a product of that repentance and conversion, and of faith in the Lord, to live for Christ until our carnal end, thus doing the will of God. And I can say this very affirmatively through the Word of God, which is the supreme authority in the universe.
To start, following Christ and remaining in Him is as important in our faith as what initiates it. We must never forget that we are saved by the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, but for His purpose, not for our own. This is what the Word says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10. And the Lord also said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. Therefore, a person can come to repentance and conversion, and they can even confess Jesus as Lord, but if they don't seek to do God's will as they should, if they never seek God's desire for their life, they simply will not get to the goal. Why? Because true faith in Christ is not just spoken, but rather, lived, and it must be lived to the end, as it is also written: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13.
But what will happen to a person who only seeks to do what they want, and even worse, seeks God only so that God will meet their needs and fulfill their desires? Can such faith save them? According to the Scriptures, it is not possible for a person who does that to attain salvation. It is no longer a question of whether a person was saved or if they lost their salvation, but the simple fact that they never carried out God's will. And unfortunately, most of God's so-called people live this way. And that is why they are swept away by teachings and doctrines that appear to be true, because the lie sounds very much like the truth, and also, because it sounds very appealing, because it appeals to their carnal desires. Is it wrong to ask the Lord for help? Is it wrong to depend on the Lord? Of course not. He wants us to realize that we are totally dependent on Him, but our will should never be the priority. That should be the difference. Our priority should always be His desire. The Lord Himself left us this prayer as an example, which many know and even have memorized: “…Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9b-10. So, if a person never asks for God's will in their life, or never chooses to do what God wants them to do, how will they ever do His will? And we've already seen that if they don't do God's will, they can say, "Lord, Lord…” all they want, but they will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Now, how do we come to know God's will? Primarily, through His Word, the Holy Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. If God has committed so much effort and sacrifice so that we have His Word, can we think for a moment that God will accept us being swayed by our opinions and judgments? No. In fact, it is offensive to God for you to ignore His Word, such a masterpiece He has made so that you would ignore it and choose to be guided by your own ideas, or even worse, by the ideas and concepts of the world and society. Every kingdom in this world has risen and fallen, but the Word of God remains firm to this day, and we live and exist based on it, whether you want to accept it or not. From the moment God said, "Let there be…" we have everything we have today. The universe was made through the Word of God. But if you ignore the Word of God, can you have eternal life? Impossible. This is what it says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
In the end, it’s for our own good to study His Word as much as possible. We must always remember that God loses nothing. We are the ones who lose, and we lose eternally if we don't hold fast to all of His Truth. God's Word is not a menu where you pick and choose what you want and nothing else. We must understand that what the enemy tries to do most is to get you to follow lies. He sends false prophets, false teachers, and even uses certain parts of God's Word to try to get you to follow lies, things that sound like the truth. Why? Because he is all evil; it's part of his corrupted character that makes him who he is. Now, God allows such things to happen so that genuine followers, those of us who love Him, can become ready for what's coming. This temporary and corrupt world is just a place to see who's who. The eternal is what matters, and that's why we must be tested, tempted, and even afflicted, so that those who desire more to do their own will filter themselves out. But those of us who learn to love God above all things, even our own lives, will obtain through Christ what only God can give. It is written: “This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” 2 Timothy 2:11-12. So then, are you looking to do God’s will according to His Word so that you can obtain His ultimate prize? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!