Young Christian Leaders' Alliance

R. Josiah Magnuson

Who are we trying to please? The Bible gives numerous clear directives that the motivation for the believer in living a life of distinction be different from the motivation of the world. Our service is not for ourselves but to glorify God.

True Christianity is not a “celebrity” activity. Because we are different, the world hates us and seeks to persecute us. We will never change the world’s opinion of us if we continue to live godly lives. As II Timothy 3:12 declares, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Rather, our motivation should come from a desire to please Christ, experience His resurrection power, and bring Him glory by sharing His truth with others.

One example of Scripture on this issue is I Thessa-lonians 2:4-6. “As we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth the hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness, God is witness. Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others…”

Galatians 1:10 continues the theme of seeking to please God rather than men. “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.”

Interestingly, the Bible also contains direction that we try to please those around us as much as possible. For example, I Corinthians 10:32-33 tells us, “Give none offense, neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”

Scripture encourages us to maintain a good reputation. Proverbs 22:1 states, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver or gold.” One of the requirements of a bishop (church overseer) given by Paul is to “have a good report of them which are without” (I Timothy 3:7).

Is the Bible being contradictory? Is God telling us to both please others and not please them? In the passage from I Corinthians 10, the answer is found in the immediately preceding verse (v. 31): “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

There is no problem with seeking to show respect and kindness to everyone. There is not even a problem with just wanting people to be happy with our actions. The problem enters when our motivation becomes service to self. We are to seek to serve others and lead them to salvation in Christ, making our ambition that of bringing glory to God.

For example, Luke 10:27 shows our primary duty: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” We are to love and serve God alone. But, this love for God is not to the exclusion of a love for others. We are to show love to others as an expression of our love for God. As Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Romans 15:1-2 tells us, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, ‘The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.’”

Just as Christ bore our infirmities, we should bear the infirmities of others and seek to edify (build up and encourage) them. It is in this way that we are to “please” others. But we are not to seek others to shine spotlights on us as we bask in the dim glitter of condoning sin or smoothing over untruth. Nor are we to promote our own goodness or importance. The glory must go to Christ.

Christ wants us to make peace, show love, and build good character. However, we must follow His example in doing so. This path often leads through times of suffering and persecution. The world will not generally appreciate the efforts of the Christian to be a light in its darkness. We will need to make hard choices. But the life of finding rewards that last is truly the life of fixing our eyes on our God, the eternal Rewarder.

Pleasing ourselves, or attempting to please other people so we can please ourselves, is pointless. We can please the One who gives us all we have, Who can make us everything we need to be.