The phrase, "the will of God" is so loosely used as to cause confusion within the church family, and the alienation of people outside of the church who misunderstand its meaning.

When a loved one dies, we call it "the will of God," though the measures we used to prevent death are not called fighting against the will of God, and if those measures were successful we would've thanked God and believed fervently that in the recovery of that dear one God's will had been done. Similarly, when sadness, disease, and problems overtake people they sometimes say with resignation, "God's will be done," when just the opposite of God's will is done.

Dr. Leslie Weatherhead divides the subject into three parts:

* The intentional will of God - God's ideal plan for us.

* The circumstantial or permissive will of God - God's will within certain circumstances.

* The ultimate will of God - God's final realization of his purposes.

It was not the intentional will of God that Jesus should be crucified, but that he should be followed. If the nation had understood and received Jesus' message, repented of its sins, and realized God's kingdom, the history of the world would've been very different. But when Jesus was faced with circumstances brought about by evil and the dilemma of running away or of being crucified, then, in those circumstances, the cross was God's will.

The ultimate will of God was humanity's redemption and reconciliation - a goal which would've been reached by God's intentional plan had it not been frustrated. It will still be achieved, not in spite of the Cross, but through it!

Jesus had complete trust in God's will and went to the cross in obedience and in faith. If we could better understand God's will, then we would trust in it and go in faith where God would send us, and do what God would have us do.