Can A Christian Please God

Confusion

so when we talk as Christians about walking and living in a way that pleases God we have some confusion on this issue and the confusion comes in between the tension when we are trying to understand what the bible means when it says we are justified right in Gods eyes and on the other side that all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags.

On the first issue we can fall into error when we think that now because we are justified now because Christ covers our sins and God loves us and we are saved and our salvation is eternal and we cant lose our salvation then it does not matter how we live we say yes we ought to do that but its OK thank God we are justified (just as if I’d never sinned)

On the other side we acknowledge that we are justified but we can never really make God happy everything i do no matter how good and right my motives are God still frowns (I’m just a filthy rag )

the tension comes because both of these in a sense are true

but there end will be death. in the first idea it will ultimately lead to greasy grace 1 John talks about this type of antinomianism those who are against the Law (of God) Ten commandments saying it does not matter how we live only if we know the right things as long as we make the right profession give the right answers we will be OK.

The other tends to lead to a sense of legalism and bondage that you have to do this to make God happy but God is never happy with you because you are filthy rags your saved but God still doesn't like you good luck with not being overwhelmed in depression with that type of understanding.

Taking away the confusion

how do we do this well by putting these truths in the right place and give them there God intended definition

I want to read this article I found on a book I want.

Many Christians believe that all their righteous deeds are nothing but filthy rags. After all, that’s what seems to say: even your best deeds are dirty and worthless. But I don’t think this is what Isaiah means. The “righteous deeds” Isaiah has in mind are most likely the perfunctory rituals offered by Israel without sincere faith and without wholehearted obedience. In the Lord rejects Israel’s sinful sacrifices. They are an insult to the Lord, smoke in his nostrils, just like the ritual “obedience” of that did not impress the Lord because his people were oppressing the poor. Their “righteous deeds” were “filthy rags” (64:6, KJV) because they weren’t righteous at all. They looked good but were a sham, a literal smoke screen to cover up their unbelief and disobedience.

But we should not think that every kind of “righteous deed” is like a filthy rag before God. In fact the previous verse, , says “you [God] meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.” It is not impossible for God’s people to commit righteous acts that please God. John Piper explains:

Sometimes people are careless and speak disparagingly of all human righteousness, as if there were no such thing that pleased God. They often cite which says our righteousness is as filthy rags. It is true–gloriously true–that none of God’s people, before or after the cross, would be accepted by an immaculately holy God if the perfect righteousness of Christ were not imputed to us (; ; ). But that does not mean that God does not produce in those “justified” people (before and after the cross) an experiential righteousness that is not “filthy rags.” In fact, he does; and this righteousness is precious to God and is required, not as the ground of our justification (which is the righteousness of Christ only), but as an evidence of our being truly justified children of God.[1]

It is a dangerous thing to ignore the Bible’s assumption, and expectation, that righteousness is possible. Of course, our righteousness can never appease God’s wrath. We need the imputed righteousness of Christ. More than that, we cannot produce any righteousness in our own strength. But as born-again believers, it is possible to please God by his grace. Those who bear fruit in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God are fully pleasing to God (). Presenting your body as a living sacrifice pleases God (). Looking out for your weaker brother pleases God (14:18). Obeying your parents pleases God (). Teaching the Word in truth pleases God (). Praying for the governing authorities pleases God (). Supporting your family members in need pleases God (5:4). Sharing with others pleases God (). Keeping his commandments pleases God (). Basically, whenever you trust and obey, God is pleased.[2] “Kevin Deyoung”

We can think it’s a mark of spiritual sensitivity to consider everything we do as morally suspect. But this is not the way the Bible thinks about righteousness. More importantly, this kind of spiritual resignation does not tell the truth about God. A. W. Tozer is right:

From a failure to properly understand God comes a world of unhappiness among good Christians even today. The Christian life is thought to be a glum, unrelieved cross-carrying under the eye of a stern Father who expects much and excuses nothing. He is austere, peevish, highly temperamental and extremely hard to please.[3]

But this is no way to view the God of the Bible. Our God is not a capricious slave driver. He is not hyper-sensitive and prone to fits of rage on account of slight offenses. He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (). “He is not hard to please,” Tozer reminds us, “though He may be hard to satisfy.”[4] “Kevin Deyoung”

Why do we imagine God to be so unmoved by our heart-felt attempts at obedience? He is, after all, our heavenly Father. What sort of father looks at his daughter’s homemade birthday card and complains that the color scheme is all wrong? What kind of mother says to her son, after he gladly cleaned the garage but put the paint cans on the wrong shelf, “This is worthless in my sight”? What sort of parent rolls his eyes when his child falls off the bike on the first try? There is no righteousness that makes us right with God except for the righteousness of Christ. But for those who have been made right with God by grace alone through faith alone and therefore have been adopted into God’s family, many of our righteous deeds are not only not filthy in God’s eyes, they are exceedingly sweet, precious, and pleasing to him.

This article is adapted from Kevin DeYoung's forthcoming book, The Hole in Our Holiness.

where does our effort come into play

Remember we are moving forward in this salvation

sometimes our understanding of salvation can cause us to struggle with these things in one way salvation is done complete christ accomplished and finished it that is true but now our salvation is experiencing the thing that Jesus paid for we now watch God how God saves us keeps us and preserves us based on what Jesus finished on the cross we watch how he changes our heart gives us new desires fights by his spirit within us that we follow him and keep the faith

“ work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. grow into salvation

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Now I am about to say something super important and if you don't pay attention you are not going to understand it i thought it was easy to grasp but apparently its not so Lord please help us get this

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Good works are necessary unto salvation

do I have your attention ? now let me clarify they are not necessary for salvation

good works are necessary unto salvation not for it

what do i mean by that please listen close I will try my best

Good woks are not necessary for salvation it is by grace that you have been saved not of your self or your works but by Grace by the finished work of christ but there is no person who is truly saved that does not produce good works

Christ bought Spirit wrought Obedience is necessary unto salvation

good works testify that we have been given life and the life that Jesus give to believers is one that leads to sanctification

it is impossible to be saved by grace regenerated by the spirit of God and The Holy spirit living in you working for gods good pleasure in you it is impossible not to produce good works

If Jesus is your root then good works are your fruit ( you cant go to the store and buy ketchup with out the container it comes with it ) so too with Salvation by christ comes good works

our effort did not make us sons or daughters of God no effort of ours attributes to us becoming children of God Just as no effort of your was necessary to form you in your mothers womb it was the effort and actions of your mother and father none of you so it was the plan of God the work of Christ and the power of the spirit that caused you to be born again so now your works do not make you any less a child of your parents neither do our works as Christians make us any more or less children of God but our works tell us who we belong to what kingdom we are from ;

our good works do many thing like we see here they show who we belong to who we are whose children we are

and back to what this message was about our good works makes our Father in heaven happy they please him he smiles upon you every time you say no to the flesh and yes to the spirit i just sense God going that's my boy that's my girl good job well done