What must I do to please God?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Because God is all-powerful and perfect, the thought of attempting to please Him can be scary. Pleasing God, however, is not difficult because He gives us everything we need to please Him (2 Peter 1:3). Pleasing God involves obeying His commandments, living righteously, and genuinely worshiping Him. God is also pleased with a contrite heart and humility because this attitude allows us to see who we are in light of who He is. This allows us to do what is most important in pleasing God: trusting in Him. After salvation, living in the Spirit enables us to live in ways that please God (Romans 8:5–8). Believers should seek to know, follow, and reflect God's character, knowing that God equips us to live pleasing lives through His grace and the Holy Spirit.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God is pleased when His people obey His commandments and live according to His laws. This is seen throughout the Torah, such as in Deuteronomy 6:5–6, which commands love for God and keeping His words in one's heart.
• Pleasing God involves living a righteous and just life. Micah 6:8 highlights that God requires His people to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.
• Genuine worship and devotion are important. God desires sincere worship rather than mere ritualistic practices. For example, Isaiah 1:11–17 criticizes empty rituals and emphasizes the importance of justice and caring for the oppressed. The Israelites were expected to live in a way that reflected their covenant relationship with God, thereby pleasing God.
• God is also pleased with a contrite heart and humility. Psalm 51:16–17 indicates that God does not desire sacrifices alone but a broken and contrite heart.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Hebrews 11:6 says that "without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Faith in God and remaining faithful to Him are what pleases God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
• Our first step of faith is to trust in Jesus.
• The Bible explains that all people have gone against God's ways and are separated from Him, and thus condemned, as a result (Romans 6:23), but God has made a way of rescue!
• Jesus is the second person of the Trinity who took on human flesh (John 1:1–4). He is fully God and fully human. He lived a life that fulfilled all of God's law (Matthew 5:17; Romans 5:12–21). Then He took on our sin on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). He rose back to life, proving He is who He claimed, that His sacrifice was sufficient, and that He is victorious over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:56–57). All who trust in Him are fully forgiven of their sins (John 3:16–18).
• Those who are saved are also made new and given the indwelling Holy Spirit, who not only seals their salvation but helps them to know, love, and obey God (Ephesians 1:3–14; Philippians 2:12–13).
• Jesus showed us what God is like (Colossians 1:15) and how we should live as a result. He made it possible for us to be reconciled with God and to live in ways that are pleasing to God, experiencing fullness of life in Him (John 10:10).
• When we are saved, we are fully forgiven, but we still retain our sin nature. It takes effort to set aside those things that don't please God and to instead put on our new identity in Christ and live in ways that do please God (Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 4:17–32; Colossians 3:1–17; Hebrews 12:1–2). We can do this only by abiding in Christ (John 15:1–11) and living "in the Spirit" (Romans 8:5–8; Galatians 5:16–26). Living in the Spirit and not in the flesh pleases God.
• We please God by desiring to know Him, intentionally following Him, and wanting to be more like Him in our character and actions (Romans 8:28–30).
• We please God by obeying Him and loving others. First John 3:23 says, "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."
• In John 17 Jesus prayed for future believers "that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:21). It pleases God when we are in intimate relationship with Him, when the universal church reflects who He is and lives in unity, and when His name is proclaimed to a world in need.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Throughout Scripture there are many verses which outline the sort of life Christians are to live. In short, they are to be characterized by love of God and love of others, all based on truth. Those commands are not meant to be a burden. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). His commandments are not burdensome because He gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), He has perfected us by Jesus' sacrifice (Hebrews 10:14), and He has given us the Holy Spirit, who is like living water flowing out of us (John 7:38). The point is that once we are in Christ, pleasing God is inevitable, because God will make it happen. We are saved by His grace, through faith, and it is all a gift, including the good works that we will eventually come to learn to do (Ephesians 2:8–10). Believers should never worry, thinking that they will not be pleasing to God. As we seek Him, and love Him, He will produce fruit in us that pleases God (John 15:4–5).

UNDERSTAND

• Pleasing God begins with faith in Him.
• To live in a way that pleases God, believers must live according to the Spirit, not the flesh.
• We please God by embodying His character—showing love, justice, and mercy, and by living out the commands to love God and others.

REFLECT

• How do you currently strive to live in a way that pleases God?
• What does living in the Spirit look like in your daily routines and decisions? Are there areas where you notice yourself relying more on the flesh than on the Spirit?
• How can you grow in embodying God’s character, especially in challenging situations? What practical steps can you take to ensure your actions and attitudes align with His will?

ENGAGE

• How can we live to please God without becoming legalistic and missing the point of our relationship with Him?
• What are good ways to measure whether we are reflecting God’s character and pleasing Him?
• How can we practically align our goals and ambitions with what pleases God? What are some examples of aligning personal aspirations with spiritual values that please God?