Knowing the will of God is more important than most people will ever know.  Some love to learn things and accumulate knowledge, but if you do not learn the will of God, all the other knowledge that you spend a lifetime amassing, will all come to naught.  If you come to know the will of God, on the other hand, it will benefit you, not only now, but throughout eternity (John 17:1).

Why is knowing God’s will so important?  It is because, ultimately, salvation can only be attained by doing the will of God.  John tells us that it is only those who do God’s will that will abide forever (1 John 2:17).  He learned this from Jesus.

Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
²¹  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Since we cannot do God’s will without knowing it, having a knowledge of the will of God is critical to our salvation.  Fortunately, God has provided us with a record of His will.  This is yet another reason the Bible was written—to reveal to us the will of God.  Because we have God’s written Word, we can know God’s will for us.

Ephesians 3:2-4 (NKJV)
²  If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, ³  how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴  by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

If the Bible was written to reveal the will of God, why is there so much division among those who read it?  The answer is not because the Bible is too hard to understand, as some have suggested.  Here are three reasons why the religious world is so divided today.

First, some approach the Bible with the wrong attitude.  Many people have what I call the “but mentality.”  Someone says, “I know the Bible says that but…”  This statement stems from an attitude that the Bible is just a collection of good ideas that God has set forth, and not strict rules to follow.  When people have this attitude toward the Word of God, division is inevitable because everyone will have a different view of what in the Bible is important and must be followed, and what is not.

Second, there is simply a shortage of personal Bible study today.  This world is filled with scriptural illiterates.  Even those who claim to be Christians only study the Bible sparingly.  This leads to division because too many people cannot properly discern the scriptures.  A little bit of knowledge is often worse than no knowledge at all.

Third, a lot of people rely on the silence of the scriptures.  Whatever the Bible does not specifically condemn, they think is acceptable.  This, too, opens the door to confusion, and, ultimately, division.  For example, many are divided over what kind of fruit Eve, and then Adam after her, ate in the garden.  They are divided over something that the Bible does not say, not over what it says.

The Bible is an understandable book.  If we study it properly, rightly dividing it (2 Timothy 2:15), and realize that it is an inspired book that needs to be strictly followed, we will know the will of God and be in a position to do it.  This is why the Bible was written—so we could hear (understand), do (practice) what we learn, and go to heaven after a while.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.