Many sincere Christians have an earnest desire to please God. It’s essential that we live a life that is pleasing to God, but we need to ensure that we’re pleasing God the right way. Our good intentions may go astray if our desire to please God is through our self-effort. People have a tendency to walk by sight rather than by faith. The writer of Hebrews gives us the key how we may please God,

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

The indispensable requirement for pleasing God is trusting Him – not your good works, not your righteousness, nor your religiosity. Faith may be described as the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things. Faith is not simply believing that God can, but faith is believing that God will. The author of Hebrews defined faith earlier in this chapter,

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Jesus offers us the faith that can justify a sinful person. The Westminster Larger Catechism (Q. 72) defines justifying faith as follows, 

Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation. 

The Bible depicts faith as the ability to trust God regardless of our circumstances. Faith may be described as believing that which common sense tells you not to. The word used for “coming to God” in Hebrews 11:6 implies the idea of being near to God. It is often translated to draw near to God as we see earlier in this epistle,

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

What a tremendous promise! We can draw near to God with confidence knowing that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need. We also see God’s ability to save us as we draw near to Him,

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

Are you earnestly seeking after God? Faith in God is what pleases Him – may our lives demonstrate faith that is pleasing to Him.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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