Acceptable to God

Ephesians 5:10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 

2 Corinthians 5:9 says that it is our ambition to please God.

It is everybody’s desire to find and do that is acceptable to God. We are all always in the receiving end from God where he keeps blessing us, forgiving us and showers his grace towards us. In return as gratefulness, we are required to please God by giving not just anything but the things those are acceptable to Him.

The answer for God’s desire and acceptableness is in Ephesians 5:2 where Paul says that Jesus gave Himself for us as a sweet aroma to God. But, it would not seem right on God’s part to see His own son being killed to be a sweet aroma to Himself. Let us dig deeper in this.

We read the word “sweet aroma” to God in multiple times in the Bible where God experienced pleasure and was happy. The first instance is during Noah’s time (Genesis 8:21). This was just after Noah and his family got out of the ark and had offered burnt sacrifices to God. But, when Abel offered his sacrifices, God “respected” him (Genesis 4:4) but when Noah offered sacrifices, it was a pleasing aroma to God. The primary difference here is that God had got rid of all uncleanness in the world. But, since the verse 20 show that Noah took all clean animals meaning there were unclean animals too. But God was not worried about them. God was very much pleased when Sin was eradicated from the earth. These are the terms in heaven. The only thing that brings unworthiness in God’s eyes is sin.

This is again very much clearly mentioned in Ezekiel 20:40,41. The previous verses (33 onwards will mention that God would come redeem Israel and then place them in the wilderness and then judge them. This judgement would purify them and God would separate those who would serve Him truly and accept them as a sweet aroma. A sweet aroma comes when we are purified.

When we read about the 5 sacrifices in Leviticus 1 (1:9, 2:9, 3:5, 4:7) onwards, we can read that the first four sacrifices (Burnt, Grain, Peace & Sin) when burnt would bring a sweet aroma to God. We can see that all these sacrifices are done either as atonement with God for sin or a voluntary sacrifice. These sacrifices have one single purpose of bringing a lost person back to the original relationship or to improve the relationship with the Almighty.

But there are two sacrifices, the guilt offering and one type of grain (first fruit) offering which are not to be presented as an aroma to God which means that these two are there as we are in the receiving end and that does not please God. This does not mean that God is not pleased when we receive, but God is not pleased with our satisfaction with worldly materials.

In all these sacrifices, they bring aroma when the animal or sacrifice is burnt completely. Reading Romans 12:1 in the same context, we can see that we are to present our bodies as a living, holy and acceptable sacrifice to God. A living sacrifice means, we should be burnt completely and yet live. The verse does not say that God will accept this if we submit ourselves as a living and a burnt offering, but we ourselves present as an offering which is acceptable to Him. The verse brings together the two words “mercies” and “acceptable” which contrast anywhere else. We are not expected to try harder to become acceptable to God, but by the mercies of God. God’s mercy makes us acceptable, holy and living. Our responsibility here is to present ourselves to the mercy of God. In the OT, it was our responsibility to check the ram to be perfect but here, we require the mercy of God.

The word “living” is very important here. The sacrifices in the OT were all burnt completely to please God, but we live to please God. This living states that we are a sacrificial living to God, a living which is ready to give up anything and has absolutely no selfish interests. Jesus exactly lived this life and so, God proclaimed that “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased” (Mathew 3:17). God could have told this after Jesus’ death and resurrection. But, The Father expresses His complete pleasure when Jesus had presented Himself into being a living sacrifice.

This is the divinely reasonable service we do to God. Paul uses the word reasonable because all our other efforts are below par. Excellence is the ministry Jesus did and God was not just pleased, but completely pleased. If only if we present ourselves, it becomes reasonable. The pattern of worship now is completely different from this definition.

In Romans 12:2, Paul further states that if we transform ourselves by the renewing of our mind. This is the Holy Spirit’s role in us pleasing God. After presenting ourselves, the Holy Spirit comes inside us and renews our mind. But being transformed becomes our responsibility. He changes our perspective towards the world and its fakeness. If we transform ourselves by rejecting the world, we prove to the world that the will of God is good, pleasing to God and perfect. It is our life which stands against the fashion of the world. We do not show or demonstrate to the world, but prove which means others are convinced that God’s will is good, pleasing and perfect. We need to ensure that everybody come towards God in our worship and that will be pleasing to Him. If our worship satisfies ourselves it cannot be true worship.

Another place where Paul mentions about an acceptable gift to God is in Philippians 4:18. In this verse, Paul had received material support from the church as Philippi and mentions that it was useful to Him. But in verses 11 onwards, we can read that Paul did not receive large portions or amounts of support from this Church. (We often read verse 13 in a wrong motive that we can achieve all things through Christ, but the “all things” are in verse 12. Paul says that he can suffer and enjoy riches both with the strength of Christ. The strength directly points at being contempt with what we have.) The gifts Paul received were just for necessities (verse 16) and the man of God was satisfied with what he received. This offering was acceptable and pleasing God. God is pleased when we have enough fuel to run and not when we enjoy worldly riches.

If we really want to please God, it is you and me who is required to please Him among believers and non-believers, both inside the Church and outside. (2 Corinthians 2:15). If we are properly saved and grow up in the Lord, we not only ourselves, but lift Jesus also up as a sweet aroma in God’s eyes.