Unlimited: The Flesh Cannot Please God
Dec 19, 2024 720
Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
Most people, in some way or another are “people-pleasers.” Yet the secret to happiness and to life, both now and in eternity, is to please God.
Paul himself was accused of trying to please people. He defended himself in his letter to the Galatian church:
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ (Gal 1:10).
This verse is often quoted by people who forget that the context for this statement is the Gospel, as Paul continues in the next verse,
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin (Gal 1:11).
If we draw our identify from the kingdom of the flesh, it is impossible for us to please God.
The question is, how do we please God? If we draw our identify from the kingdom of the flesh, it is impossible for us to please God. This is the principle that the apostle establishes in Romans 8:8. False religion always follows the principles of the realm of the flesh.
The only way to please God is the way that Christ has opened up for us through the Gospel. We please God when we trust in Jesus. Then we are not in the realm of the flesh, but of the Spirit.
Spiritual Application
Have you ever tried to please God simply by “doing better” or “doing more”? How did that work out for you?
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