The concept of "pleasing man" in the Bible often carries a cautionary tone, warning believers against prioritizing human approval over God's will. This theme is explored in various passages, emphasizing the importance of seeking God's favor above all else.

Biblical Warnings Against Pleasing Man

1. Galatians 1:10 · The Apostle Paul addresses the issue of seeking human approval in his letter to the Galatians: "Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." . Here, Paul underscores the incompatibility of being a servant of Christ while simultaneously striving to please people. His rhetorical questions highlight the priority of divine approval over human acceptance.

2. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 · Paul further elaborates on this theme: "Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts." . This passage emphasizes that the motivation for preaching the gospel should be to please God, who knows the true intentions of the heart, rather than to gain favor with people.

3. Colossians 3:23 · The Apostle Paul advises believers on their work ethic: "Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men." . This instruction encourages Christians to perform their duties with a focus on serving the Lord, rather than seeking human recognition or approval.

Examples of Pleasing Man in Scripture

1. King Saul · In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul disobeys God's command to completely destroy the Amalekites and their possessions. Instead, he spares King Agag and the best of the livestock, claiming he did so to offer sacrifices to the Lord. However, his actions reveal a desire to please the people rather than obey God fully. This disobedience ultimately leads to his rejection as king.

2. Peter's Hypocrisy · In Galatians 2:11-14, Paul recounts an incident where Peter, fearing the circumcision group, withdrew from eating with Gentile believers. This act of hypocrisy was driven by a desire to please certain Jewish Christians, compromising the truth of the gospel. Paul confronts Peter, emphasizing the importance of aligning actions with the truth of God's word rather than succumbing to peer pressure.

The Call to Please God

1. Romans 12:2 · Believers are called to transform their minds and not conform to the patterns of this world: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." . This transformation enables Christians to discern and pursue what pleases God, rather than seeking worldly approval.

2. Ephesians 5:10 · Paul instructs believers to "test and prove what pleases the Lord." . This involves a continuous effort to understand and align with God's desires, ensuring that one's life reflects His will rather than the fleeting approval of people.

Conclusion

The Bible consistently teaches that the pursuit of pleasing man can lead to spiritual compromise and disobedience to God. Believers are encouraged to seek God's approval above all, ensuring that their actions and motivations align with His will. Through the examples and teachings found in Scripture, Christians are reminded of the importance of prioritizing their relationship with God over the desire for human acceptance.Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Topicalbible.org

441. anthropareskos -- man-pleasing
... man-pleasing. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: anthropareskos Phonetic
Spelling: (anth-ro-par'-es-kos) Short Definition: desirous of pleasing men ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/441.htm - 6k

2107. eudokia -- good pleasure
... good-will (good-pleasure), favor, feeling of complacency of God to man, (b) good ...
pleasure (1), good will (1), kind intention (2), pleased (1), well-pleasing (2 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2107.htm - 7k

2896a. tob -- pleasant, agreeable, good
... 3), intelligent* (1), kind (1), like* (1), man (1), more* (2), one (1), one who
(1), one who (1), one who is good (1), one who is pleasing (1), pleasant (2 ...
/hebrew/2896a.htm - 6k

A Third Kind is "Pride" which is Pleasing to Man, not to God.
... Book X. Chapter XXXVI."A Third Kind is "Pride" Which is Pleasing to Man,
Not to God. 58. Shall we, then, account this too amongst ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter xxxvi a third kind is.htm

The Works of the Unregenerate Can be Pleasing to God, and are ...
... Thus the confession, by which any one acknowledges himself to be "a cold, blind
and poor creature," is pleasing to God; and the man, therefore, flies to Christ ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/article xvi the works of.htm

On Pleasing all Men
... and not only to weak minds, as the desire of praise, whether deserved or undeserved,
is planted in every child of man. But it is pleasing only for a while. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 100 on pleasing all.htm

Pleasing Christ
... These are the things which every Christian man and woman is bound by the power of ...
handicrafts, may each be sure that they are doing what is pleasing to Christ ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/pleasing christ.htm

Pleasing Christ
... His notion of acceptable service was service which a man suppressed much to render,
and ... a struggle and a dead lift, to live so as to be well-pleasing to Him. ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/pleasing christ.htm

The True Gnostic is Beneficent, Continent, and Despises Worldly ...
... of wisdom." [3608] But the perfect man, out of love, "beareth all things, endureth
all things," [3609] "as not pleasing man, but God." [3610] Although praise ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xii the true gnostic is.htm

On the Justification of Man Before God
... can be opposed to the rigid and severe judgment of God, though it is pleasing to
God ... But it may be thus defined, "it is a justification by which a man, who is a ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 19 on the justification.htm

Redemption for Man Lost to be Sought in Christ.
... turns to our greater disgrace, until God, who does not acknowledge man when defiled ...
such, are under the curse, the children of wrath, cannot be pleasing to God ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 6 redemption for man.htm

The Lone Man who Went Before
... for Him as a man to have lived, and He lived another sort of life. It was an emergency
life, a life fitted to His Father's plan, and so the Father-pleasing life ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on following the christ/the lone man who went.htm

On the Covenant into which God Entered with Our First Parents
... difference between each [of these kinds of] obedience, that the first (Thesis I)
is true obedience and, in itself, pleasing to God; and the man who performs it ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation xxix on the covenant.htm

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