How can I know what pleases God?

TL;DR:

The Bible reveals how to please God, which starts with knowing Him and surrendering to Him. When we accept Christ as Lord, we receive the Holy Spirit, who also helps us know what pleases God.

what does the bible say?

The Bible reveals how to please God, which starts with coming to know His character and how He wants humankind to live. According to Scripture, two ways people come to know the Lord are through His creation (Psalm 19; Romans 1:20) and His Word (Psalm 119:105; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16–17). But the whole of Scripture points toward the most significant way God revealed Himself to humanity: His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1–3; Colossians 1:19–20). Jesus is not only our Savior; He is also our model for pleasing the Father (Matthew 17:5; John 14:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:1). But people cannot please God through their own strength because we are inherently sinful (Genesis 8:21; Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12), as recorded throughout the pages of Scripture (Genesis 6:5; Genesis 18–19; 1 Corinthians 6:8–11). Instead, we are saved from the slavery of sin by Jesus (John 14:6; Hebrews 11:6). Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us when He died on the cross (Romans 3:22–24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8–9). Thus, the Bible indicates salvation is based on grace alone, not works (Romans 3; Ephesians 2). Rather than showing that we can work for our salvation, the Bible teaches that good works are a result of salvation (Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 3:5–8). When we accept Christ as Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit, who works to transform us so that we can live lives pleasing to God (Romans 8:9–11; 2 Corinthians 3:17–18; Philippians 2:12–13). Because the Spirit works within, allowing us to know and love God, we seek to glorify Him in how we live (Philippians 2:12–13; 1 Corinthians 10:31). The Bible teaches that we can please God by walking in accordance with His Word and emulating His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit.

from the old testament

The Bible reveals God’s character and what He wants from us. Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” As those made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), we should try to walk in His ways, emulating His justice, love, and mercy.
Proverbs 21:3 tells us, “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” The Law that God gave the Israelites in the Old Testament highlighted His holiness, as opposed to man’s sinfulness. But God knows our hearts, so then and now, He requires more than just habitual actions. He wants our hearts to be right.

from the new testament

Matthew 17:5 records Jesus’s transfiguration, during which the Father expresses His approval for the Son: “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’” Since the Father is well pleased with Christ, we will please the Father when we seek to imitate Christ.
Doing what God wants pleases Him and shows our love for Him. John 14:21 says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Our love for Christ is manifested in following His ways, which pleases God.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Paul writes, “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” What follows is the exhortation to live sanctified lives that are free of sexual immorality, that manifest self-control, and that exhibit love toward others (1 Thessalonians 4:3–7).

implications for today

“You can’t please everybody!” We all know this adage and may even say it. But that doesn’t stop some of us from trying to do it anyway. We soon learn, though, that the saying we parroted is, in fact, true. We can’t know what everyone wants, and even if we did know, people are too different for us to make them all happy. Our goal shouldn’t be to please everyone, but to please just One: God. In fact, pleasing the world is often at odds with pleasing our Lord. The world tells us to “look out for number one,” do “whatever makes you happy,” and “grab the gusto while you can.” But the Lord wants us to sacrificially love others as He did (Philippians 2:3–4), deny ourselves (Matthew 16:24), and understand how fleeting our earthly life is (Luke 12:19–21). That truth may not be a big selling point for Christianity, but it provides a contentment that far exceeds what the world offers. As the Holy Spirit sanctifies believers, we come to value pleasing the One who knows us like no other. To know what pleases Him, we have to know Him. We do this through considering His creation, reading and meditating on the Bible regularly, and praying; the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to those who seek it (Matthew 7:7; John 16:13). We can’t please everyone—and we shouldn’t want to—but the Bible teaches that we can please God by walking in accordance with His Word and emulating His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit.

understand

We can know what pleases God through His Word.
We can know what pleases God through His Spirit.
We can know what pleases God as we grow in our relationship with Him.

reflect

How can you intentionally seek to know God's character?
What does it look like to imitate Christ and follow His example in your everyday life?
How can you rely more on the Holy Spirit to help you live a life that pleases God?

engage

What are some practical ways we can grow in our relationship with God to better understand what pleases Him?
How does the message of grace and salvation through Jesus change the way we think about good works?
How might our cultural values conflict with living a life that pleases God, and how can we address this tension?

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