The “Impossible to Please” God
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. “ (Hebrews 11: 6)
If you wonder about my title, and what God would be impossible to please, let me quote a little bit from the latter part of the article on God from the Mennonite Confession of Faith.
“God’s awesome glory and enduring compassion are perfect in holy love. God’s sovereign power and unending mercy are perfect in almighty love. God’s knowledge of all things and care for creation are perfect in preserving love. God’s abounding grace and wrath against sinfulness are perfect in righteous love. God’s readiness to forgive and power to transform are perfect in redemptive love. God’s unlimited justice and continuing patience with humankind are perfect in suffering love. God’s infinite freedom and constant self-giving are perfect in faithful love. “ God is perfect! How can we hope to be pleasing to God, we who are imperfect!?
But the answer to that is found in God’s nature. Because God is so perfect, the Divine will not look down on or disdain humanity. In fact God worked out a way for us to change from imperfect to perfect – Jesus Christ! So if you look again at the verse from Hebrews, and allow the possibility of Jesus Christ to mediate the verse, this is what you get. “With faith in Christ it is possible to please God, because everyone who comes to him [God] earnestly seeking and believing God and Christ will be rewarded.”
May you gentle reader believe in God and earnestly seek our Lord who is manifested in God and Jesus Christ. Selah!
