God's "Permissive" Will

John 7:16-17  Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

What is God's Permissive Will?

Let me start with what it ain't: God's Will.

I believe too many people get caught up listening to some Doctor of Divinity expound on seven different types of God's will. What are we doing grading on a curve? Do we have a merit/demerit system like a college frat house? "Well, you get two merits for perfect will, one for permissive and a demerit for resisting." <<
The most conservative of expositors will claim two forms of God's Will:

1) The Decretive Will of God

and

2) The Preceptive Will of God

Then more will add or substitute the Permissive Will of God for one of the above.

Decretive simply means God decrees it and it happens.
Genesis 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
God performs Hid own will here.

Preceptive is a command to man.
Exodus 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exodus 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
These are performed by man in either doing what he said to do or not doing what he said not to do.

Permissive is said to be what God allows. Kind of like saying if he didn't strike you down with lightning, then you were in His permissive will.

I won't go into the plethora of other alleged levels of God's Will.

Decretive is not really dealing with us at all, so it needs no discussion. There is no question of following it because God both wills it and completes it.

Preceptive, to me is God's Perfect Will. This is the path he has chosen for each of us.

Psalms 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Each of us was born into a plan that God laid out for us. With each disobedient act that plan must change because sin causes us to lose ground that cannot be regained.

Now, onto this matter of Permissive Will.

I believe this to be an attempt at the misuse of Grace.

Let's face it. Most of us are probably outside of God's Perfect Will for most of our days. Permissive has the sense of a positive endorsement. That is not true. God's allowance does not imply permission.
We see bad things happen and here comes folks talking about permissive will again. "Well, God allowed it, so it must be part of his plan." No, no, no, no!
Yes, God prevents some things from happening, that is part of his sovereignty. Just as he said, "Let there be light", he can say, "Don't let that bus hit Ralph." Both are actions HE performs.
But when man does something wrong, whether he lets us live, or not, does not determine whether it was His will or not.

If God said "DO" and you didn't, then you are in sin and outside of God's Will. Whether he kills you for it, or lets you live. Same thing when he says "DON'T" and we do.

James 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

This verse is not reversible. It cannot be made to imply that if someone doesn't know to do good, they will be exempt. They will not.

Romans 14:23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

The last phrase is my reason for using the verse. Paul confirms that if we do something without faith that we are right in doing it, then we are in sin.
This, too, cannot be reversed. We might have 100% faith that doing something is right, but if it's already been declared wrong by God, then it's wrong.

What exactly is God's Preceptive or Command Will to man?
Matthew 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Change perfect to any other synonym and you still get the same meaning. Many describe it as complete. Well it's a comparison to God, who is perfect, so if we are to be complete as he is complete, then we are to be perfect. Stop taking the long road, just accept what the Holy Spirit wrote.

So let's stop trying to sound like Dr Righteous Britches and worry about what stage of Grace we are in. Right now, at this very moment, you are either in God's Will or you are not. It really is that simple.

The great thing is that when we find ourselves outside of His will, we have a way back in:

1 John 1:8-10  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.