God’s Will Isn’t a Mystery

You don’t have to be a detective; just be a disciple.

This is part of a brief series on the Epistle to the Ephesians. You can read part 1 here. You can also click the play button above to hear me read this essay.

I slipped out of the buzzing youth room to an empty Sunday school classroom across the hall and sunk to the floor in the corner farthest from the door. I balled up my fists and dug my fingernails into the softness of my palms, hoping I could hold back the growing panic I felt radiating outward from my chest. Across the hall I heard shrieks and laughter from the other high schoolers as they played “chubby bunny” (a competition in which the winner is the student who can fit the greatest number of giant marshmallows in his or her mouth). One sentence played on repeat through my paralyzed mind.

Faithfulness over friendship. Faithfulness over friendship. Faithfulness over friendship.

Books and messages I had consumed while growing up in the American evangelicalism of the 90s and early 2000s had convinced me that I had to choose between faithfully pursuing God’s will for my life (to do something “big” to bring God glory and impact the world) and participating in the normal, innocent, and sometimes silly activities of my fellow Christian high school students. The panic that rolled over me that day, and that I still remember so vividly, was shouting that I had to choose between being faithful and having friends. It told me that I could not simultaneously be “normal” and “sold out” for God and his kingdom. It said that God’s will for my life was an impressive mystery that I had to solve and that he would be displeased with me if I couldn’t crack the code.

I had one thing right. God’s will is a mystery. But I didn’t need to crack the code. Jesus already had.

Ephesians 1 explains the mystery of God’s will. Read verses 7-9.

In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (ESV, emphasis added)

Jesus is the embodiment of the mystery. Through his death and resurrection God’s glorious plan for our salvation is revealed to us. Because of Jesus we can know, not only God’s plan and purpose for the whole world, but his plan and purpose for us.

But in the very next chapter of Ephesians is a little verse that I heard over and over in my teen years. Ephesians 2:10 was interpreted in a way that obfuscated the revelation of Ephesians 1 and plunged God’s will for my life back into the murky darkness. It says, 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)

This verse sat heavy on my head like the Hogwarts Sorting Hat, smothering my vision while spouting gibberish. But unlike the Sorting Hat, this verse never seemed to point me in the direction of my destiny. I was left on my own to interpret its meaning. But today, instead of inducing panic that I’ll misinterpret my “calling” or choose the wrong path, this verse reassures me that I am squarely in the center of God’s will.

Ephesians 2 tells a story of transformation. We who were once the walking dead in our trespasses and sins (2:1-2) have been made alive together with Christ (2:5). Now, instead of walking in sin, we walk in good works (2:10). I emphasize the word “walk” because this verb is repeated, not just in this chapter, but throughout the epistle (4:1,17; 5:2,8,15).

Earlier this month, we covered the outline of Ephesians. Chapters 1-3 is a theological explanation of our new spiritual reality, and chapters 4-6 lay out practical instructions for living in that new reality. The Apostle Paul transitions between these two portions of the epistle with these words:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. (4:1, ESV, emphasis added)

Then, throughout the rest of the letter he continues to employ the word “walk” (περιπατέω - peripateó in the Greek) as a metaphor for godly Christian conduct (4:17; 5:2,8,15). This language, threaded throughout Ephesians illuminates the meaning of 2:10. The exhortation in the latter half of the epistle is a detailed description of the “good works” God has prepared for his church.

God’s purpose for our lives is not a mystery. God’s calling is not a secret. It’s the same calling given to all believers—to be joined to the body of Christ through faith, and to live as if the reality of our salvation is true. God’s desire for us is to grow in an intimate relationship with him, to love him more, and to walk in obedience to Christ. As we walk in good works as a community, a body of disciples, we make the mystery of God’s will known in the world—the uniting of all things in Christ (Eph 3:8-10).

For years I prayed for God to show me exactly what he wanted me to do with my life, without realizing that the mystery of his will had been revealed right there in the pages of Scripture all along. I neglected so many opportunities to love the people right in front of me, to invest in relationships in the body of Christ, because I was busy chasing a mystery God never gave me to solve. I was playing detective, not realizing that I could rest in my disciple identity.

I still face choices, as we all do. I’ve had to decide what college to attend, whom to marry, what jobs to apply for, when to begin having children, where to live and attend church with my family. But I now understand that I can walk in good works on most of the paths I might choose. I can know and follow God’s will for my life because it is the same as his will for all disciples. So, I speak to God in prayer, search Scripture, and seek out wise counsel, and then I make my decisions in peace, rather than panic, knowing that, in Christ, God’s will is no longer a mystery.

Beauty in Humility
It may be few and far between, but I continue to see followers of Christ praying and working and asking questions as they seek to put politics in its rightful place in their hearts and lives. This is the work of beautiful discipleship, and there are divisions in our churches and our nation that cannot be healed without it. 

Beauty in Nature
We’re heading back to California this week after almost 6 weeks in Germany. We’re enjoying our last few sunsets here before returning to triple digits, and indoor play, and grocery trips planned with ice chests and cold packs. Of course, there is beauty there, too, if we will have eyes to see.

In pursuit of Beauty,