What Does God Desire Of Us?
The question of what God desires from humanity is an ancient one that stretches back to the dawn of human civilization. Religions around the world grapple with understanding the will and wishes of the divine.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: God desires for us to live righteously – with love, compassion and justice.
In this comprehensive article, we will deeply examine this profound question by analyzing sacred texts and theological arguments. We will uncover the nuances around God’s will for humanity across different faith traditions and philosophical perspectives.
By the end, you will have a multilayered understanding of what God truly asks of us.
God Desires Righteousness and Virtue
Living by Principles of Love, Compassion and Justice
To live righteously, we must cultivate love, compassion and a sense of justice in our hearts and minds. Love means valuing others, seeing the good in them and treating them with kindness and respect. Compassion moves us to care for those who suffer and work to relieve their pain.
Justice compels us to be fair, defend the defenseless and ensure the basic human rights of all people. Living by these principles brings us into alignment with the divine nature.
Scriptures of various faiths extol the virtues of love, compassion and justice. The Bible instructs us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31) and calls on the faithful to “defend the weak and the fatherless” and “uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed” (Psalm 82:3).
The Quran tells believers that “God loves those who are just” (49:9) and “God loves those who are compassionate” (90:17).
To walk the path of righteousness, we must go beyond empty words and truly work to heal divisions, right wrongs, uplift the downtrodden and spread more love in the world. Small acts of caring and justice each day pave the way to greater virtue and help fulfill God’s desire for humanity.
Cultivating Wisdom, Integrity and Self-Control
To grow in righteousness, we must nurture wisdom, integrity and self-control. Wisdom is the ability to discern right from wrong and truth from falsehood. It helps us live in harmony with moral and spiritual laws.
Integrity means adhering to sound principles and keeping our actions consistent with our values. Self-control enables us to master harmful impulses and desires.
Faith traditions around the world stress the importance of cultivating these virtues. For example, Buddhism’s Eightfold Path includes Right Understanding, Right Thought and Right Action. Hinduism names wisdom, integrity and self-control among the qualities that lead the soul to enlightenment.
Biblical scripture instructs believers to “get wisdom” and “walk with integrity” (Proverbs 4:5-6) and exhibit the “fruit of the Spirit” which includes self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
To grow in wisdom, we can engage in study, self-reflection and absorbing lessons from life’s experiences. Maintaining integrity calls for courage to stand by our principles even when it is hard. Practicing self-discipline through moderation, patience and moral conduct helps us gain increasing self-mastery.
Living with virtue takes dedication but brings us closer to the divine.
Pursuing Spiritual Growth and Connection with the Divine
Righteous living also requires that we nurture our spiritual nature and seek an ever-deeper connection with the Divine. Spiritual growth comes through practices like prayer, meditation, contemplation and worship.
These activities nourish our soul, bring inner peace and help us align our hearts more fully with the wisdom and will of the Divine.
Faiths across cultures recognize spiritual practice as essential for living virtuously. In Islam, the five daily Salah prayers and meditative recitation of the Quran help believers remember and surrender to Allah. Judaism prescribes daily worship services, prayer and Torah study.
Hinduism and Buddhism encourage ritual puja, mantra repetition, meditation and other disciplines to purify the mind and draw nearer to the Divine.
Making time for spiritual nourishment amid life’s busyness requires self-discipline but immeasurably enriches our lives. Regular spiritual practice keeps our connection to the Divine vibrant. It brings us into the present moment, where we can most profoundly experience God’s presence and guidance.
Walking the path of righteousness requires dedicating ourselves to principles of love, cultivating wisdom and self-mastery, and nurturing our spiritual growth. Living virtuously brings us into greater alignment with the will of the Divine and allows us to manifest more divine qualities in our own lives.
Though challenging at times, this path leads to inner peace, to deeper purpose and meaning, and ultimately, to the joy of unity with the Divine.
Obedience and Devotion
Following Religious Laws and Commands
God desires that we follow the religious laws and commands laid out in scriptures like the Bible or Quran. These provide guidance on how to live a moral, righteous life. For example, the Ten Commandments in the Bible forbid actions like murder, theft, and adultery.
Adhering to religious dietary restrictions or dress codes are other ways followers demonstrate obedience.
Devout believers make a sincere effort to align their thoughts and actions with their faith’s principles. Doing so gives their life meaning and direction. However, blind obedience without question can be problematic. Reason and conscience should balance strict rule-following.
Dedication and Commitment to God
A dedicated relationship with the divine requires commitment and effort. Setting aside regular time for prayer and meditation enables deeper connection. Attending religious services reinforces faith community bonds.
Studying scriptures leads to greater understanding of God’s nature and spiritual truths.
Making God the top priority brings security and comfort. The faithful can turn to the divine at any time for guidance, forgiveness or consolation. However, beware of religious zealotry. Overzealousness can breed self-righteousness, exclusivity and even extremism that divides people.
Selfless Service and Sacrifice
God calls on followers to lead a life of selfless service towards others. Feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless and uplifting the oppressed are valued acts of sacrifice that demonstrate spiritual commitment.
The righteous understand that material possessions and status symbols are fleeting, but serving people in need brings lasting rewards.
However, those committed to a higher cause must set healthy boundaries regarding self-care. Burnout and compassion fatigue from excessive self-denial helps no one. As the airplane safety guidelines wisely state: always secure your own oxygen mask first before assisting others.
Perspective From Major Religions
Christianity – Love God and Your Neighbor
Christians believe they should have faith in God and Jesus Christ as their savior. According to biblical scriptures, Jesus taught that the greatest commandments are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40, NRSV).
Christians aim to follow Jesus’ teachings on morality and ethics as a way to attain salvation and enter God’s kingdom.
Islam – Live According to Quran and Sunnah
Muslims believe the Quran is the literal word of God as revealed to the prophet Muhammad. The Sunnah refers to Muhammad’s teachings and way of life that Muslims also follow. Key aspects include the “Five Pillars of Islam”: 1) Declaration of faith in one God and Muhammad as his prophet, 2) Ritual prayer five times daily, 3) Giving alms, 4) Fasting during Ramadan, and 5) Pilgrimage to Mecca.
By adhering to Quranic principles and the Sunnah, Muslims strive to submit to the will of God.
Hinduism – Follow Your Dharma and Liberate Your Atman
Hindus believe every being has an eternal soul or inner spirit called the atman. They seek moksha, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. This happens when the atman unites with Brahman, the ultimate reality.
To attain moksha, Hindus follow moral precepts and religious duty known as dharma based on one’s caste, gender, social position etc. Core practices involve puja worship rituals, meditation, yoga, mantras, scriptural study and pilgrimages.
Buddhism – End Suffering Through the Noble Eightfold Path
Buddhists do not believe in supreme deities or the existence of souls. They follow the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who attained enlightenment around 500 BCE. As outlined in his Four Noble Truths, Buddhists believe all human life is dissatisfactory and full of suffering arising from desire and ignorance.
By eliminating ignorance and attaining wisdom, usually through practices such as the Eightfold Path, one can end suffering by reaching nirvana.
Judaism – Uphold the Covenant and Commandments
Jews believe in one eternal, omnipotent God who made a covenant with Abraham to worship only him. God gave Moses the Torah, containing 613 commandments or mitzvot that Jews must follow. These laws guide nearly aspect of life, from moral behavior to food restrictions, rituals, holidays and more.
By upholding their side of the covenant with righteousness and justice, Jews hope to bring about the Messianic Age and World to Come.
Philosophical Debates Around God’s Will
Does God Intervene or Allow Free Will?
This is one of the most debated topics in philosophy and theology. Some argue that if God is all-powerful and all-knowing, then free will cannot truly exist, as God would know our actions ahead of time and could intervene to change them if desired.
Others counter that God chooses to limit divine foreknowledge and power to allow for human free will and moral responsibility. Scripture can be interpreted to support both views. Most faith traditions seek some balance between divine sovereignty and human free will, though where that balance lies is hotly contested.
Is There One Universal Morality or Many Contextual Ones?
Another philosophical divide is between moral absolutism and moral relativism. Absolutists argue that morality is grounded in God’s universal and unchanging nature, thus moral truths are eternal and binding on all people in all cultures.
Relativists counter that morality differs across cultures and eras based on contextual needs, and we cannot claim one morality applies to all. This views human moral reasoning as more important than abiding by divine laws.
Most faiths have elements of both universal and relative morality, discerning core values while allowing some adaptation to circumstance. Disagreements over issues like justice, sexuality, and human dignity often hinge on this philosophical debate.
Is Serving God’s Will Different From Serving the Greater Good?
A third area of lively debate is whether serving God’s will is the highest good, or if human reason can determine a “greater good” that should supersede obedience to God. The former views highlight God’s supreme wisdom and argue against placing limited human conceptions of good above the Creator.
The latter argues that morality requires us to exercise reason to determine the greatest good, even if this seems to contradict divine commands. This was a factor in debates over abolition, civil rights, women’s equality and more.
Most traditions aim to align God’s will with moral reasoning but at times have clashed over which to prioritize when they seem to conflict. The question of what serving God’s will looks like in a pluralistic world is increasingly complex.
Conclusion
The question of what God desires from humanity has been contemplated for millennia. While there are diverse perspectives across faiths, common themes around righteous living, spiritual devotion and morality emerge.
The nuances lie in how different traditions define virtue, obedience and their cosmological frameworks. For the faithful, examining what God asks of us is a profound opportunity for self-reflection and spiritual growth.
