- (AMP) so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
- (GNB) Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
- (ISV) so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is-what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.
- (LITV) in order to prove by you what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
- (NLT) Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
- (JB Phillips) so that you may prove in practice that the Plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
Do you notice the connection, the structure of this verse? so that . . . then . . . in order that. The part about proving testing God’s will is connected to the thought about renewing your mind and living on the heavenly plain. When you are in touch with heaven, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, you will know, be able to test and prove the will of God. Paul’s use of δοκιμάζω [dokimazō] to test, to approve, discern, examine, prove, try infers that the refining process for gold is the same here. Refining it, proving it, testing until the dross comes to the top and is gone. Could that be how it is with the will of God? By being heavenly minded, setting our thoughts on a higher plain and letting God have His way, separates out the dross from the will of God, to the point where it becomes clear.
Another sense of dokimazo is to learn to test the genuineness of it by putting it to actual use. You prove God’s way, His higher thoughts, in the outworking of them – putting the principles into practice. In so doing you find out how good, acceptable and perfect His way is. You begin to understand what it means to live like a citizen of heaven. That is the opposite of what we normally do. Normally we want God to tell us His will and then we can determine if it is good, pleasing and perfect. In other words good and pleasing to us. Wrong way round.
Do it His way, you will be the better for it.
Ian Vail
His mercies are new this morning. And since they are, so are you. Go forth in grace, not guilt.
Max Lucado
When change is necessary, not to change is destructive.
A R Bernard
Our greatest ignorance is not of what we have yet to learn, but of how little we really know.
Bob Gass