Page 42 Sharpening Your Spiritual Instincts There are three passages in the New Testament that shed light on the discovery of God’s moral will. When I walk through these texts, I find very practical instruction on the matter. The first one is Romans 12:1-2: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV) Paul writes to the church in Rome and exhorts the believers to offer their bodies to God as a living sacrifice. Herein lies an important spiritual principle. The Lord does not reveal His will to those who are unwilling to follow it. Jesus said, ,If any man will *is willing to+ do His will, He shall know . . . (John 7:17). ,If your eye is single [you have single devotion to the Lord], your whole body will be full of light (Matt. 6:22). Paul goes on to discuss the renewing of the mind. The net effect of offering our bodies as a living sacrifice and renewing our minds is that we will be able to ,prove or demonstrate the perfect will of God. This is a reference to His moral will as the context shows.
To the question: what must I do to be saved? The old gospel replies: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. To the further question: what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Its reply is: it means knowing oneself to be a sinner, and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself wholly upon Him for pardon and peace; and exchanging one's natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of one’s heart by the Holy Ghost.
J.I. Packer