"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will."
— Ephesians 1:11
Quick Answer
The will of God refers to two things in Scripture: his sovereign will, everything he ordains that certainly happens (Ephesians 1:11), and his moral will, what he commands us to do, like our sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Both flow from his perfect wisdom and goodness, even when we cannot see the full picture (Romans 11:33-36).
A Phrase Used in Different Ways
What is the will of God is one of the most common questions believers ask, yet the phrase means different things depending on context. Sometimes Scripture speaks of God's will as everything that certainly comes to pass in history; other times it speaks of God's will as his revealed commands for how we should live. Confusing the two leads to real frustration, so untangling them is the first step toward a right understanding.
Ephesians 1:11 says God works all things according to the counsel of his will, describing his sovereign control over history. Meanwhile 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “this is the will of God, your sanctification,” describing his moral desire for how believers live. Both are truly God's will, in different senses.
God's Sovereign Will: What Always Happens
God's sovereign will, sometimes called his decretive will, refers to everything he has decided will happen in history, and it always comes to pass without fail. Isaiah 46:10 says God declares the end from the beginning, and “my counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” Nothing thwarts this dimension of his will, not human rebellion, not the schemes of nations, not even the crucifixion of Christ, which was itself part of “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).
This sovereign will includes things we would never call good in themselves, such as suffering and even sin, which God permits and works through for his purposes without being the author of evil (James 1:13). We often cannot know this dimension of God's will in advance; we only see it clearly in hindsight, or trust it by faith in the moment.
God's Moral Will: What God Commands
God's moral will, sometimes called his revealed or preceptive will, is what he has clearly told us in Scripture that he desires from us. This will can be, and constantly is, disobeyed. It was not God's moral will for Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, yet they did (Genesis 3:6). Scripture spells this will out plainly: love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39), pursue holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3), and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Unlike his sovereign will, God's moral will is fully knowable, because he has written it down for us. You do not need a special revelation to know it is God's will that you avoid sexual immorality, love your enemies, or refrain from lying; Scripture already tells you plainly.
Where the Two Wills Meet in Scripture
The cross is the clearest place where both senses of God's will meet without contradiction. It was God's sovereign will that Christ be delivered up to die (Acts 4:27-28), yet the people responsible for crucifying Jesus were acting against God's moral will, committing real sin in doing so. God ordained the event while the human participants remained morally accountable for their wicked choices.
This is a difficult mystery, but it is consistently how Scripture speaks: God is sovereign over all things, including evil acts, without being the author of evil, and human beings remain fully responsible for their sin (Genesis 50:20).
Common Confusions About God's Will
Many believers assume God's will always refers to a hidden, individual plan they must discover, such as which job to take or whom to marry. Scripture does teach that God guides individual lives (Proverbs 16:9), but most of what the Bible calls God's will is not secret at all; it is his clearly revealed moral will for every believer.
Others assume that because God is sovereign, human choices and obedience do not matter. But Scripture holds both together: God ordains the ends, and he ordains that we pursue those ends through prayer, wisdom, and obedience (Philippians 2:12-13).
Seeking God's Will Well
Practically, this means the first place to seek God's will is not a mystical sign but his written word. Before asking what God wants you to do with your life, ask whether you are already living out what he has clearly commanded: honesty, purity, love, generosity, worship.
As you walk in obedience to his revealed will, you can trust his sovereign will to guide the details you cannot see, confident that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).
The Will of God and Suffering
One of the hardest applications of God's will concerns suffering that seems senseless. Scripture never claims every instance of suffering has an obvious, discoverable purpose we can identify in the moment, yet it consistently affirms that no suffering falls outside God's sovereign will, and that he can work even the hardest circumstances toward good purposes for those who love him (Romans 8:28, James 1:2-4).
Peter addresses this directly to suffering believers, encouraging those who suffer according to God's will to “entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19). This is not a call to deny real pain, but an invitation to keep trusting God's character even when his specific purposes remain hidden, resting in what he has revealed about himself rather than demanding an explanation for what he has not.
This is where the two dimensions of God's will meet most practically: his moral will calls you to respond to suffering with faith, patience, and continued obedience, while his sovereign will assures you that nothing you endure is wasted or outside his purposeful care.