thelema is the will or intended course attributed to God, a lord, or human persons, often as something done or followed.

The dominant usage presents God’s will as an intended purpose, command, or course to be known, done, or accepted; the same noun also denotes the desire or decision of human persons and other agents, sometimes in contrast with God’s will.

1. God’s intended purpose or required course · dominant

   The singular noun names what belongs to God and is to be done or understood: in Matthew 12:50 the APB renders the clause about doing the Father’s will, while in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 it identifies God’s will with abstaining from sexual immorality. In John 6:39 the nominative form introduces what the sender intends concerning those given to the Son, and Hebrews 10:36 places doing God’s will before receiving what was promised.

   Matthew 12:501 Thessalonians 4:3John 6:39Hebrews 10:36Colossians 1:9Acts 21:14
2. A person’s desire, decision, or chosen aim · common

   The noun can identify a human agent’s own decision or desired outcome. In 1 Corinthians 16:12 the nominative form concerns Apollos’s not coming at that time; in 1 Corinthians 7:37 the genitive form occurs where a person has his desire under control and determines a course in his heart. John 5:30 contrasts the speaker’s own will with that of the one who sent him, and Luke 23:25 describes Jesus being handed over to the crowd’s will.

   1 Corinthians 16:121 Corinthians 7:37John 5:30Luke 23:25Ephesians 2:3Luke 12:47

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses the APB commonly presents the noun as “will,” including clauses about doing, knowing, or acting according to it; it also uses “desire” where a human agent’s inclination is in view. These English choices confirm the clauses’ overall presentation rather than fixing a separate rendering for every form.