<p>1:1 <i>Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother</i>- Paul often begins his letters by saying this. But &quot;the will of God&quot; should not be understood by us as it is by Islam, where the will of God is understood as fulfilling anyway in a deterministic sense. The word carries the idea of the intention, the wish or pleasure of God. Paul could have turned down the call to be an apostle. He was not forced into obedience by an omnipotent Divine manipulator. All things were created for God's &quot;pleasure&quot; or will s.w. Rev. 4:11, but clearly enough &quot;all things&quot; do not all perform God's wish. We pray for the Kingdom age when God's will shall be done on earth- for it is now generally not done. We are best therefore to understood the idea of God's wish, His desire, which of course He labours to see fulfilled. But He does not force or impose; He too deeply respects the freewill of His creatures. The art of Christian life is to willingly align ourselves with His will.</p>