“And this we will do if God permits” (Hebrews 6:3).
No matter how noble, no plan should ever be made presumptuously (i.e., without acknowledging that God has the inherent right to overrule any and every detail of your arrangements).
This principle is clearly stated in Scripture: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:13-17).
It is also demonstrated in this verse by the inspired penman.
Even though it was quite probable that the author of this word of exhortation would be able to return to a more in-depth consideration of Jesus’ High Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, he refrained from thinking or planning presumptuously.
“Oh, that would never happen to an inspired penman”, you might think. If you did, you would be mistaken.
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saint” (Jude 3). Jude’s plan to write about the common salvation he shared with his readers were changed.
“If God permits…” “If the Lord wills…”
These are verbal expressions of faith in God’s sovereignty and providence which are essential to preventing presumption as we live purposefully and righteously upon this earth.
