The fine line between pleasing men and not pleasing men
abraham Gebrehiwot
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Definition of Fine line:- a subtle distinction between two concepts or situations.
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
here Paul tells us that he pleases all men in all things
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
here Paul says that if he is a pleaser of men he should not be God’s servant.
These two passages seems to espouse concept that seem to conflict.
However this is not the case as these passages reveal to us two concepts that have a very subtle distinction.
In Galatians
Paul is talking about pleasing men at the expense of pleasing God.
He is talking about pleasing men for the sake of men (to get acceptance, to be liked, not to be despised or ostracized)
He is talking about an action or speach that please men but displease God
In 1 Corinthians 10,
Paul is talking about pleasing men for the sake of God and salvation (gospel)
Paul is talking about pleasing men inorder to please God.
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;
6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
Paul here, commands slaves to be pleasing to their masters but not as men-pleaser.
In other words, please them not for their sake but for the lord’s sake.
Therefore, you please men not because you wan’t something in return, admiration, acceptance or you are afraid how they will percieve you (e.g. despised, rejected, humiliation) but because you wan’t to please God.
There are time where we don’t please men in what we do and say and there are time where we act and say things inorder to please men for the sake of Christ.
Let us exam this fine line between this two concepts
23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.
24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake;
26 for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”
27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.
28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”
29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?
30 But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Paul uses example of eating food sacrificed to idols in the house of gentiles.
Here the Believer has the liberty to eat what is offered to idols because it does not mean anything but nontheless he has to be aware of other’s people’s conscience.
Because those who eat don’t have the same understanding as he has, he will sacrifice his freedom, for the sake of appeasing their conscience lest theybecome offended and thereby speak of evil of the believer.
Two extreme sides
One, in the name of pleasing God and not being men pleaser, will disregard other people’s conscience and mindset and feelings and do what he believes is right in the eyes of God and speak his mind saying ‘who care what they think, i only care what God think”. As a result they serve God with an offense
One, they are so consered and sensitive to outer peoples thoughts and feeling, that they allow themsleves to displease God for the sake of pleasing men. Sometimes they are paralized by what people think of them
They are things that we do, that we don’t have to do for the sake of not causing an offense to people. Inorder to please them for the sake of the work of the Lord.
24 When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”
25 He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”
26 Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”
Though Jesus as the Son of God (the prince Acts 3:15), and the God (king) of the Temple was expempt from paying the temple tax .
He chose to pay that tax lest he offend the Jewish authority.
Why? because they don’t have his understanding and will interpret his action differently. they will see it as a disloyality to the temple of God.
Sometime though we are free, for the sake of not causing an offense in the way of the Gospel we make ourselves servants of other people’s conscience.
Example of mask and social distancing in church
This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.
The Jews, Gentiles and the church of God
The Jews, Gentiles and the church of God
32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
We are told not to give an offense to the Jews or to the greeks or to the church of God.
These reveal the three categories of people that we deal and inetract with
The Jews - represents the religious people
The greeks- The none religious people
The church of God- body of belivers
We are not only to take heed that we do not give an offense to believers but also for these two other groups.
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more;
20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;
22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.
What Paul means by making himslef a servant of all. Is following the footsteps of Christ.
He is doing things that he is not required to do just for the sake of not giving an offense to people.
Example of these
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.
1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.
2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.
3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.
4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.
Giving no offense to believers
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
Conclusion
In order to serve other people’s conscience,you need love.
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”