“do what thou wilt” is an expression that epitomizes today’s society. However, the phrase characterizes Satanism with the push for individuals to follow their will. It is based on the notion that one can live according to their inclinations and desires.
The statements echo the verse Isaiah 14:14:
“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.”
In this verse, Satan sets his sights on the throne of God, full of pride, resulting in disobedience against God that leads to his fall from His grace.
The verse also represents the strong sense of pride that characterizes today’s world, where people derive great pleasure from their own capabilities and achievements.
It shows how the “ruler of this world” has shaped it by pushing people towards disobedience against God by pursuing their own will rather than God’s will.
Romans 1:21
“because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
The problem with the statement ‘do what thou wilt” is that it encourages people to develop a sense of pride in themselves. It urges people to be the masters of their destinies and that their personal choices contribute to who they are. People are thus encouraged to pursue a sense of self-determination and individual freedom.
The phrase, however, presents a very strong contrast from another one, “do God’s will,” which focuses on our need to put complete trust in God, whose will is sovereign.
The Bible encourages us not to rely on our understanding and instead pursue God’s wisdom.
Proverbs 3:5
“Lean not on your understanding”.
While ‘do what thou wilt” represents a very strong basis for the culture and way of life today, it is disobedience to God and His will, which involves focusing on His wisdom and submitting to His will.
Moral Absolute versus Relative Morality
One of the pervasive philosophical ideas in society today is that morality is relative.
Relative morality means that each individual can define what is wrong or right based on what they think or feel. It means that something can be wrong today and right tomorrow.
The morality of such a society is based on an individual’s preferences, desires, and inclinations. They defer from one individual to another, and thus none can enforce their morality on another. There lacks an objective standard of right or wrong.
Further, Hollywood and popular culture have pushed the idea that people are ‘gods.’ “I am a god” has become a common phrase.
They have pushed the idea that people are the authors of their reality and masters of their destinies. Based on this perspective, God does not hold a position in their lives.
He doesn’t control any aspect of their lives, and thus they are right to do as “though wilt.” People establish their own moral standards as’ gods’, which fundamentally means they do not need God.
But this conception of reality is an illusion based on a lie. There is an existing objective standard. Morality is absolute in its nature. An example is killing another individual is wrong regardless of circumstance.
All individuals have the moral responsibility to not cause unnecessary harm to others regardless of their society. God is the definer of morality. In the Bible, He defines morality by giving the Israelites the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are a list of laws that define how the Israelites should live and associate with each other. This morality, though, is not relative to Jews. The Bible states that God wrote the commandments in our hearts, giving us a conscience to bear witness that God’s laws are objective and beyond us.
Romans 2: 14-15
“for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them).”
God, therefore, establishes the standard of morality, and even if people disagree with the standards, it doesn’t change its absolute nature. This standard will still exist, as they are beyond us. It begs the question of why subjective morality is so pervasive in society today.
The Bible clearly explains how regardless of people knowing the truth written in their hearts, they suppress it because of their love for evil. A subjective morality allows them to live without worrying about the consequences of their evil ways. With God out of the picture, they can do what they want.
John 3:20
“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
Therefore, morality comes from God. He is the author of this reality and, thus, the final authority on what is considered right or wrong. He calls us to follow His commands because His way leads to everlasting life.
As the creator, God’s understanding of the world transcends human limitations and biases. As such, He is better suited to defining morality. It allows us to live in accordance with His design for a just, harmonious and compassionate world. By aligning ourselves to God’s moral framework, we acknowledge his wisdom and guidance and thus strive toward the ultimate goal of eternal salvation.
The Problem With The Idea That Morality is Subjective
The subjective view of morality leads to multiple problems. Every individual considers themselves the authors of their reality and thus can determine what is right and what is not. The outcome is a lawless world, where each does “as they wilt” without considering the needs of their neighbors. The path to this lawlessness and lack of a standard moral definition leads to destruction, as would any other path not set on Christ.
This perspective is quite dangerous. Other than the fact that it leads to a lawless nation, it is used to remove God from the lives of the people. Holding on to God’s word is impossible when you consider yourself “a god.”
Due to this, many people that follow these standards don’t uphold God in their lives. Rather, they worship and hold their being to the highest standards.
The big question is, where are these concepts and ideas originating from? Many might argue that modern media have popularized them. While this is true, the modern media, including Hollywood and popular culture, are only instruments of the devil.
Satan’s goal is to find a way for people to stop living according to the will of God, and he does so by pushing the idea that morality can be subjective. This way, people can choose not to believe in God and follow His commandments.
“Do what thou wilt” is, therefore, an expression of Satan’s goal to separate man from the will of God and has become a representation of many of the problems in society today, such as abortion, homosexuality, and many other contentious societal issues.
The anti-Christ spirit
The Bible states that the spirit of the anti-Christ is at work, which is evident because of the pervasiveness of ideas against the will of God. The devil is the deceiver of the world, and his current efforts are focused on severing the ties between humanity and God.
By pushing people to believe that morality is relative and that they can “do what thou wilt.”
This is all a lie
There can only be one truth. This is our absolute truth. That God is the author of our reality. It is Him who defines morality, and He has written His law in our hearts. We put all our trust in Him through His son Jesus Christ. We love God and, therefore, follow His commandments.Let’s not succumb to the lie. Let’s not love this world more than God. All our hopes should be on God, and He will direct us to eternal life. This is not the life that He intended for us, and if we love this world, we will fail to see the glory of life with God.
God has given us a way to Him through Jesus Christ. This is because the only way to God is through Jesus Christ.
