Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
How often do you do or say something to please man rather than God? Perhaps it’s at work or with some friends. You go along with a conversation that you know isn’t pleasing to the Lord because you don’t want to create an awkward moment or make your friends feel judged. Maybe it’s some course of action you have allowed yourself to get caught up into even though the Holy Spirit has been convicting you about it. It’s easy to become a man-pleaser rather than a God-pleaser…and sometimes that man is yourself.
Paul refused to shape his message to please his audience and we are called to the same resoluteness. Paul was most likely referring to the motives of those who had approached the Galatian churches with a different gospel…one that was a little more pleasing to its audience. A gospel that required less in terms of commitment but offered more in terms of reward. There are plenty of preachers that do the same thing today. They offer a gospel that highlights popular things over holy things…a gospel that promises smooth sailing rather than challenging hardship. If a gospel is preached in order to please its audience rather than God, it is no gospel at all.
“There have always been preachers who have sought popular acclaim above all else, and there are some still. It is part of fallen human nature that even those charged with the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel can fall into the trap of trying to be popular rather than faithful.” (Leon Morris)
Prior to his conversion, Paul was constantly trying to please men, especially his fellow zealous Jews, by pursuing and persecuting the early church. It was not until his personal encounter with Christ that he became a God-pleaser rather than a man-pleaser. Perhaps that is the simplest way to understand what Paul meant by calling himself a servant or bondservant of Christ…a man or woman who is not trying to be a man-pleaser! We have one Master, and He is the one we should daily seek to please, for as Jesus warned us in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters.”
Spurgeon explained that, “Those whom we try to please, are our masters. If a man tries to please the populace, or to please the refined few, these are his masters, and he will be their flare; but if he tries to please his God, then is he a free man indeed.” Do you want to be free? Free of guilt. Free of sinful entanglements. Free of the pressure of bowing down to man. When we live a life that is pleasing to God you can and should expect His blessing. Besides, who can offer you more? Fallen mankind…or a loving Savior?
