Wilfulness, often spelled as "willfulness," refers to a stubborn or obstinate adherence to one's own desires or ideas, often in defiance of authority or guidance. In the biblical context, wilfulness is frequently associated with rebellion against God and His commandments. It is a condition of the heart that resists submission to divine will and is often linked with sin and disobedience.

Biblical References and Themes

1. Rebellion Against God: Wilfulness is often depicted as a form of rebellion against God. In the Old Testament, the Israelites frequently exhibited wilfulness by turning away from God's commands and pursuing their own desires. This is evident in passages such as Isaiah 30:1, where God laments, "Woe to the obstinate children," declares the LORD, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin."

2. Stubbornness and Hardness of Heart: The Bible often equates wilfulness with a hardened heart. Pharaoh's refusal to let the Israelites go, despite the plagues, is a classic example of wilfulness (Exodus 7-11). His stubbornness is repeatedly described as a hardening of his heart, illustrating the dangers of resisting God's will.

3. Consequences of Wilfulness: The Scriptures warn of the consequences of a wilful heart. Proverbs 29:1 states, "A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery." This highlights the peril of persisting in wilfulness despite warnings and correction.

4. Call to Submission: The Bible calls believers to submit their will to God. James 4:7 urges, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Submission to God is presented as the antidote to wilfulness, aligning one's desires with God's purposes.

5. Examples of Wilfulness: Several biblical figures exemplify wilfulness. King Saul's disobedience in 1 Samuel 15, when he spares King Agag and the best of the livestock against God's command, is a notable instance. Saul's wilfulness leads to his rejection as king, demonstrating the severe consequences of defying God's instructions.

6. Contrast with Obedience: The Bible contrasts wilfulness with the virtue of obedience. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of submission to God's will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prays, "Yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). His obedience unto death is the model for believers to follow.

7. Repentance and Transformation: The Bible offers hope for those struggling with wilfulness through repentance and transformation. Ezekiel 36:26 promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." This transformation is made possible through the work of the Holy Spirit, enabling believers to align their will with God's.

Conclusion

Wilfulness, as depicted in the Bible, is a significant spiritual issue that reflects a heart resistant to God's authority. The Scriptures provide numerous examples and warnings about the dangers of wilfulness, while also offering a path to redemption through submission, obedience, and the transformative power of God's Spirit.(n.) See Willfulness.

The Race of Life
... So wickedness means, not merely open crimes which are punishable by the law, but
all which comes out of a man's own wilfulness and perverseness" injustice ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/the good news of god/sermon x the race of.htm

Out of the Deep of Sin.
... feel they cannot mend"those who are really weary and worn out with the burden of
their sins"those who are tired out with their own wilfulness, and feel ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/out of the deep/ii out of the deep.htm

Out of the Deep of Fear and Anxiety.
... When the fool finds out his folly; when the wilful man gives up his wilfulness;
when the rebel submits himself to law; when the son comes back to his father's ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/out of the deep/iii out of the deep.htm

The Natural Supremacy of Reflection
... considered as a creature left by his Maker to act at random, and live at large up
to the extent of his natural power, as passion, humour, wilfulness, happen to ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/butler/human nature/sermon iii the natural supremacy.htm

Book x. It is Manifest that There is Nothing which Men have ever ...
... 2. Not unmindful of this sin of wilfulness, the Apostle, writing to Timothy, after
many injunctions to bear witness to the faith and to preach the word, adds ...
/.../hilary/the life and writings of st hilary of poitiers/book x it is manifest.htm

Man's Inability to Keep the Moral Law
... the death of sin. A natural man not only cannot keep the law through weakness,
but he breaks it through wilfulness. We will do whatsoever ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/3 1 mans inability to keep.htm

The Meeting Between Ambrose and Augustin
... He was thirty years old. The time of youthful wilfulness was over. Age,
disappointments, the difficulties of life, had developed his character. ...
/.../bertrand/saint augustin/iii the meeting between ambrose.htm

The Pure in Heart
... If any part of this world be a wilderness, it is because men have made it so, or
left it so, by their own wilfulness, ignorance, cowardice, laziness, violence. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xvi the pure in.htm

Sacrifice to Caesar or to God
... became once more full of meaning, and the clergy had again and again to defend the
things which belonged to God against the rapacity or the wilfulness of many ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xli sacrifice to caesar.htm

The Heart-Strings of God.
... it borned. Man tried to pull away, poor thing. In his foolish misunderstanding
and heady wilfulness he tried to cut loose. If he ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/the heart-strings of god.htm

Wilfulness (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) See Willfulness. Multi-Version Concordance
Wilfulness (2 Occurrences). 2 Peter 3:5 For this is hidden ...
/w/wilfulness.htm - 7k

Wilfully (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Alt. of Wilfulness. Multi-Version Concordance
Wilfully (2 Occurrences). Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin ...
/w/wilfully.htm - 7k

Wilily (1 Occurrence)

/w/wilily.htm - 6k

Depend (12 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 30:12 Therefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: Because ye reject this
word, and confide in oppression and wilfulness, and depend thereon, (DBY NIV). ...
/d/depend.htm - 10k

Confide (31 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 30:12 Therefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: Because ye reject this
word, and confide in oppression and wilfulness, and depend thereon, (DBY). ...
/c/confide.htm - 14k

Subsistence (2 Occurrences)
... 2 Peter 3:5 For this is hidden from them through their own wilfulness, that heavens
were of old, and an earth, having its subsistence out of water and in water ...
/s/subsistence.htm - 7k

Reject (56 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 30:12 Therefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: Because ye reject this
word, and confide in oppression and wilfulness, and depend thereon, (DBY NAS ...
/r/reject.htm - 21k

Hidden (181 Occurrences)
... 2 Peter 3:5 For this is hidden from them through their own wilfulness, that heavens
were of old, and an earth, having its subsistence out of water and in water ...
/h/hidden.htm - 39k

Wilful (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Alt. of Wilfulness. Multi-Version Concordance
Wilful (2 Occurrences). 2 Peter 2:10 and especially ...
/w/wilful.htm - 7k

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