You Are Always Pleasing To The Father

So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But YOU ARE NOT IN THE FLESH but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. - Rom 8:8-9 (emphasis added)

To be in the flesh is to be carnal in nature. In other words, you have sinful nature. You can't help but live by the old man, the old self.

The moment you are born again, you are no longer in the flesh. You are in the Spirit. You have divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). You live by the new Man, the new self (2 Cor 5:17).

As believers, because you are in the Spirit, you are ALWAYS pleasing to God.

Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him..."

For too long, we have been teaching about faith that pleases God. But the context is talking about faith IN Him. Without faith in God, it is impossible to please Him, because you are in the flesh (Rom 8:8). The reason you can be born again is because God has put that faith in you and draw you to Him (Rom 12:3; Jn 6:44). As believers, you already have faith in Him. Thus, you are always pleasing to Him.

God looks at you as though He is looking at His Son. He doesn't see you based on your performance. He sees you based on the finished works of the Cross.

My own son is always pleasing to me, because he is my son, not because of what he does or doesn't. Because nothing can ever change his identity as my son, he will always be pleasing to me. Likewise, nothing can ever change your identity as God's sons.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Rom 8:12-13

As believers, we are not debtors to the flesh. We are debtors to the Spirit. Hence, we do not live according to the flesh, because we are not in the flesh (Rom 8:8). Therefore we cannot die (Rom 8:13). 

The moment we are born again, we are in the Spirit (Rom 8:9), and we have put to death the deeds of the body, because the body (old man, old self, sinful nature) is dead.

And if Christ is in you, the body is DEAD because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. - Rom 8:10 (emphasis added)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. - Rom 8:14

This verse is not saying that you are only a son of God IF you are led by the Spirit. If we don't know our identity, we will confuse with the interpretation. Action follows identity. Not the other way round. We are sons of God because we are in the Spirit (Rom 8:8). Hence, we are led by the Spirit. In other words, it is natural for us to be led by the new nature, the new Man, the new self - the Spirit of God.

When you are born again, God sees you as a precious son, who is always pleasing to Him. He doesn't change His opinion about you because He doesn't change His opinion about Christ. Let this be the truth that flows out into everything you do. Because when you know that you are a son who is pleasing to Him, you WILL be led by the Spirit. #identity #sonship #Spirit