Can I Know God's Will?

Can I Know God’s Will? addresses one of the most common questions Christians face: how to understand and apply the will of God in everyday decisions. Part of the Crucial Questions series, this book offers a concise, theologically grounded treatment of a subject that touches every believer’s life.

Dr. R.C. Sproul begins by clarifying what Scripture means when it speaks of God’s will, distinguishing between God’s sovereign (decretive) will, His moral (preceptive) will, and His will of disposition. This careful framework guards against simplistic approaches to divine guidance and helps readers understand why the question is more complex than it may first appear. Sproul also examines the nature of human will before and after the fall, drawing on the insights of Augustine, Calvin, and Edwards to show how sin has affected moral choice.

With this theological foundation in place, Sproul turns to two of the most significant decisions Christians face—choosing a vocation and choosing a marriage partner. Rather than offering formulas or mystical techniques, he directs readers to Scripture’s own principles, the wise use of counsel, and the responsible exercise of personal agency. Throughout, he emphasizes that faithfully seeking God’s will requires both humble submission to what God has revealed and restraint from presuming to know what He has not disclosed.

Key Themes

• The biblical distinction between God’s sovereign, preceptive, and dispositional will
• The effects of the fall on human moral choice and decision-making
• The role of Scripture, wisdom, and counsel in vocational and marital decisions
• The balance between divine providence and human responsibility

Featured Quotes

“To search for the will of God can be an exercise in piety or impiety, an act of humble submission or outrageous arrogance—depending on what will of God we seek.”

“No magic recipe has come from heaven that will determine for us the perfect will of God for a life partner.”