Pleasing God
The Christian’s ambition is to please God (2 Cor 5:9). It is impossible to please God without faith (Heb 11:6). Faith in Christ is the gift of God manifested by His grace (Eph 2:8–9). Grace is God’s work in His chosen people to bring glory to Himself. So, we glorify God for causing us to walk in a worthy manner.
The grace to live a holy Christian life is sufficient because it is Christ living in the born again by His Spirit (Gal 2:20). The Holy Spirit has caused us to be born of God (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3) and He causes us to walk in faith. Further, God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). God’s eternal purpose is to be glorified in all His works…especially the salvation of His chosen people (2 Thess 2:13).
God performs all our works for us as He accomplishes what concerns us (Is 26:12; Ps 57:2; 138:8). Our very present concern is salvation. Only one name under heaven, given among men, teaches us that we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Not everyone is saved (Mt 7:21; Rom 9:22); but the means for one to trust in the Lord, for salvation, is the bold witness of those who already have been saved (1 Cor 1:31; Gal 6:14).
The Apostle Paul bore witness of God’s mercy and grace to transfer him, the wretched Pharisee, from his path on the wide way leading to destruction and into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Mt 7:13; Col 1:13). God made Saul of Tarsus alive to God and imputed Christ’s righteousness to him (Acts 9). For everyone who has received Christ in this manner, the hope of eternal life now motivates every action. We must give an account to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us (Eph 5:2). In this, we are highly motivated (2 Cor 5:10).
Pleasing God is the Christian’s lifestyle. God loved us while we were dead to God, being dead in sin (Eph 2:1). New life manifested when He poured His love into our hearts (Rom 5:5). This happened when He gave us His Spirit as a pledge, a token of better things to come (2 Cor 1:12; 5:5).
The Christian’s life speaks in tandem with his or her words. We have a Gospel to proclaim; and God’s love for us compels us into a life of loving sacrifice. We deny our selfish goals and the selfish ambition to achieve God’s will for us. It is the Christian’s desire to be exemplary.
Following Christ, as a way of life, has zero allure for those seeking self-glory. Pleasing God is not the objective for the natural man at enmity with God (Rom 1:30; 8:7; Eph 2:15–16; Jas 4:4). The sinner’s ambition is to please himself. It follows that self-styled religious gurus love the praise of men. They desire money, power/authority, sex, and fame. This was true in Paul’s day and it is true, today.
Some false teachers will avoid the subject of Jesus Christ. Other pseudo-prophets will claim Christ and then misrepresent our Lord in their quest to infiltrate Christ’s church and profit from it. These are known by their unsound doctrine, inspired by demons (1 Tim 4:1).
One task of the Christian minister is to expose those who position themselves in opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Strong opposition from the Jews, the Judaizers, the Greeks, and false brethren was evident in the early church. One benefit derived from false religion is the need for clarifying sound doctrine.
Religious frauds abound where there is a void of faithful Gospel ministers. It is the preaching of the Bible, the Word of truth, that chases the quacks and their quackery away. Christians and gathered congregations must insist on employing only faithful expositors. If the standard is relaxed, the demise is sure. Church history is darkened with stories of slides down the slippery slope of liberalism. Each local church is only one pastor away from decline.
Whole denominations have subjected themselves to heresy, which invariably leads to apostasy. Here is the good fight of faith for the called man of God. He must stand with others who search the Scriptures and serve the church in truth. Error must be corrected. Impurity must be met with repentance. Selfish ambition must not be tolerated.
The called and sent man of God is approved by God to be a workman, who is not ashamed of the Gospel truth. Like Paul, the minster must care for the beloved in the spirit of a nursing mother. He must not burden the body of Christ via his personal neediness. He must be like a father who can take care of himself, while providing good things for the family of God.
We must not deviate from the teachings of the prophets and apostles (Eph 2:20; 2 Pet 3:2). We must pray for men of God to be raised up to fulfill this ministry in a manner pleasing to God. In turn, we need to follow the example of faithful men and women, who live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:12).
Walking in faith is a walk in love. We love because He first loved us…always speaking truth (Eph 4:25; 1 Jn 4:19). Christ Jesus lived as the perfect example, but we must not follow Him in our own wisdom or power. Rather, we walk by the Spirit (Rom 8:4; Gal 5:16), that is, by the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit, who always aligns our doctrine and practice to the Holy Bible.
Serving the body of Christ is the same as serving Christ Himself. Forsaking the pleasures of the world, the servant of the Lord sacrifices his or her time, talents, and treasure. The beneficiaries of this giving of oneself are the ones who hear, receive, and believe the Good News. They are pleased to do so because God makes us glad as recipients and as heralds. God is pleased to send His messengers to us; and He is pleased to then send us. Faith cannot fail because of the heart of love that rejoices in the truth. Peter asked, “To whom shall we go?” It is Jesus who is authoring your faith if you have faith (Heb 12:2). Got faith? God is pleased (Heb 11:6).
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
July 6, 2023
