Gen. 1:1 / In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Although multitudes have read this verse and come to the realization that God is the creator of all
things; few have stopped to consider why he created all things. Being that God is perfect in all ways why did he feel the need to create anything at all? Being that he himself
is perfect should he also not have created a perfect world? Witnessing the state of this world one does not need to be Sherlock Holmes to conclude that this world is
anything but perfect. In order to answer such questions it becomes necessary to understand why God created everything that he did. The answer to the question of the why
of creation is found in Rev. 4:11 / Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created. So the answer to the question of why God created everything is quite plain that he created them for his pleasure. The question that then arises is what
is that gives God pleasure? Some people would suggest that man gives God pleasure and offer in support the question that David asked in Psalm 8:4 / What is man, that
thou art mindful of him? Is it man that brings God pleasure? If he is then we can all rejoice and go home because our search for the answer as to what gives God
pleasure is over. But if flesh and blood man gives God pain rather than pleasure then we have to continue our search till we come to an accurate understanding of this
important subject that will explain to our own selves the purpose of our existence. Let us look at Biblical history to determine whether mankind, meaning Adam and his flesh
and blood children, have brought God pleasure or pain from the time that man was first formed and placed in the Garden of Eden.
Gen. 2:16 / And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Adam was given a command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. This command was blatantly disobeyed in Gen. 3:6 / And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. We all know the rest of the story of how sin
and death entered this world from that moment on, and how the world has been groaning under the weight of the evil effects of that action till this every day. So what the
very first couple on earth did in Garden, did that bring pleasure or pain to their creator?
Let’s turn to Gen. 6:5 / And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of
the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. A very few generations after Adam was made, we
find the state of man in this world to be so wicked that it grieved God at his heart that he had made man at all. Is this the creature that brought God pleasure?
Moving on to Gen. 11:4 / And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered
abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Again just a few generations after the flood that was the greatest judgment ever to come upon man; man had turned away from his
creator and wanted to make for himself a name, wanted to set himself up as God. Gen. 11:5 / And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of
men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them,
which they have imagined to do. Why was God so concerned about what they might imagine to do? Look again at Gen. 6:5 / And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Is it possible that God was concerned that every imagination of the
thoughts of man’s heart would once again turn to evil as it had before the flood? Were the actions of man after the flood pleasurable to God, could this be the creature that
would please him?
A little bit later on in man’s journey through Biblical history we find the children of Israel encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai where God came down in a furnace of fire to give
them the law through Moses. Ex 32:1 / And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron,
and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
So even while Moses was up in the mountain receiving the law from God their creator, they decided to fashion ‘gods’ for themselves that took the shape of an idolatrous
golden calf. In the very presence of Jehovah, who was their God, these people denied him and chose a beast to be their god. How much pleasure do you think God would
have received from such people? If you want the answer to that question read the rest of the chapter and find out for yourself.
I think one more example ought to suffice as to how much pleasure God has derived from man and to answer the question if God created man to be the source of pleasure
for himself. Let’s look at the following scripture: 1 Kings 10:23 / So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. 24 And all the earth sought
to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Solomon was the richest and wisest man in all of the earth in his time; God had put wisdom in his heart and
had given him so much wealth that silver was accounted for nothing in his time. 1 Kings 10:21 / And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of
the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. However Solomon had been given the wealth
and wisdom by God with certain conditions. 1 Kings 9:6 / But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my
statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house,
which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people... Solomon was sternly warned of God not to go
and serve other gods or worship them. Did Solomon with all his wisdom do that which God required of him? 1 Kings 11:9 / And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because
his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other
gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. Even Solomon, the richest and wisest man on the face of the earth in his time was not pleasing to God!
So what do we learn from Biblical history beginning with Adam and into the book of Revelation that details events that will transpire in the very last days? From Genesis to
Revelation, from the beginning to the end, the first Adam, and his children have caused grievous pain to God their creator. The history of this world is a story of man’s
wickedness, of oceans of blood having been spilled by man on Earth, and of other unspeakable evils that continues to this very day. Not surprisingly the Bible tells us that
man in his natural state is not capable of pleasing God. Romans 8:8 / So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Flesh and blood man was never meant to be
the heir of God’s Kingdom and therefore it is written, 1 Cor. 15:50 / Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption. Man’s history, both Biblical and secular proves that man has never been pleasing to his creator, so why then did the Psalmist ask this question in
Psalms 8:4 / What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
In order to answer the previous question let us look at what does please God? Isaiah 42:1 / Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. And
again in Isaiah 42:21 / The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake...The servant written about in these scriptures is not Adam but rather Jesus Christ. So finally
we find someone in the Bible who is pleasing to God, who brings him delight, whom he looks favourably upon. Isaiah 53:10 / Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath
put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Not only was God pleased in Jesus but we read in Matt. 3:17 / And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. God was not only
pleased in Jesus, we are told that he was well pleased in him. Both Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22 confirm this testimony of God from heaven regarding his beloved son Jesus
Christ, that the Father was well pleased with the Son. We further read in Matt. 12:18 / Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well
pleased.... At the mount of transfiguration once again God the Father confirmed his pleasure in the only begotten Son, While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
So whereas natural carnal man has never been pleasing to God; that may be an understatement of Biblical proportions, the first Adam and his flesh and blood descendants
have been a downright stench in the nostrils of God. However the last Adam, Jesus the only begotten Son of God has been pleasing to him always. The question then
arises why did God make the first Adam? Why not forgo all the pain and suffering that resulted from the creation of the first Adam and go directly to the last Adam? To
answer this question we need to understand the difference between the first Adam, the man formed from the dust of the ground and the last Adam who is the Lord from
heaven. 1 Cor. 15: 45-50 clearly distinguishes between the two; the first Adam was fleshly, earthy, natural, carnal, soulish, unspiritual whereas the last Adam is a life giving
Spirit from heaven that came to dwell in a body made of flesh. And so it is written, 45 The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is
the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption.
The Kingdom of God has always been reserved for the last Adam, for Jesus Christ and those who would be born of faith in Him, never for those who were formed of the
earth; flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God we are told. This was not a result of man’s fall but this is the way it was planned from the beginning. The heirs of
God’s kingdom were always meant to be flesh and spirit beings not flesh and blood creatures, the first of this new species of being is Jesus Christ and those who receive
birth as new creations through faith in him will be joint heirs with Him. The purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice was not to remake the Adam that was formed in the Garden but to
bring forth from the first Adam the last Adam who is a completely new species, qualitatively different than the man of the earth. There could not have been a short cut to this
process; it was a process that began with the first Adam in the Garden and culminated with the resurrection from the dead of the last Adam. So why was it necessary to
make the first flesh and blood Adam who brought pain, grief and death to his creator and not go straight to the last Adam that is life giving spirit? The answer to this
question is more complex than the space in this article permits but the short version is that the last Adam is a new creation that has come about as a result of synthesis
between flesh and Spirit. The first Adam provided the flesh, the ground in which was sown the Eternal Spirit to create the new species, the God-Man Jesus Christ and those
who will inherit the same life in the age to come. 2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new. The new creature is a spirit and flesh spiritual being, the old man was a flesh and blood carnal man who has been made extinct and will have no
place in the world to come.
So the conclusion of the matter is that flesh and blood man is not capable of pleasing God; the one in whom God takes delight, the one who gives him pleasure is Jesus
Christ. That is the real meaning of the Gospel, the real Good News for those who believe in the only begotten Son of God, they too can be pleasing to God. Not as flesh
and blood mortals but rather as incorruptible new creations in Christ. The Beloved Son who pleased the Father from before the foundation of the world, for whom all things
were created dwells in heaven sitting on the throne on the right hand of God. The mystery of the Gospel is that Jesus dwells in us as well, and that alone is the reason that
we too can please God, be delightful to him as Jesus was in the days of his flesh upon Earth. Col 1:27 / To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Gospel, the good news is that as Jesus who dwells in us by faith grows in our hearts; we too
become more and more pleasing to God. As we are transformed into the image of the Last Adam by the Spirit of God, the inner man grows daily whereas the outward man
(the first Adam) perishes daily. 2 Cor. 3:18 / But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor 4:16 / For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
This is the real reason why God gave his only begotten Son, not just to restore us to the state of man before the fall but to make us entirely ‘new creations’ who alone can
please God. If you wish to know how you can become more pleasing to God then learn how to see more of him in yourself, him who already is the Beloved Son, in whom
God is well pleased. We do this by:
1. Studying the Word of God and
2. Meditating on it. (Biblical meditation, not TM)
3. Praying and
4. Fasting.
The Gospel is not a self help or self improvement feel good about yourself doctrine. The Gospel as explained above is not about man, it is about the love of God for man;
love that has made it possible for man to have the same perfect love grow and mature in his own heart. 1 John 2:5 / But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of
God perfected: it is the love of God in man’s heart that makes man pleasing to God. Since this love can only come into man’s heart from God through Jesus, it is not
possible to have such love without Jesus dwelling in man’s heart. And since Jesus can only dwell in our heart by faith it is not possible to please God without faith. Heb 11:6 /
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The reward of
faith is the understanding of God’s love that can never fail or come to an end, it is not material things.
I close with the following prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian church and may God give every reader and listener the faith to comprehend his
immeasurable love that passes knowledge.
Eph 3:14-21 (KJV)14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would
grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye,
being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
things; few have stopped to consider why he created all things. Being that God is perfect in all ways why did he feel the need to create anything at all? Being that he himself
is perfect should he also not have created a perfect world? Witnessing the state of this world one does not need to be Sherlock Holmes to conclude that this world is
anything but perfect. In order to answer such questions it becomes necessary to understand why God created everything that he did. The answer to the question of the why
of creation is found in Rev. 4:11 / Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created. So the answer to the question of why God created everything is quite plain that he created them for his pleasure. The question that then arises is what
is that gives God pleasure? Some people would suggest that man gives God pleasure and offer in support the question that David asked in Psalm 8:4 / What is man, that
thou art mindful of him? Is it man that brings God pleasure? If he is then we can all rejoice and go home because our search for the answer as to what gives God
pleasure is over. But if flesh and blood man gives God pain rather than pleasure then we have to continue our search till we come to an accurate understanding of this
important subject that will explain to our own selves the purpose of our existence. Let us look at Biblical history to determine whether mankind, meaning Adam and his flesh
and blood children, have brought God pleasure or pain from the time that man was first formed and placed in the Garden of Eden.
Gen. 2:16 / And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Adam was given a command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. This command was blatantly disobeyed in Gen. 3:6 / And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. We all know the rest of the story of how sin
and death entered this world from that moment on, and how the world has been groaning under the weight of the evil effects of that action till this every day. So what the
very first couple on earth did in Garden, did that bring pleasure or pain to their creator?
Let’s turn to Gen. 6:5 / And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of
the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. A very few generations after Adam was made, we
find the state of man in this world to be so wicked that it grieved God at his heart that he had made man at all. Is this the creature that brought God pleasure?
Moving on to Gen. 11:4 / And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered
abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Again just a few generations after the flood that was the greatest judgment ever to come upon man; man had turned away from his
creator and wanted to make for himself a name, wanted to set himself up as God. Gen. 11:5 / And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of
men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them,
which they have imagined to do. Why was God so concerned about what they might imagine to do? Look again at Gen. 6:5 / And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Is it possible that God was concerned that every imagination of the
thoughts of man’s heart would once again turn to evil as it had before the flood? Were the actions of man after the flood pleasurable to God, could this be the creature that
would please him?
A little bit later on in man’s journey through Biblical history we find the children of Israel encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai where God came down in a furnace of fire to give
them the law through Moses. Ex 32:1 / And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron,
and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
So even while Moses was up in the mountain receiving the law from God their creator, they decided to fashion ‘gods’ for themselves that took the shape of an idolatrous
golden calf. In the very presence of Jehovah, who was their God, these people denied him and chose a beast to be their god. How much pleasure do you think God would
have received from such people? If you want the answer to that question read the rest of the chapter and find out for yourself.
I think one more example ought to suffice as to how much pleasure God has derived from man and to answer the question if God created man to be the source of pleasure
for himself. Let’s look at the following scripture: 1 Kings 10:23 / So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. 24 And all the earth sought
to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Solomon was the richest and wisest man in all of the earth in his time; God had put wisdom in his heart and
had given him so much wealth that silver was accounted for nothing in his time. 1 Kings 10:21 / And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of
the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. However Solomon had been given the wealth
and wisdom by God with certain conditions. 1 Kings 9:6 / But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my
statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house,
which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people... Solomon was sternly warned of God not to go
and serve other gods or worship them. Did Solomon with all his wisdom do that which God required of him? 1 Kings 11:9 / And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because
his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other
gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. Even Solomon, the richest and wisest man on the face of the earth in his time was not pleasing to God!
So what do we learn from Biblical history beginning with Adam and into the book of Revelation that details events that will transpire in the very last days? From Genesis to
Revelation, from the beginning to the end, the first Adam, and his children have caused grievous pain to God their creator. The history of this world is a story of man’s
wickedness, of oceans of blood having been spilled by man on Earth, and of other unspeakable evils that continues to this very day. Not surprisingly the Bible tells us that
man in his natural state is not capable of pleasing God. Romans 8:8 / So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Flesh and blood man was never meant to be
the heir of God’s Kingdom and therefore it is written, 1 Cor. 15:50 / Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption. Man’s history, both Biblical and secular proves that man has never been pleasing to his creator, so why then did the Psalmist ask this question in
Psalms 8:4 / What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
In order to answer the previous question let us look at what does please God? Isaiah 42:1 / Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. And
again in Isaiah 42:21 / The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake...The servant written about in these scriptures is not Adam but rather Jesus Christ. So finally
we find someone in the Bible who is pleasing to God, who brings him delight, whom he looks favourably upon. Isaiah 53:10 / Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath
put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Not only was God pleased in Jesus but we read in Matt. 3:17 / And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. God was not only
pleased in Jesus, we are told that he was well pleased in him. Both Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22 confirm this testimony of God from heaven regarding his beloved son Jesus
Christ, that the Father was well pleased with the Son. We further read in Matt. 12:18 / Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well
pleased.... At the mount of transfiguration once again God the Father confirmed his pleasure in the only begotten Son, While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
So whereas natural carnal man has never been pleasing to God; that may be an understatement of Biblical proportions, the first Adam and his flesh and blood descendants
have been a downright stench in the nostrils of God. However the last Adam, Jesus the only begotten Son of God has been pleasing to him always. The question then
arises why did God make the first Adam? Why not forgo all the pain and suffering that resulted from the creation of the first Adam and go directly to the last Adam? To
answer this question we need to understand the difference between the first Adam, the man formed from the dust of the ground and the last Adam who is the Lord from
heaven. 1 Cor. 15: 45-50 clearly distinguishes between the two; the first Adam was fleshly, earthy, natural, carnal, soulish, unspiritual whereas the last Adam is a life giving
Spirit from heaven that came to dwell in a body made of flesh. And so it is written, 45 The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is
the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption.
The Kingdom of God has always been reserved for the last Adam, for Jesus Christ and those who would be born of faith in Him, never for those who were formed of the
earth; flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God we are told. This was not a result of man’s fall but this is the way it was planned from the beginning. The heirs of
God’s kingdom were always meant to be flesh and spirit beings not flesh and blood creatures, the first of this new species of being is Jesus Christ and those who receive
birth as new creations through faith in him will be joint heirs with Him. The purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice was not to remake the Adam that was formed in the Garden but to
bring forth from the first Adam the last Adam who is a completely new species, qualitatively different than the man of the earth. There could not have been a short cut to this
process; it was a process that began with the first Adam in the Garden and culminated with the resurrection from the dead of the last Adam. So why was it necessary to
make the first flesh and blood Adam who brought pain, grief and death to his creator and not go straight to the last Adam that is life giving spirit? The answer to this
question is more complex than the space in this article permits but the short version is that the last Adam is a new creation that has come about as a result of synthesis
between flesh and Spirit. The first Adam provided the flesh, the ground in which was sown the Eternal Spirit to create the new species, the God-Man Jesus Christ and those
who will inherit the same life in the age to come. 2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new. The new creature is a spirit and flesh spiritual being, the old man was a flesh and blood carnal man who has been made extinct and will have no
place in the world to come.
So the conclusion of the matter is that flesh and blood man is not capable of pleasing God; the one in whom God takes delight, the one who gives him pleasure is Jesus
Christ. That is the real meaning of the Gospel, the real Good News for those who believe in the only begotten Son of God, they too can be pleasing to God. Not as flesh
and blood mortals but rather as incorruptible new creations in Christ. The Beloved Son who pleased the Father from before the foundation of the world, for whom all things
were created dwells in heaven sitting on the throne on the right hand of God. The mystery of the Gospel is that Jesus dwells in us as well, and that alone is the reason that
we too can please God, be delightful to him as Jesus was in the days of his flesh upon Earth. Col 1:27 / To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Gospel, the good news is that as Jesus who dwells in us by faith grows in our hearts; we too
become more and more pleasing to God. As we are transformed into the image of the Last Adam by the Spirit of God, the inner man grows daily whereas the outward man
(the first Adam) perishes daily. 2 Cor. 3:18 / But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor 4:16 / For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
This is the real reason why God gave his only begotten Son, not just to restore us to the state of man before the fall but to make us entirely ‘new creations’ who alone can
please God. If you wish to know how you can become more pleasing to God then learn how to see more of him in yourself, him who already is the Beloved Son, in whom
God is well pleased. We do this by:
1. Studying the Word of God and
2. Meditating on it. (Biblical meditation, not TM)
3. Praying and
4. Fasting.
The Gospel is not a self help or self improvement feel good about yourself doctrine. The Gospel as explained above is not about man, it is about the love of God for man;
love that has made it possible for man to have the same perfect love grow and mature in his own heart. 1 John 2:5 / But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of
God perfected: it is the love of God in man’s heart that makes man pleasing to God. Since this love can only come into man’s heart from God through Jesus, it is not
possible to have such love without Jesus dwelling in man’s heart. And since Jesus can only dwell in our heart by faith it is not possible to please God without faith. Heb 11:6 /
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The reward of
faith is the understanding of God’s love that can never fail or come to an end, it is not material things.
I close with the following prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian church and may God give every reader and listener the faith to comprehend his
immeasurable love that passes knowledge.
Eph 3:14-21 (KJV)14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would
grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye,
being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
| WHO PLEASES GOD? |
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