What Pleases our Father? Part 3 – His People Honoring His Glory by Their Faith
by Greg Wood
Thus far we have explored two main answers in our mini-series in which we are asking, what pleases our Father? In Part 1 we saw that God’s own character and activities are pleasing to Him, and that it is right for God enjoy what is most glorious: Himself. In Part 2 we saw the Father’s delight in His Son from eternity past, in His incarnate ministry, and the redemption accomplished by His life, death, and resurrection. We also saw how the Scripture teaches that the Father delights in the Son’s righteousness imputed to us through faith, which we often call justification. And this leads us into our third exploration of what delights our Father: the Church’s trust and delight in the Son, which results in the renewed image of God in us through the Holy Spirit.
To begin, let’s see one connection the Bible makes between faith and pleasing God.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. … And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:1-2, 6)
We should first ask what this faith is that pleases Him. Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In other words, there is an unseen reality in the heavenly realm about which we are convinced: that the glorious God exists and Christ is ruling and exalted, triumphant over His enemies through the cross. This is the Christ anticipated in God’s revelation in the Old Testament, and realized now through the incarnate Son and the events recorded in the New Testament. Add to this that our great hope is that God has promised to bring us to be with Him forever through the redeeming work of Christ Jesus our Lord. He has even made promises for today that assure us that He will get us across the finish line and into His eternal presence (Romans 8:32, 37-39).
What then is this link between God’s pleasure and the faith of His people? Verse 6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please him.” Faithless thoughts, words, and deeds cannot please God. If we are to please God, we must think, speak, and act with faith. In other words, to please God we must trust what God has promised to be and do for us on account of the work of Christ.
Why is faith pleasing to God?
I think we can begin to understand why our faith is pleasing to Him by considering its link to what we saw in earlier posts is pleasing to God. Recall that God too enjoys what is most valuable and glorious – and that is Himself. Plus, the Father delights in the Son and His work of redemption. So then, it seems entirely consistent that God would be pleased when we too confess God is true to His word and glorious for writing such an amazing story of redemption for us in Christ Jesus His Son. That is assurance of things hoped for (true to His word) and conviction of things not seen (the glory of the gospel message of reconciliation with God through Christ). That is the exercise of faith, and that is pleasing to God!
Now what is it about this faith that God has chosen to give it such a central role in the Christian’s life? A parable Jesus told in Luke illustrates the contrast between how faith exalts God and His grace and the alternative, which is self-righteousness, exalts the human against God.
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9–14)
The tax collector has faith: conviction that God is holy, and that his only hope is God’s merciful character. Thus, faith honors who God is and what He has done, and it gives the rightful place to the glory of God.
Or consider how Jesus concludes the parable of the woman who lost a coin, and called together her neighbors to rejoice with her when she at last found it:
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)
What starts a party in heaven, bringing joy (pleasure) to God? Repentance does – i.e., turning around from living for worldly pleasures to trusting in the gospel of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to bring us to God forever. And that’s what followers of Christ do every day – repent and believe.
What does this faith look like?
Hebrews 11, where we started, gives a long list of examples of people living by faith and pleasing the Father. But Hebrews 12:1-3 gives the even greater example of Jesus who was assured of the hope of the joy He would secure through His death on the cross:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1–3)
Father and Son are joyful over what the founder of our faith accomplished during His incarnation: enabling us to have faith in Jesus and like Jesus, enduring trials because of the eternity we have with God!
Dear New City and fellow believers – I have good news for you: You can delight your Heavenly Father. He is pleased with us when we walk by faith. He is glorified and delighted when live our lives by faith in the work of Christ. He loves and wants to bless our faith in the promises He has given to us in Scripture.
Next time, we will look further into God’s pleasure in the fruit of our faith. For now, take some time to meditate on a couple of beautiful depictions of our fellowship with God:
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. (Proverbs 12:22)
May you rejoice that you delight your Father with your faith!