If you ask most Christians, “What is the purpose of life?” the answer often comes quickly:
“To please God.”
It sounds very good, BUT that has an inherent problem that it supposes that God HAS to be pleased, or in other words, we are TRYING to please him, and have no idea whether he is.
But is that actually what the Bible teaches?
Or is there something deeper—something that doesn’t begin with our effort toward God, but with God’s work toward us?
Why This Question Matters
If you COULD please God, then what do you mean by that?
For a lot of people it is about:
- How you pray
- How you serve
- How you handle failure
- How you see yourself before God
If your goal is to please God, then your life becomes: A constant evaluation: Am I doing enough? Am I acceptable?
But the gospel introduces a radically different starting point.
The Problem with “Trying to Please God”
Scripture is clear:
Romans 8:8
“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
That’s not “struggle to please God.”
That’s not “sometimes fail to please God.”
It says: cannot.
With our best efforts, our performance (aka flesh), we can never please God.
So how? By faith. Isn’t that what Hebrews 11:6 says
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Why so? The key is that by faith we are saved and are one with Christ, and in this beautiful union, He is pleased in us.
That’s why it says in Eph 1:5-7
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
See, we are highly favoured and accepted. How? In the beloved, in Christ.
It is not about trying to please God, but knowing that you are already pleased in Christ.
God’s Answer: Not Improvement, but Acceptance in Christ
The gospel does not say:
“Try harder to please God.”
It declares:
God is already pleased—with Christ.
This changes everything.
- You are not working toward acceptance
- You are living from acceptance
Union with Christ Changes the Goal
When you are united to Christ:
- His righteousness becomes yours
- His standing becomes yours
- His relationship with the Father becomes yours
So the question shifts from:
“How can I please God?”
to:
Praise God, that in Christ I am absolutely pleasing to God.
Because the Father has already spoken over Christ:
Matthew 3:17 “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And if you are in Him…That pleasure is not something you chase. It is something you share
So Do We Not Care About Pleasing God?
Here’s where clarity matters.
The Bible does speak about pleasing God:
- 2 Corinthians 5:9 “We make it our aim to please Him.”
So how do we reconcile this?
The difference is source, not action:
- ❌ Trying to please God to be accepted
- ✅ Living in a way that pleases God because you are accepted
The Real Goal: Living From Union, Not For Approval
The ultimate goal of life is not:
To earn God’s pleasure
But:
To live in the reality of being united to Christ—and to express that life outwardly
When a believer lives:
- in love
- in truth
- in obedience
It is not a performance to gain approval…It is the fruit of already having it
What This Frees You From
When your goal is “to please God” as a requirement, you will live in:
- Fear of failure
- Constant self-evaluation
- Spiritual exhaustion
But when you see that:
God is already pleased in Christ, and you are in Him
You are freed to:
- Rest
- Grow
- Walk in obedience without pressure
Final Reflection
You don’t wake up each day trying to earn God’s smile.
In Christ—
You already have it.
And from that place…you learn to walk in a way that reflects it.
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