Guest Post: Can My Imperfection Please God?

Note: This is a guest post since I am currently away.  This is by Micah.  If you have thoughts and questions, feel free to comment and when he has time he will respond. His blog can be found here.  He also tweets. 

If you are truly Calvinistic, you’ve heard the popular passage from Isaiah 64:6, “And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” It is a passage frequently quoted to kill the monster of works righteousness and legalistic salvation, a monster that tends to pop its head out in religious circles. And rightly so, God does not take notice of the deeds of the man whose heart has not been cleansed by Christ and who has no love for Him.

Though this teaching is true, it may lead some Christians to wonder if God could ever be pleased. The war against the flesh is real, and sometimes believers can wallow in defeat and in doubt, even though they are saved. They ask, “Could God ever be happy with my life?” Christians get stuck in this kind of discouragement during seasons of weakness and sin struggles so they search for a way out.

Thankfully, Scripture has examples of men who, as sinners, displayed a type of obedience that truly and genuinely pleased God. It showed that God’s people are capable by His grace to exhibit real obedience to God without accomplishing perfect obedience. Since Christ was the only perfectly obedient man to ever live, we’re not required to be perfectly obedient. Nevertheless, our new life in Christ demands we strive for holiness and express the good works we were predestined to do.

This blog assumes that you are a Christian, not trusting in works for your salvation, but saved and washed by the blood of Christ. With that said, here are a few examples to encourage you in your walk with the Lord. They are instances of God’s people who were imperfect yet still lived a life pleasing unto God.

1. King David

The famous King of Israel was considered to be a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14). Yet David is also reputed as an adulterer and a “man of blood” (2 Sam 11-12). In God’s response to Solomon’s prayer (1 Kings 3:6-9), God instructs Solomon to follow after the footsteps of his father. God said to Solomon that he walked “in my ways, keeping my statutes and commandments” (1 Kings 3:14). David would eventually be regarded as the greatest king in Israel’s history of the monarchy. God defined David’s life not by the instances of sin, but his overall heart and love for God which led to a repentance of that sin.

2. Kings of Israel and Judah

During the monarchy, God’s people had bad kings and they had good kings. The evil kings led the nation deeper into sin and destruction while the good kings brought prosperity, victory, and even restored some order. However, from Solomon to Hezekiah, the infamous “high places” were centers for idol worship that were a struggle for God’s people to remove. There were 12 Kings in Judah and 18 in Israel who failed to remove the high places that promoted idolatry in the nation. Yet this was a struggle even for the good kings of that time.

Asa has been considered one of the more successful kings. Yet God takes note of his shortcomings and success simultaneously: “But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days.” (1 Kings 15:14; Same with Jehoshaphat, cf. 22:42-43). The Bible specifically identifies something Asa failed to do but still describes this man as “wholly devoted to the Lord all his days.” One major sin did not tarnish or overshadow his entire life’s obedience and service to the Lord. God still saw these men as doing right before Him even though they were flawed.

3. The Church in Philadelphia

Jesus writes seven letters to seven churches in Revelation. Out of the seven churches, only two are without critique. The church in Philadelphia serves as a good example. In Revelation 3:8, Jesus says to them that He “knows their deeds,” and given the trend of previous churches so far, one would expect negative criticism to follow. But, surprisingly, He acknowledges that they have kept His Word and have not denied His name (Rev 3:8). Because of this, He will show His enemies that He loves them (v. 9), keep them from the hour of testing (v. 10), and guarantee their crown and reward (v. 11). There is no doubt that this church had its issues and sins like all churches today. And they were listed among several other churches under the scrutiny of Jesus. But Christ chose, in His characterization of them, to emphasize what they were known for: that is, a church faithful to Him. It is amazing to see the Bible give an example of a local church that actually was able to please God in her ministry.

Concluding Thoughts

These passages are not meant to function as a license to sin or to downplay the heinous nature of sin. Rather, these are reality checks and encouragements for us in the midst of our battle against sin. Here is the reality check: God has accepted the finished work of Christ and loves you like His own adopted child. And God’s transforming work through the Gospel gives you the capacity to actually please Him in your life even in the midst of your forgiven remnant sin. You will shift from seasons of victory to seasons of discouragement, but God looks at your heart and overarching theme of your life. When Satan tempts you to despair, do not let your sin overshadow the good work that God is doing through you. He is a perfect judge and will never see or treat you differently than what you are: His child. Remember, you have the ability to display true and genuine obedience that pleases God despite its imperfection. Live in light of that truth.

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