Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View [Paperback]

Garry Friesen (Author), J. Robin Maxson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1984

Does God have a perfect will for each Christian? Does it matter? Can you be absolutely sure of God’s individual will for your life? In an easy-to-follow narrative style, Garry Friesen examines the prevalent views on God’s will today, then rejects them to propose a different view that he believes more accurately reflects biblical teaching. This rerelease of Decision Making takes up the practical issues of choosing a mate, picking a career, giving of one’s resources, and areas of disagreement between Christians to give readers a new approach to knowing the will of God.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Garry Friesen

Garry Friesen, ThM, ThD, is a member of the Bible faculty at Multnomah Bible College , where he has taught since 1976. Dr. Friesen holds a bachelor’s degree from John Brown University and a master’s degree and doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary. He lives in Portland , Oregon , where he enjoys hosting Bible reading marathons and collecting C. S. Lewis memorabilia.

J. Robin Maxson

J. Robin Maxson, ThM, is senior pastor of United Evangelical Free Church in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Trade Paperback edition (April 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880700246
• ISBN-13: 978-0880700245
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,672,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Biblically sound look at making tough choices, May 25, 2000

By 

RansomOttawa "Ransom" (Ottawa, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View (Paperback)

You've heard it all before. You want to ask a girl out, but you don't know whether God wants you to ask that girl out. A friend wants to spend his summer on a mission trip, but after praying to know God's will in the situation he has received no clear response, so he lets the deadline for application pass. Another friend doesn't know whether God would have him go to university or Bible college. Conventional Christian wisdom says that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life; the secret to the victorious Christian life, you think, is discovering what God's ideal is for you and following it.

Think again.

At least, that is the message of Garry Friesen's Decision Making and the Will of God. This wonderf ul book is a critique of what Friesen calls the "traditional" view of decision making: that God has an "individual will" for each life, a sort of agenda. To be within the will of God is to discover (through, prayer, inner peace, seeking mature counsel, laying out "fleeces," and so forth) what that agenda is, and stick to it. Missing out on God's agenda isn't necessarily living in sin, but it is settling for God's second best.

Friesen points out many of the serious deficiencies in this model. First, it is not to be found in the Bible. The proof-texts given by traditional-view proponents to defend God's individual will are often better interpreted as referring to God's moral will - that is, right and wrong. While the traditional view is stressed for the "biggie" decisions, such as marriage or vocation, it is ignored for the regular decisions we make every day, such as what to eat or wear. When faced with otherwise equal choices, the traditional view insists only one of them is God's will, causing indecision. Since subjective impressions are self-justifying, there is no basis for disputing an immature believer's impression of God's will for his life, even if that decision seems foolhardy. And subjective impressions are just that, subjective - the traditional view cannot allow for conflicting impressions amongst equally sincere believers.

Instead, Friesen provides an alternative model for decision making that he calls "the way of wisdom." Truly, however, this is only an "alternative" because the "traditional" view is taken for granted. The way of wisdom goes like this: Apart from the circumstances of any individual decisions, all the tools needed to make those decisions are to be found in the Scriptures, which reflect the moral will of God. The Bible encourages believers to pursue certain values and attitudes, and to avoid others. Beyond these regulations, choices may be freely made. God does not micro-manage the life-paths of each believer, but like our earthly fathers do, he expects his children to mature and to learn to make wise decisions for themselves. The Bible admonishes its readers to seek not God's individual will, but the wisdom to make good decisions. Consequently the apostles rarely made any decision based on supernatural revelation or subjective "leading"; rather, they decided based on the good, wisdom, expediency, or available opportunities.

In one amusing section, Friesen points out how the "fleeces" we set out to help make God's will known are really wisdom in disguise! This part of the book hit home because I had been using exactly this sort of method not long before to decide whether I should ask out a certain girl or not! I do not doubt that Providence played some part in the decision, but Friesen helped me to see my "fleece" for what it really was. Rather than seek an unusual or miraculous sign as confirmation of God's will, I had simply become more observant about the circumstances and drawn a logical conclusion from what I observed. When I read the book for the first time a week later, I saw myself in it. (While I have changed my attitude about the means I used to make this decision, I have no regrets about the choice I did make - to keep silent.)

The final section of the book is a practical application of the way of wisdom. Friesen covers all the "biggies": marriage, ministry, missions, and vocation. In each case he provides the Biblical passages that guide these decisions. For example, 1 Corinthians 7 would regulate whether to marry, why one should or should not marry, and whom one may or may not marry. Proverbs 31 outlines the qualities of an excellent wife. Beyond these guidelines (and a few others), however, the Bible says nothing; Within these guidelines, the believer has the freedom to do what he wishes based on wisdom. The well thought-out, final few chapters on decision making as it pertains to Christian liberty and our relationships with other believers are an added bonus.

Decision Making and the Will of God is a rarity, a truly excellent and thoughtful book on a difficult subject. Garry Friesen engages the traditional view directly, solidly, and Biblically without being needlessly confrontational. Rather than merely finding fault, he presents a comprehensive, sound alternative and demonstrates its practicality. Additionally, the book, though scholarly, is very accessible without being glib. Finally, I tend to judge the excellence of a book by the time it takes me to get through it, and this is only the fourth non-fiction work I have ever read through in a single sitting - at 400+ pages, no easy feat!

Dr. Friesen has done Christendom a service with this book. While many decisions are not easy ones to make, the frustration and indecision often felt when God appears to be silent doesn't need to happen. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5), which God generously grants to those who ask for it without doubting.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book may change your preconceived notions, August 7, 2000

By 

E. Johnson (El Cajon, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View (Paperback)

I think discovering God's will is one of the most difficult tasks any Christian must experience, and there are always doubts whether or not we are in the "center" of this "nailing jello to the wall" will. This book might just change the way you view the way we can follow God in a godly manner. Friesen takes a view that God sometimes gives freedom in decisions. We might be given several possibilities, both of which God can work in our lives. He does not force the issue, but through circumstances and other criteria, we can make wise, biblical decisions and realize that we have made godly decisions.

This book has been a great help in my life, as I am a Type A personality who too often tries to figure out every nuance of God and the way He works. Forget it, it just can't be done. By changing my persepective, it has helped me to be more free so that I can experience God completely and have the abundant life as so promised by Christ Himself. If nothing else, the book will make you think through your preconceived notions.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Principles Concerning the Will of God, December 31, 2004

By 

Jim Briggs (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View (Paperback)

This book is most relevant for all Christians who believe that the Bible truly is an accurate account of communication from the true and living God to all of humanity. The topic is quite important and very relevant in day-to-day living.

It is difficult to give this book too high of a recommendation. I believe that it is the very best book, by far, written on the topic of "the will of God". The author, Garry Friesen, has written the entire book with an irenic spirit regarding those people who have a differing view. The book is lengthy, but that is a result of a detailed analysis of all of the relevant issues and passages of Scripture. I had read the original edition over 20 years ago. Although that book was excellent, this one is even better.

As a young adult and a new Christian, I was taught the so-called "perfect or individual will of God" theory. Through the years, I have constantly read accounts and heard people use words and make decisions based on this (false) belief. All of the books and magazine articles which I've read, and sermons that I've heard, which advocate the "perfect or individual will of God" theory have all begun by assuming this view to be true, and then proceed to give directions about how to actually find God's will. None of them have ever begun with a detailed analysis of Scripture in an attempt to justify the original theory. In direct contrast, Friesen does begin with a careful analysis of the relevant passages of Scripture, and then bases his general principles upon them. He gives a detailed, clear and thorough refutation of the "perfect or individual will of God" theory and also briefly states that the theory is relatively new, not having been advocated or taught by anyone prior to around the year 1875.

A very useful 45-page appendix gives book reviews of 15 books written on this topic, and more reviews are available from Friesen's internet website. One of the books reviewed is the very popular "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. Almost ten years ago I read and studied that book, and I was dismayed by the very bad methodology used in it. The "critiques" given by Friesen further added to my strong conviction that the principles taught in Blackaby's book are bad and wrong, that is, they are simply not drawn from a careful analysis of Scripture.

Throughout "Decision Making and the Will of God", there are various charts and diagrams which are quite helpful to remember the basic principles. The beneficial footnotes, which give further information of detailed discussions, exemplify the depth and breadth of the author's analysis of this topic. There is a lengthy Scripture index provided. A study guide gives helpful insights about how to use this book as the basis for a group study.

Apart from the Word of God itself, no other book has been more beneficial to me in my Christian life. As I previously said, the book is long. However, for every Christian who sincerely desires to lead a life that is pleasing to God, this book the very best one to use in order to learn the principles about how to make wise decisions.