However, as the Hebrews demonstrated their unfaithfulness through numerous acts of rebellion, God, feeling displeased, withdrew His mercy and favor from them. Thus, we conclude that any alteration of God's promised covenant originates not from God, whose will is always unchanging, but from humanity, who fails to adhere to the conditions set by Him.
It is important to recognize that the will of God is understood in two ways according to Church writers. One aspect is the will of command, through which God directs, prohibits, or permits actions, and this will is revealed in His Divine laws and commandments. The second is God's will of favor, wherein He has predetermined certain outcomes, which may occur conditionally or unconditionally. He willed eternal happiness for angels and humanity, provided they do not resist His will. This benevolent will of God operates unconditionally. For instance, God desired to create the heavens and the earth, wishing for there to be eternal order and goodness throughout creation, which He arranges with wisdom. No one can defy this divine will; it is not subject to any earthly laws, acts independently of others' desires, and serves no one. God Himself declares through Isaiah regarding His good pleasure: My counsel shall stand, and all My will shall be accomplished; so shall My word be, which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall achieve all that I have purposed (Isaiah 55:11).
We are His unworthy servants, and from this, we must understand that all aspects of His divine will that impact us do not rely on our desires: all that He has determined from above must come to pass. Each of us faces numerous tragedies in life; some are bound by a golden chain, while others endure a harsh and demeaning one. However, what difference does it make? All are under the same divine authority, interconnected and collectively bound by fate. All of existence embodies a form of servitude interlaced with accountability. Being accustomed to this reality, we should refrain from complaint or resentment. Instead, we ought to find solace in knowing that such conditions are according to God's will, that it brings Him delight, and that no one can thwart His intentions. Mordecai affirming this notion said, O Lord, Lord, O mighty King, all things consist in Thy goodness, and there is none that can resist Thy will (Esther 4:17). Augustine elaborated on this idea when he wrote: These are the greatnesses of the works of God, refined in all His wills (Ps. 110:2), crafted with such wisdom that even when the angels sinned—manifesting not His divine action but their own self-driven desires—He achieved His intentions, skillfully incorporating even malevolence into His perfect goodness.
From this, it follows that even though the wicked may oppose God's will, He orchestrates His purposes and directs their malevolent intentions towards good. All of this illustrates that the All-Blessed God desires salvation for all humanity, yet not all attain it because they reject the conditions established, standing against the commandments of His Divine Law. The Savior clearly warned such individuals, saying: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 7:21).
THEOSIS