Millard Erickson wrote, "We must distinguish between two different senses of God’s will, which we will refer to as God’s "wish" (will-1) and God’s "will" (will-2). The former is God’s general intention, the values with which He is pleased. The latter is God’s specific intention in a given situation, what He decides will actually occur."
Dr. Erickson spoke of two senses in which we understand God's will in the Bible. One way is God's will in the sense of a wish. The other sense is God's done. You could say that the Bible speaks of God's will of command and God's will of decree that shall be done.
God's will of command is what he wants us to do. It's God's revealed will for our lives. We have all disobeyed God's revealed will in one way or the other. That is sin, and we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Understand the other sense of God's will is his decree. It shall be done.
God's will of command is seen in Acts 17:30. God commands all people to repent. That side of God's will is his desire for all to repent. However, God's will of decree is seen in Acts 17:31. He has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness. It shall be done according to God's decree.
