Here’s Steve’s vid, Lie #14: “You need to try hard to please God” and my comments follow…
“Ask Him to help you so you can try hard to please Him”…
“You do want to Him to be happy right?”…
… all LIES.
This is the essence of legalism, the essence of religion – us trying to get closer to God by our own works.
Steve quotes Paul in Galatians 3:10 where it says everyone living under the law is “cursed”… the message translation of the Bible explains it this way (emphasis mine)…
“So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: “Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law.”"
Paul was trying to get across that living by faith, resting in the completed work of Christ, that we’re ALREADY totally pleasing to God in every way is the only way to live… and that trying to live by your own efforts, “working hard to please God”, only leads to failure…
And that IS the purpose of the law — to lead to failure!
Paul continues in the same chapter that the whole purpose of the law is to be a “cruel taskmaster” so that would see our own inability to fulfill it… and eventually lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24)
This is the reason why I don’t really fight back all that much or jump up to shove the message of grace down anyone’s throat when they start quoting “you need to try hard to please God” and things like that…
I just smile warmly and confidently, knowing that they’ll follow the same path that I did and eventually see failure enough times to say “ENOUGH with trying to be a good Christian!” and then they’ll start to see grace.
(people who are quick to spout the “you need to please God” rhetoric aren’t usually receptive to hear about grace at that moment… at least in my experience)
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5 Things I’m grateful for today:
- She called yesterday
- It’s a new day so we HAVE to be getting closer to summer…
- The warrior diet is working well (and it’s easy to follow!)
- Probably going to Atlantic City this weekend!
- I get to write this blog every morning
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Ron 06.04.08 at 6:17 am
I wonder if you’d consider another perspective on how to please God. Just some thoughts from a fellow blogger. See the link below…
http://pastorron7.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/how-to-please-god/