The Dual Wills of God: Decree vs Command

The Lord’s Prayer emerges as the heartbeat of Christianity, a magnificent treasure handed down to us by Jesus Himself, who imparted its sacred essence to His Disciples. Within this divine invocation resonates the proclamation, “Thy Kingdom Come; Thy WILL BE DONE on earth as it is in Heaven.” As followers of Christ, we repeat these powerful words time and again, yet do we really comprehend the significance of “Thy Will be done?” Now is the moment for us to embark on a transformative journey, a deep dive into the Will of God as unveiled in the Holy Scriptures.

The more we grasp God’s Will, the more we see Him as completely sovereign, all powerful, and overflowing with love. This knowledge aids us in placing our trust in Him fully.

God is sovereign and therefore has complete control over everything that happens in the Universe. He possesses the power, the authority, and the purpose necessary to oversee HIS Creation. God’s sovereignty naturally stems from His omniscience (All-knowing), omnipotence (All-powerful), and omnipresence (Present everywhere). As the Creator of all things, God exists outside of time and space.

While God maintains complete control over everything that happens, He does not manipulate His Creation as if we were puppets on a string.

Because of his infinite love and wisdom, god has chosen to give both the angelic realm and mankind free-will.

We recognize that the tension between God’s sovereignty and MANKIND’S God-ordained Free Will is puzzling to many people. They see God’s complete sovereignty and mankind’s Free Will as mutually exclusive. However, the truth is that nothing transpires without God either directly causing it or at least permitting it, and yet He does so without ever impacting our FREE WILL. God works His Sovereign Will in and through the parameters that He has created.

The Church has historically divided the Will of God into two categories:

• God’s Will of Decree
• God’s Will of Command

The Bible indicates that God has two different Wills or “types of Will” that work together to bring about God’s ultimate plans and purposes for His Creation. We will detail these here to the best of our ability with the understanding that there is a degree of MYSTERY within God’s Will that we, as mere humans, cannot fully comprehend. This is not a new understanding. This is basically how the Church has understood the Will(s) of God for 2000 years.

These are not necessarily two “separate” Wills, but two types of God’s Will that work together to accomplish God’s purposes. How these are understood within the church varies depending on theology (Arminianism vs Calvinism), but most of the Church agrees that the Bible clearly identifies at least two different types of God’s Will.

Understanding these two types of God’s Will can help us to understand a little better.…

• why our Fair and Just God who loves ALL of His children heals some people and not others.
• why God allows evil and suffering to exist in the world
• why God, whose stated Will is for ALL to be saved, doesn’t save everyone
• why the Will of God for our lives is often hidden
• If God is sovereign, can His Will be thwarted? If not, why are we humans held accountable for disobedience to His Will?

The story of Job

In the story of Job, God PERMITTED Satan to attack Job WITH LIMITATIONS. Satan had to get PERMISSION from our Creator God who is SOVEREIGN. God decreed that Satan could attack Job, but NOT take his life. Why did our good and benevolent God allow this attack against Job? Most scholars believe it was to TEST Job’s faithfulness and devotion to God.

1 Peter ³: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

⁶ In this you rejoice🙌🏻, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold 🥇that perishes though it is tested by fire🔥—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 🙌🏻

By the end of the story, it is clear that this attack significantly enhanced Job and his friends’ wisdom as they deepened their understanding of God’s character, sovereignty, and majesty.

We are also told that everything Satan was PERMITTED to STEAL from Job was RESTORED DOUBLE! God’s ways are not our ways, His ways are Higher.

Job 1:8: The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” 

⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not made a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 

¹¹ But reach out with Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will certainly curse You to Your face.” 

¹² Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not reach out and put your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Job 42:¹⁰ The Lord also restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased double all that Job had.

God’s Will of Decree:

God’s Will of Decree is God’s Will by which He sovereignly ordains everything that comes to pass. When God sovereignly decrees something in this sense, nothing can thwart it from coming to pass, meaning god’s sovereign will cannot be broken.

When God said there would be a GLOBAL FLOOD on the earth, there was no way to thwart this. God issued a Divine Decree that made the inevitability of the flood impossible to thwart. God’s Will of Decree is His Eternal, Unchangeable Will through which He has foreordained all things down to the smallest of details. When God decrees something, it WILL come to pass whether we like it or not.

God’s Will of Decree is sometimes called His HIDDEN WILL because it is often kept HIDDEN until GOD decides to REVEAL IT. His Will of Decree can include evil acts of moral agents such as human beings or angels. This means that God’s Will of Decree can include acts that God Himself does not find pleasing. God ordains these things so that He can work in and through them for our good and His glory.

In the story above, God did not enjoy watching Job suffer, but He allowed it for the Greater Good. Job was not aware of the conversation that took place in Heaven between God and Satan. This means that God’s Will for Job was HIDDEN (Decree). Job only knew that his perfect life was falling apart, and yet he continued to trust God no matter what.

Job was later rewarded for trusting God.

God’s Will of Command:

The second type of God’s Will is called His Will of Command. Unlike God’s Will of Decree (Sovereign) Will, God’s Will of Command CAN be broken because it relates to God’s revealed commandments and precepts contained within THE LAW. This is also why God’s Will of Command is sometimes referred to as His “REVEALED WILL”.

God Wills (COMMANDS/DESIRES) His Creation to follow His Laws and Precepts, but He has Ordained that we have the CHOICE whether to do so or not.

It is God’s WILL that all mankind OBEY His commandments. Yet God, in His Sovereignty, has permitted man to REBEL against them (SIN) because He chose to give us FREE WILL. Sin occurs when we break God’s WILL OF COMMAND and is the cause of evil in the world.

God has granted humanity the incredible gift of FREE WILL and, for now, HE ALLOWS sin to exist; however, make no mistake—God is unequivocal about the dire consequences that follow any rebellion against His sacred Laws and divine precepts. To rebel against God is to invite sickness, suffering, and the dreadful fate of PERMANENT death. Though God TEMPORARILY permits sin, He is NOT a passive observer.

Satan, the very adversary who tormented Job, has already been judged. Those who choose to follow him into iniquity are destined for an eternity in the fiery lake. 🔥

It is not God’s Will that anyone sin (break His Will of Command) and yet God’s DECREES OFTEN USE mankind’s sinfulness to bring about His Greater Good. We see this truth in the Message of the Cross.

Message of the Cross

The Crucifixion of the Son of God (Jesus Christ) was a morally evil act inspired by Satan (Luke 22:3). Yet in Acts 2:23 Luke says, “This Jesus [was] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.“ The SINS of betrayal and murder were orchestrated by Satan; but they were also part of God’s pre-ordained plan.

God Willed (Decreed) that His Son would die to offer ATONEMENT for the sins of all mankind (whomever would choose Jesus) even though the act to bring about the fulfillment of the decree was sin (BETRAYAL/MURDER).

Although Judas Iscariot was active in bringing about the fulfillment of God’s IMMUTABLE DECREE, Judas IS STILL HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS OWN SIN. God may USE HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE of our sin to bring about THE FULFILLMENT of His Greater Good, but there IS STILL a CONSEQUENCE for sin. God does NOT WILL us to sin. We CHOOSE sin from our own HUMAN FREE WILL. God is going to judge our sin.

Matthew 26:24: The Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 

¹⁸ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 

²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 

²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 

²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

The horrific death of Jesus Christ WAS the Will of God the Father, who through His FOREKNOWLEDGE and DIVINE DECREE used the evil acts of Satan and of men to bring about HIS WILL. This does NOT mean that God the Father got ANY pleasure out of watching His Son suffer and die. On the Contrary, it was horribly painful to Him. 😢✝️

But He DECREED it to happen for the greater good – HIS LOVE OF MANKIND AND DESIRE TO SAVE US FROM ETERNAL DEATH.

What Satan and fallen men meant for EVIL (SIN/breaking God’s Will of Command); God USED for GOOD (Fulfilling His Will of Decree).

God used the evil act of betrayal and murder to SAVE MANKIND.

Isaiah 53:4: However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by God, and humiliated.

10: But it was the WILL of the LORD to Crush Him
He has put Him to grief;
If He renders Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

It was God’s Will that brought his Son to death on the cross. ✝️

It was NOT the Will of God that Judas, Pontius Pilate, Herod, the Gentile soldiers and the Jewish crowds disobey the moral law of God by sinning in delivering Jesus Christ up to be crucified. But it WAS the will of God that the crucifixion come to pass.

John 12:32: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

God therefore can Will (by Decree) things that are not pleasing to Him in order to bring about the greater good. God’s Holy Hands are not touched by sin; however, through His FOREKNOWLEDGE of mankind’s sin, He is able to bring about a greater good. In this way, it is said…

Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 

The story of Joseph

We also see this theme of God using mankind’s SIN to bring about the GREATER GOOD in the story of Joseph. In this Old Testament story, Joseph’s jealous brothers (sons of Israel) determined to throw him into a pit so that he would be eaten by a wild animal or sold into slavery. As it turns out, Joseph was pulled out of the pit by Midianite traders and sold into slavery in Egypt. Joseph spent many years in Egypt, some of them in an Egyptian prison. Through God’s Grace and Providence, Joseph was given many spiritual gifts and rose to prominence and power, second only to the Pharoah of Egypt. Joseph later used his power and position in Egypt to save his brothers and many others from a deadly famine. Joseph literally saved the very brothers who years before desired to take his life!

Placed in the Throne room for “such a time as this”, Joseph was instrumental in saving countless thousands of lives.

Genesis 50:20: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.

God did not WILL Joseph’s brothers to commit acts of sin, and yet they WERE following God’s Divine Decree BASED ON GOD’S FOREKNOWLEDGE. They CHOSE to sin of their own Free Will and will be held accountable, just like the rest of us.

However, through His Foreknowledge, GOD USED their CHOICE to sin to bring about His Greater Good (Divine Decree).

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was NOT God’s “plan B” to save mankind, and yet God did NOT cause Judas, Pontius Pilot, the Pharisees or the Romans to sin. They, in their FREE WILL chose to MURDER the Christ and will be held accountable. Even still, God foreordained (DIVINE DECREE) that His Son would be killed for the sins of mankind BEFORE the foundation of the world.

This does not mean that God Wills sin. God hates sin. But God has FOREKNOWLEDGE of mankind’s sin and uses our sin, brokenness, and suffering to bring about His Greater Good.

1 Peter 1:¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Revelation 13:8: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

We can think of it this way. God’s Sovereign Will of Decree and God’s Will of Command (Desire) are not always the same. God Willed or DECREED that His Son would be KILLED for the sins of all mankind, but HE DID NOT WANT His Son to be killed. The death of God’s Son was the only way to save mankind while satisfying the perfectly Just Nature of our God.

Let us use a very simplistic example to gain a bit more understanding.

Let’s imagine that you are a parent with a lazy daughter whom you constantly have to force to study and do her schoolwork. One day, you decide NOT to remind her to study. Instead, you ALLOW your daughter to use her FREE WILL to loaf off, play video games, and avoid her studies. This means you did not force her to do the right thing. You KNEW (based on her past behavior) what would happen, but you chose to remain quiet. Why? Because you WANTED her to DO the right thing of her own volition, not just do it because you made her do it.

What happened? Your daughter failed her exam, was humiliated in her class and possibly had to repeat that class the following year. She experienced the consequences of her sin. You did not WANT your daughter to fail, but you USED her LAZINESS and resulting failure to teach her a lesson…the consequences of her own actions.

Your Goal was NOT TO SHAME AND HUMILIATE HER BUT to get her to a place where she would make right decisions on her own.

Hebrews 10:16: “This is the covenant that I will make with them
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
    and write them on their minds,”

Imagine that after facing those consequences directly, your daughter now studies independently, without you needing to say a word. She actively remembers to study and genuinely desires to excel. She has learned her lesson, and her heart has transformed—something that likely would NOT have occurred if you had kept making decisions for her instead of giving her the freedom to learn from her mistakes.

This was a very simplistic example of how God can use our sin to teach us important lessons. This does NOT mean that God WANTS us to sin. God’s sovereign permission of human sin is NOT His moral approval. As a parent, we would have infinitely PREFERRED our young daughter just “do the right thing” from the outset. But sadly, because of our fallen human nature, that was not to be.

God takes NO PLEASURE in the death of the wicked, and yet He certainly DECREES that the wicked WILL DIE. God desires that all men be saved, and yet He Decrees that only those who receive FORGIVENESS of their SIN through His Son Jesus Christ will be saved. For this reason, we can see that there is a difference between God’s Sovereign, Unbreakable Will of Decree and God’s breakable Will of Command.

— Because of God’s choice to give man FREE WILL, What God DECREES and what God DESIRES are not always the same thing.

Mankind has the option of CHOOSING to REBEL against God.

Our Omni-Amazing God has even worked His foreknowledge of our rebellion into many of His Divine Decrees to bring about the Greater Good.

All those who say they are Christian should have the desire💖 to be pleasing to God. Jesus says this is the hallmark of a True Christian.

If we say we are Christian and USE OUR FREE WILL TO REBEL against God’s Commandments and Precepts, openly, wantonly sinning without any desire💖 to live a Holy Life that is pleasing to God then we run the risk of hearing Jesus say….

Matthew 7:22: On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The Bible gives us lots of instruction on how to please God. This is not about ‘works’ because salvation✝️ is a FREE GIFT 🎁from God not based on works. Pleasing God is a matter of the heart 💖because even when we DESIRE to keep His commandments, we will never keep them perfectly.

Bible Verses that pertain to pleasing God

How to be saved – Life in a Dying World