True Servants of Christ

Galatians 1:10

January 25, 2004

 

            When I was a child, there was a saying that I heard that went like this: “You can please all of the people some of the time. You can please some of the people all of the time. But you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” I don’t know how true this saying is, but I do know that many people spend a large portion of their lives trying to please different people. Whether it be a spouse, a friend, a boss, a co-worker, a child, a parent, a pastor, a member of your church, or whoever else a person may seek to please, one common trait among humans is that we seek to please one another. It is as natural to the depraved human mind as breathing. Many times we will seek to please men without even realizing it.

            Man-pleasing inevitably results in men and women without conviction and without courage. As the trends and the fads change over time, those who seek to please men will change. Men-pleasers are like chameleons who change color to match whatever is going on in the background. That is why the wise man could say in Proverbs 20:6, Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man? Men are prone to proclaim loyalty to please you, but this type of loyalty does not make a trustworthy man. Since men are so prone to be men-pleasers, the Bible wisely asks, who can find a trustworthy man?

            The Apostle Paul was one person who certainly fit the bill as a trustworthy man, yet even in his steadfastness in proclaiming the truth, there were those who said that Paul only sought to please men. They accused him of wanting the favor of men more than of God. This was most likely in response to his preaching of the Gospel of God’s grace extended to all who believe in Jesus apart from works of the Law. This doctrine infuriated the Jews, and it is no surprise that many of them sought to discredit Paul and to stop the Gospel of God’s grace from reaching the Gentile world.

            Paul often found himself defending his apostleship and his ministry from such attacks. It seems like wherever Paul went, the unbelieving Jews were right behind him, either to persecute him or to distort his teaching among newly-founded churches, or both. In the region of Galatia the situation was no different. False teachers had crept in and were convincing the gullible, foolish Galatians of a false gospel. They were also teaching that Paul was not a true apostle but a servant of men. Thus, as Paul writes Galatians he must defend both his ministry as an apostle and his gospel, which he preached to the Galatians, and which they received.

            Galatians can be divided up into two major sections. The first section is Paul’s defense of his apostleship. In chapters 1 and 2 Paul gives a lengthy autobiographical account to persuade the Galatians that he truly is an apostle of Jesus Christ. Then in chapters 3 through 6 Paul expounds his gospel from the Old Testament and shows the practical effects of his teaching. This method is used to show the Galatians that his gospel is authentic for two reasons. The first reason Paul’s gospel is authentic is that it is not a novel doctrine, but it is a doctrine that goes all the way back to Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews. Paul was not teaching anything contrary to the Old Testament; to the contrary, he was clearly teaching what the Old Testament intended to communicate to the Jews. The second reason Paul’s gospel is authentic is because it produces holiness and sanctification through the receiving of the Holy Spirit of promise. Paul’s gospel does not lead to licentiousness and wickedness, but rather, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the one who has faith is sanctified by his faith through the power of the Spirit. So Paul proves his gospel is legitimate by showing its Old Testament foundations and by showing its practical effects in the believer’s life.

            As we come to verse 10, Paul is transitioning to the first major section. He is about to defend his apostleship. Paul introduced the letter briefly in verses 1-5, where he briefly outlined what he was going to say and in an economy of words explained the true Gospel of deliverance from this present evil age by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In verses 6-9 Paul states clearly the problem he is facing, which is false prophets and false apostles who were teaching a false gospel. He soundly rebukes the Galatians for being so foolish as to believe this false gospel, and then he pronounces a divine curse on any who would propagate such damning lies. Having spoken so strongly, Paul is now ready to defend his apostleship.

He begins to defend his apostleship in verse 10. In verse 10 Paul writes, For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. This verse serves to inform the Galatians that Paul is a genuine, true slave of Jesus Christ. Paul is not a false apostle. He is a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. Paul’s proof for this is that he does not seek to please men. His argument is this: “I do not seek to please men, as you can see that I do not from my cursing of the false prophets, but if I did seek to please men, I would not be a true servant of Jesus Christ.” True servants of Jesus Christ do not set their aim on men’s approval. From this it is evident that you should not set your aim on men’s approval, for then you cannot be a true servant of Jesus Christ. Do not set your aim on men’s approval, for if you do, you cannot be a true servant of Jesus Christ. Let’s examine this statement from verse 10 in two parts.

 

1 – Don’t set your aim on men’s approval (v. 10)

 

            The first part of the statement is this: Don’t set your aim on men’s approval. Don’t seek the approval of men! Paul writes, For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? The answer to these questions is summed up by saying, “No, Paul, you are clearly not seeking to please men! You are not setting your aim on men’s approval!” Don’t aim for men’s approval.

            Paul begins verse 10 with the word for. He clearly has something in mind when he uses this word, and he is connecting verse 10 to what has gone before. The word has the idea of in light of what I have just said or based on my previous statement. Verse 10 is vitally connected to verses 6-9, and, I believe, verses 6-9 are the bases for his argument in verse 10. He asks, “Based on these divine curses that I have just pronounced on any preacher of another gospel, including myself or an angel from heaven, am I seeking the favor of men or trying to please men? Would you say that these kinds of statements are political statements that someone who is seeking to please men would make?”

            There is an interpretational issue in this verse. The words translated seeking the favor in the NAS are translated in the KJV persuade and in the ESV seeking the approval. There is a question as to what these two questions mean, what answer Paul expects to each one, and how they relate to one another. There are generally two views.

            The first view would translate the verse, “For do I now persuade men, or God?” and would expect the answer, “Men.” Then it would go on to translate the next sentence, “Or do I seek to please men?” and it would expect the answer, “No.” The view assumes that there were those who criticized Paul, saying that Paul tried to please men with a gospel of cheap grace or easy-believism, and after Paul preached his gospel, he tried to persuade God to accept men who believe this Gospel. Paul, then, in verse 10, is turning this criticism on its head, saying that, while he sought to persuade men of the Gospel, he did not seek to please them. Adherents to this view would make the following arguments.

            First, they would argue that the meaning of the Greek word peitho is ‘persuade.’ That is the root meaning of the word, and the word rarely means anything else. The second argument beyond this is that in the other instance where Paul uses this word, it most certainly should be translated ‘persuade.’ That other usage is found in 2 Corinthians 5:11, where Paul writes, Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God. Those who take view 1 would see this verse as a direct parallel to Galatians 1:10. Paul did seek to persuade men of the Gospel because of the terror of the Lord, but He was made manifest, or he sought to please as he says in Galatians, God. Thus, this view asserts that Paul is arguing that even though he seeks to persuade men of the Gospel, he does not seek to please them in this, but rather to please God through this persuasion of men.

            The second view would translate the verse as the NAS and ESV translate it, with the idea of ‘seeking the favor’ or ‘seeking approval.’ Those who hold this view would see the verses like this. Paul asks, For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? The clear answer is that Paul is seeking the favor of God. The second question is a parallel to the first, with the answer being that Paul does not seek the to please men. What do adherents to this view put forward as reasons for it?

            First, those who take this view would argue that the context favors this view. Paul is not so concerned here about how he tries to convince men of the Gospel, or for that matter whether he tries to persuade men at all. It is beyond all doubt that Paul tried to persuade men of the Gospel, and the context does not seem to favor translating the word ‘persuade’ in this context. The second argument made is based on the syntax in the Greek, meaning the way the words are ordered and the way conjunctions, such as ‘or’, ‘but’, and ‘and’ are used. Those who take this view would argue that the sentence structure used by Paul makes these parallel statements rather than complementary statements.

            Which view is correct? Is Paul here teaching that he persuades men without trying to please them? Or is he making two parallel statements for emphasis to show that he emphatically does not seek to please men? It seems to me that the view that stands up the best is the second view. Paul is making two parallel statements. Let me explain why I think this is what he is doing here.

            First, the argument about the meaning of the Greek word, while a strong argument, is not conclusive, since there are other meanings this word can have that are well-attested. The word can also mean ‘win over’ or ‘conciliate’ without stretching it beyond its regular usage. Second, the argument from 2 Corinthians 5:11, while rather strong, is not irrefutable evidence since it is only one other usage. It is possible that Paul could have used the word in two different ways in different contexts, or even in the same context, depending on his audience and the exact nuance he was trying to convey.

            The argument from context, I believe, outweighs the arguments from the meaning of the word and the parallel passage. The context of Galatians 1:10 is proof that Paul is a true apostle and servant of Jesus Christ. He is not here discussing his ministry to men, but his ministry for Christ. For him to here insert his methodology in preaching or persuading seems out of context and seems to do violence to the train of thought.

            But the most conclusive argument for the second view is the syntax, the way the two questions are connected to one another by the small word or. This conjunction is primarily used in this kind of construction to show parallel statements. Look at Matthew 7:9. Jesus said, Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? The or in verse 10 is here used to connect two parallel statements. Jesus is not trying to say two different things, but one thing, and that is that parents give their children good things when they ask for them! The answer expected in both instances is the same: No!

            Another example of this construction is found in Luke 13:2 and 4. There Jesus said, Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? These Galileans that Jesus mentioned had their blood mixed with their sacrifices by Pilate, and Jesus asked if this was God’s judgment on them for their wickedness. What is the answer? Verse 3. I tell you, no. Then in verse 4 Jesus asked, Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? The or at the beginning of verse 4 connects this question to the previous one. Is Jesus asking a parallel question, or does He now expect a different answer that He expected to His first question? Verse 5 tells us. Jesus said, I tell you, no. The answer is exactly the same.

When this construction is used with multiple questions it expects the same response to both questions. It is a rhetorical device used for emphasis, and this is how Paul uses it in Galatians 1:10. Paul is therefore emphasizing that he is not acting in such a way as to curry the favor of men or please men. He is not laboring in ministry to get men’s approval, but God’s approval! He wants to be found a workman who is not ashamed. He wants to receive a full reward. He is only seeking the favor and the approval of God. He wants to please God, not men. The implication is that the two are mutually exclusive. You cannot aim at both. You cannot aim to please God and men consistently all the time. It will not work, therefore, do not set your aim on men’s approval!

I chose the phrase ‘set your aim’ very purposefully and carefully. The reason I chose to say it this way is because we don’t want to conclude from this that we purposely ought to seek to offend men or displease them. Our goal is not to offend. Our desire is not to displease men. Because we desire to please God does not mean that we should desire to displease men. Because we seek the favor of God does not mean that we seek to offend men. The reason I say this is because Paul says that he both tried to persuade men effectively for the Gospel and that he sought to please men in other contexts. As we read earlier in 2 Corinthians 5:11, Paul said, we persuade men. He sought to persuade men of the Gospel. He did not come in and try to offend as many people as possible. He came to cities hoping to win men over to Christ, to persuade them to receive the Gospel. His aim was always the salvation of his hearers, and he never wanted to needlessly offend anyone. He knew the cross was an offense, and he did not try to change the meaning of the cross, but he also did not go out of his way to offend; instead, he tried to persuade men of the truth of the Gospel.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 we read that Paul also sought to please men. He wrote, Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. This passage stands in stark contrast to Galatians 1:10! Yet it must be seen in light of verse 31. Do all to the glory of God! That means don’t offend people. The cross may offend. The truth may offend, but you, do what you can to please men in all ways without dishonoring Christ. I think what Paul would say to reconcile these texts is this: “Please men in every way possible within the bounds of doing all things to the glory of God, and do it for the sake of the gospel, not for your own profit.” There is a boundary that is set for us: the glory of God. We must seek to honor and please God first and foremost, and whatever we can do within that boundary to please men we should, indeed must, do.

We are not to set our aim on men’s approval by any means. Don’t set your aim on winning the favor of men. Set your aim on glorifying God, and as you seek to do that, within that context try to please men and persuade them of the truth of the Gospel. O, what a delicate balance this is! How much wisdom and discernment this takes! There is such a wide opportunity to either dishonor God or to needlessly offend men that we must walk by the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit if we are to live this way! Aiming to please Christ, and within that context persuading men of the Gospel. We should never first and foremost seek men’s approval. Maybe it will come. Maybe it won’t. It doesn’t matter. We should do all things to please God for His glory, so that many might be saved!

 

2 – If you seek men’s approval, you cannot be a servant of Christ (v. 10)

 

            Paul goes on to state emphatically that he is a true servant of Christ because he does not seek to please men. He says, If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. What Paul is saying here is this: If you seek men’s approval, you cannot be a servant of Christ. If your aim is set on men’s approval, you cannot be a servant of Christ.

            The Greek construction here presents us with our third “if” statement in a row. There was an “if” in verse 8 and again in verse 9. In verse 8 we saw a conditional statement that was one of high improbability. In other words, Paul was giving a hypothetical. He acknowledged that it was an impossible situation, but he treated it as if it could happen for the sake of argument. In verse 9 he gives a conditional statement of high probability. Now, in verse 10 we see the third “if” statement in a row, and the third and only other type of ‘if’ statement in the New Testament. This type of construction is what is called a ‘contrary-to-fact’ construction. The verse should be understood like this: If I were still trying to please men (which I am not), I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. This is a zero-probability statement. Paul is emphatic here that he is not still trying to please men, but he wants to show what would be true if he were. Perhaps in English a common statement we would use that would parallel this is, “If I were you, I wouldn’t do that!” Clearly if I were to say that to you, I would not be saying that I was you, nor would I be implying that in any way it is possible that I could be you. I am merely stating what would be true in that situation without stating that the situation is reality. That is what Paul is doing here. If I were still trying to please men (I am not, but if I were, for the sake of argument), I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

            Paul uses the word still in this verse, implying that at one time he did live to please men. When that was has been debated some, but it seems clear that it must refer to his pre-Christian life. When Paul was not a believer in Jesus Christ, when he was not a servant of Christ, he lived for the applause and praise of men. Paul’s statement is that if he lived his life now as an apostle the way he lived his life before as a Pharisee he could not be, indeed would not be, a servant of Christ. It would be utterly unthinkable that a servant of Christ could live for the applause of men! Paul’s former manner of men-pleasing was utterly incompatible with being the bond-servant, or slave, of Christ.

            From this statement it is plain that no man can set his affections on the approval of men and the approval of Christ. Either you will love the one and you will hate the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve two masters! Now, there are at least two applications of this doctrine, that if you seek men’s approval you cannot be a servant of Christ.

            First, pleasing Christ must be your aim as a Christian, no matter what the cost. If you are to be a faithful follower of Christ, you must set your affections on what He loves, and you must detest what He hates. This, of course, implies that you know Him well enough to discern the difference! Those who are faithful servants are those whose greatest joy is to please their master. Paul described this lifestyle in Romans 14:7-8: For not one of us lives for himself, and not one of us dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. The true servant of Christ lives for Christ, and when the time comes, he dies for Christ, his Lord. Whether you live or die, you are to do all for the Lord. Your aim is to please Him in life, and your aim is to please Him in your dying. Oh, how I pray that I die in a way to honors Christ and pleases Him! Do you think about pleasing Christ in all respects, whether by life or by death? Do you meditate on what you should do to please the Lord at work? At home? At church? At the grocery store? Is your aim to always please the Lord, regardless of what men might think? Or are you a people-pleaser, a servant of men?

It is so easy to become concerned about the opinions of men! Even Paul’s disciple Timothy appeared to struggle with this. In 2 Timothy 1 Paul had to remind Timothy not to be timid and not to be ashamed of Paul. Then Paul goes on to list how many people have deserted him, and how many things he has suffered. In light of all the persecution Paul endured and the growing number of enemies he must have had, it is no wonder that Timothy may have struggled with this! But he is urged not to fear man. He is urged not to be ashamed of the gospel or of Paul, but to faithfully preach the Word of God before the Lord, who will judge the living and the dead! As servants of Christ, we must act, think, speak, pray, read, and live to please our Lord and Savior, even if everyone deserts us, as they did the Apostle Paul.

            Second, and this is something that is incredibly freeing if we could really understand it and live it, is this: Aiming to please Christ simplifies life at every level, because we only live to please one person. Most people live to please many people. Even as Christians, sometimes it is easy for us to lose sight of this wonderful truth, and we can run around trying to please men and forget that our duty and our calling is to please our Master. When you live to please Christ first and foremost, you always know what is expected of you, and there are never competing forces for your allegiance or your time or your energy. Now, there will be decisions you will have to make that may be difficult, hard decisions. But the freeing thing about every decision is that only one opinion counts: Christ’s! If you please Him, then it doesn’t matter what men think. If you don’t please Him, then it still doesn’t matter what men think, because all of their approval will not do you any eternal good!

            This takes tremendous diligence to discern what the will of the Lord is. Yet it is incredibly liberating because we know what our aim and what our goal is – to please Christ in all respects! Oh, that we would center our lives around this goal! That we would do everything with an eye to please the Lord! What has been your overriding motivation for what you have done this week? Ease? Comfort? Money? Success? Prestige? Or has it been to please Christ?

            The only way we can ever live like this is to do what God commands us to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: Pray without ceasing. How much more do we need Christ to be on our minds and in our thoughts and in our words and in our motivations every second of every day! How needful we are to be filled and directed and guided by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit! You cannot live this kind of life apart from the Holy Spirit. You cannot live this kind of life in your own power. Your heart will wander from Christ and your mind will stray and you will get distracted if you are not walking by faith in this, and if you are not seeking the Lord constantly. Yet, we are told, that true servants of Christ do what they do not to please men, but to please the Lord, to obtain His favor. We long to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master!” May the Lord be pleased to make us like the Apostle Paul, who was an imitator of Christ, and may we be true servants of the living Christ, living for His pleasure, and for His pleasure alone. Let’s pray.

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