20/08/2026
God’s Will and Human Desires—Are They Always Opposed to Each Other?
Have you ever wondered whether doing God’s will simply means setting aside what you want and doing what God wants?
As I reflected on 1 Peter 4:1–2, particularly the contrast between “human passions” and “the will of God,” I came across an insight from John Piper that challenged the way I usually understand this distinction.
Perhaps the Christian life is not merely about suppressing our desires, but about allowing God to transform our desires so that they increasingly conform to His will.
Below is my reflection on this insight. For those who would like to listen to John Piper’s full exposition of the passage, I’ve placed the video link in the comment section.
What Is God’s Will in Relation to Human Desires?
1. What does Peter mean by “human passions”?
Piper explains that “human passions” does not mean every desire that a human being experiences. Rather, the phrase refers to desires that are merely human—desires that originate in fallen humanity and have no reference or conformity to God’s will. They are “human” in a negative sense, not simply because humans experience them, but because they arise from fallen humanity apart from God (Piper, 2021, 6:21–7:17).
Thus, Peter’s contrast in 1 Peter 4:2 is not:
Human beings have desires → therefore all human desires are wrong.
Rather, it is:
Desires rooted in fallen humanity → versus → a life governed by the will of God.
2. Does doing God’s will mean suppressing every human desire?
No. Piper points out that Scripture itself calls believers to have strong and holy desires. For example, Christians are commanded to set their hope fully on the grace that will be brought to them and to rejoice in anticipation of Christ’s glory (1 Peter 1:13; 4:13). These are genuine desires, yet they are not sinful merely because human beings experience them (Piper, 2021, 5:04–5:43).
Therefore, the Christian life is not a life without desire. The issue is the source, direction, and object of desire.
3. What, then, is wrong with merely human desires?
The problem is not that a desire is human simply because a person experiences it. The problem is when that desire is rooted in fallen humanity, independent of God, and not conformed to His will (Piper, 2021, 6:51–8:01).
Piper therefore makes an important distinction: some desires are human in the ordinary sense—they are desires experienced by human beings—while other desires are merely human, meaning that they originate from fallen humanity without reference to God (Piper, 2021, 8:47–9:20).
4. Is God’s will simply the opposite of what human beings want?
No. This is one of Piper’s most important insights.
He argues that we should not read 1 Peter 4:2 as though God’s will is always opposed to human desire. A person can experience a desire that is “in perfect conformity to the will of God.” The problem is therefore not human desire itself but desire that is not rooted in or conformed to God’s will (Piper, 2021, 7:34–8:01).
Consequently, God’s will does not merely function as an external command that suppresses everything a person wants. God can transform what a person wants.
5. Can God transform our desires?
Yes. Piper suggests that this is actually part of the Christian’s transformation.
He challenges the simplistic statement he had often heard: “Don’t do what you want to do; do what God wills you to do.” Piper explains that this can miss a deeper work of God in the believer. Instead of merely forcing ourselves to act against our desires, God can change our desires through the way of thinking shaped by Christ’s suffering and work (Piper, 2021, 9:37–10:17).
The goal is therefore not simply:
“I want something, but God wants something else, so I must suppress what I want.”
The deeper goal is:
“God transforms my heart so that what I desire increasingly agrees with what He wills.”
6. What happens to human desires when Christ transforms us?
Peter says that believers are to live the rest of their earthly lives “no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). Piper connects this transformation with the preceding command to “arm yourselves with the same way of thinking” because Christ suffered in the flesh (1 Peter 4:1).
The pattern is therefore: Christ’s suffering → a transformed way of thinking → freedom from sinful desires → a life increasingly directed toward God’s will (Piper, 2021, 2:09–2:44).
This means that Christian obedience is not merely external conformity. God works inwardly, reshaping the desires that govern the believer’s life.
7. What is the proper relationship between God’s will and human desires?
The relationship can be summarized in three categories:
Merely human desires
These arise from fallen humanity without reference to God and are therefore contrary to His will (Piper, 2021, 6:51–7:17).
Human desires governed by God
These are legitimate desires that may be brought under the authority and direction of God’s will.
God-transformed desires
These are desires that God has reshaped so that they increasingly conform to His will (Piper, 2021, 7:34–8:01; 9:53–10:17).
Thus, God’s will does not necessarily destroy human desire; it transforms and redirects desire.
In summary, God’s will is not simply “what God wants” opposed to “what humans want.” The deeper issue is whether what humans want is rooted in God and conformed to His will.
Piper’s exposition of 1 Peter 4:2 challenges the idea that Christian obedience means having no strong personal desires. Instead, the Christian is called to have desires that have been transformed by God and brought into conformity with His will (Piper, 2021, 9:53–10:17).
Therefore, the goal of spiritual transformation is not merely: “Stop wanting what you want and do what God wants.”
It is deeper: “Let God transform what you want so that your desires increasingly agree with what God wills.”
In one statement
God’s will governs human desires, not by eliminating desire, but by transforming desires that are rooted in fallen humanity so that they increasingly conform to, delight in, and pursue what God wills (Piper, 2021, 6:51–8:01; 9:53–10:17).
This gives a helpful distinction:
Fallen human desire:
“I want this because it comes from me, apart from God.”
God-governed desire:
“I may desire this, but I submit it to God’s revealed will.”
God-transformed desire:
“God has reshaped my heart so that I genuinely desire what is consistent with His will.”
The Christian life, then, is not God’s will versus every human desire. It is fallen desires being brought under God’s will and, through His transforming work, being reshaped to desire what pleases Him (Piper, 2021, 9:53–10:17).
