{"id":364,"date":"2009-07-27T00:27:49","date_gmt":"2009-07-27T00:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/"},"modified":"2014-01-23T01:24:37","modified_gmt":"2014-01-23T01:24:37","slug":"july-qpleasing-godq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/","title":{"rendered":"Pleasing God"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

For this cause we also, since the day we heard\u00a0it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;\u00a0 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10).<\/em><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Our generation continues to struggle with the concept of pleasing God.\u00a0 Even though we know that we are justified by faith in the merits of Christ alone, for some reason we balk at the thought of a justified believer pleasing God by good works.\u00a0 Sometimes an old equivocation of terms is employed to argue against the idea of the believer pleasing God i.e. we speak against works for sanctification by employing verses that speak against works for justification.\u00a0 We say that the believer can\u2019t please God by his good works because the Bible tells us that we should \u201cStand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage\u201d (Gal. 5:1).<\/p>\n

Sometimes an old theological misunderstanding is employed to argue against the believer pleasing God i.e. someone will say, \u201cI was so relieved when I found that I should stop trying to do things myself and simply allow God to do it all through me.\u201d\u00a0 But is the believer\u2019s progressive holiness to be as passive as his positional salvation?\u00a0 The relationship between justification and sanctification has always been debated by various denominations (in fact it has created many of those denominations).\u00a0 Louis Berkhof said it well when he wrote, \u201cWhile the meritorious cause of both lies in the merits of Christ, there is a difference in the efficient cause.\u00a0 Speaking economically, God the Father declares the sinner righteous, and God the Holy Spirit sanctifies him.\u201d1<\/sup> That is, salvation is \u201cNot of works, lest any man should boast.\u00a0 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has ordained that we should walk in them\u201d (Eph. 2:9-10).<\/p>\n

Sometimes an old semantic argument is employed against pleasing God.\u00a0 Does God accept us as we are?\u00a0 We want to say yes because we understand that God saved us without any merit of our own.\u00a0 But then we realize that it is because He could not accept us as we were that the righteousness of Christ had to be applied to us.\u00a0 Even in sanctification God does not leave us where we are but continues to change us into the image of Christ.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because He does not accept us as we are.\u00a0 In all of this, however, we know that we are always \u201caccepted in the Beloved\u201d (Eph. 1:6) because of the work of Christ.\u00a0 As Paul Hartog wrote in a recent article on Christian Culture, \u201cThe good news reaches us where we are but has no intention of simply leaving us there.\u201d2<\/sup><\/p>\n

In all of this, there is still an old obligation the believer has to the very words of Scripture.\u00a0 The fact is, the Bible often tells the believer that he ought to strive to please God.\u00a0 Paul encouraged the Thessalonians, \u201cThat as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more\u201d (1 Thes. 4:1).\u00a0 In the New Testament, in the light of Christ\u2019s finished work, this concept appears again and again and we can\u2019t avoid it.\u00a0 We know there is no conflict in this command and in our salvation by grace alone.\u00a0 The\u00a0 most common word for pleasing (arestos, please; arest?, to please; arestia, pleasing), is a simple word with no surprise in its English translation.\u00a0 Neither do less common words (e.g. eudoke?, to seem good) cause problems as the following categories show.<\/p>\n

\n

Jesus always pleased God<\/h2>\n

Jesus Himself said, \u201cI do always those things that please Him\u201d (John 8:29).\u00a0 Paul wrote, \u201cFor even Christ pleased not himself\u201d (Rom. 15:3) meaning that He pleased only God.\u00a0 In turn, God was pleased with Christ when He said, \u201cThis is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased\u201d (Matt. 3:17); or, \u201cFor it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell\u201d (Col. 1:19).<\/p>\n

Jesus was obviously not trying to earn His own salvation, but in a real way was earning ours.\u00a0 We could even say that this was the only true legalism, that He kept the whole law and did it for our sakes.\u00a0 Here, in its simplest form, however, to \u201cplease\u201d means to do those things that God wants one to do.\u00a0 Hebrews chapter 10 takes Christ\u2019s obedience to a higher level when we find that God had prepared a body for the Son (\u201cA body hast thou prepared for me,\u201d vs. 5) so that the Son could say with the Psalmist, \u201cLo, I come to do thy will, O God\u201d (vs. 9).\u00a0 That body, sinless as it was, was equipped with intellect, emotion, and will which Jesus utilized to the fullest in order to perform the will of God to His pleasing.\u00a0 Even in the garden, against every cry of His human nature, Jesus still performed the Father\u2019s will with His flesh which became our veil into God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

\n

The lost cannot please God<\/h2>\n

\u201cBut without faith it is impossible to please him\u201d (Heb. 11:6).\u00a0 \u201cSo then they that are in the flesh cannot please God\u201d (Rom. 8:8).\u00a0 A man without the Spirit of God does not have the spiritual capability to do things acceptable by God.\u00a0 He is going about doing good because he hopes to be accepted by those good things before God.\u00a0 Though a lost man may be doing things God created human beings to do, he still does not please God that way.<\/p>\n

We, however, who are already accepted in the Beloved, can do those things that are pleasing to God because our very fallen nature has been radically reoriented to include the Holy Spirit in a new creation.\u00a0 The lost man\u2019s intellect, emotion, and will are at odds with God and do not seek after God.\u00a0 The expressions of his fallen nature make up the \u201cworld\u201d or \u201cculture.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAmong whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others\u201d (Eph. 2:3).<\/p>\n

\n

We are not to please men<\/h2>\n

\u201cFor do I now persuade men, or God?\u00a0 Or do I seek to please men?\u00a0 For if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ\u201d (Gal. 1:10).\u00a0 \u201cBut as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts\u201d (1 Thes. 2:4).\u00a0 We are not even to please ourselves!\u00a0 \u201cWe then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.\u00a0 Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.\u00a0 For even Christ pleased not himself\u201d (Rom. 15:1-3a).<\/p>\n

The seeming contradiction here between not pleasing men and yet pleasing our neighbor for his good only keeps our good works in proper perspective.\u00a0 We could seek to please men to the point of idolatry, putting them higher in priority than God.\u00a0 This cannot be done even with our own loved ones (Luke 14:26).\u00a0 Yet we can seek to win our neighbor to Christ by doing those things that bring conviction and witness to his conscience.\u00a0 Those would be good and edifying.<\/p>\n

\n

We can do good works that please God<\/h2>\n

As Jesus was incarnated into a body in order to please God, so we are given this \u201cspace\u201d in order to use it for God\u2019s glory.\u00a0 This must also include our intellect, emotion, and will.\u00a0 God does not do good works through us without us.\u00a0 He does not intend for us to be volitionally passive.\u00a0 Our very decision to move, to think, to do, is the stewardship we have from God.\u00a0 Yes, it is God working in us, but not God working without us.\u00a0 Just as an athlete is coached and trained, when he swings at the pitch, he must do it himself and allow all of that training to come out at that moment.\u00a0 He may hit the ball or he may strike out.\u00a0 More training and practice will cause him to do better the next time.\u00a0 He can\u2019t do it without the coach, but the coach will not do it without him.<\/p>\n

A single man can please God because he has time to apply himself.\u00a0 \u201cHe that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord\u201d (1 Cor. 7:32).\u00a0 A believer can please God in his Christian walk:\u00a0 \u201cThat ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing\u201d (Col. 1:10); \u201cThat as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more\u201d (1 Thes. 4:1).\u00a0 Children can please God by obeying their parents: \u201cChildren, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord\u201d (Col. 3:20).\u00a0 Believers can have a successful prayer life by obeying God:\u00a0 \u201cAnd whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight\u201d (1 John 3:22).\u00a0 There is no conflict between a believer\u2019s walk of faith and his striving to please God.\u00a0 \u201cBy faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God\u201d (Heb. 11:5).<\/p>\n

\n

We can do sinful things that displease God<\/h2>\n

The Israelites all passed through the Red Sea, \u201cBut with many of them God was not well-pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.\u00a0 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted\u201d (1 Cor. 10:5-6).\u00a0 Obviously if the Scripture admonishes us to do things that are pleasing to God, it is entirely possible for us not to do those things.\u00a0 In this way, every command of Scripture is a way to please God or a way to not please Him.\u00a0 When we were first saved we may have thought we were really struggling to overcome nasty habits, or to stop swearing or stealing or such like.\u00a0 We couldn\u2019t have known then that the unseen things such as our thoughts and motives would become far greater challenges.\u00a0 \u201cCasting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ\u201d (2 Cor. 10:5).\u00a0 But where there is deeper water to tread, there is more calmness and serenity and a sweeter walk with the Lord.<\/p>\n

\n

God does certain things to help us please Him<\/h2>\n

Why does God bother with chastisement?\u00a0 If we are always pleasing to Him and our ways are always acceptable, why does He desire to enact change in us?\u00a0 God does this precisely because we are sons and not strangers, because He loves us and desires to see us grow and become useful to Him.\u00a0 A parent that loves a son or daughter does not leave him\/her without training.\u00a0 Only selfish parents do that.\u00a0 Why would God purge the branches on the vine and even more so the productive ones?\u00a0 Is it not to have them bear even more fruit?\u00a0 Why would God send trials into believers\u2019 lives if He loves them?\u00a0 \u201cThou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. . . . That [you] may please him who hath chosen [you] to be a soldier\u201d (2 Tim. 2:3-4).<\/p>\n

What is the difference in our position before these things and after?\u00a0 How has God changed in His desire toward us before and after the trial?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t the answer to that the same as our definition for pleasing God?\u00a0 And isn\u2019t that what the Bible means when it uses that word?<\/p>\n

\n

And So . . . .<\/h2>\n

As a believer I should fully understand that God has saved me and that I am eternally secure in Him.\u00a0 I do not work to remain saved nor fear for my salvation when I do sin.\u00a0 Yet the Scripture teaches me, and all of life reminds me, that I am still in the flesh and will be growing in Christ until the day I die; that this world is a broken world and full of good things and bad which I can use for God\u2019s glory or my own; that God wants me to choose the right and shun the wrong and that to do so is to please God who has called me into His service.\u00a0 If God could not be displeased with sin He would not be God.\u00a0 Yet in Christ He can accept me for eternal life;\u00a0 He can be Just and Justifier of all who come to Him by Christ.\u00a0\u00a0 And all the while, doing good works and striving for maturity is a satisfying and rewarding walk, \u201cfor with such sacrifices God is well-pleased\u201d (Heb. 13:16).<\/p>\n

\n

Notes:<\/address>\n
1. Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977) 514.<\/address>\n
2. Paul Hartog, \u201cToward A Christian Approach To Culture,\u201d Faith Pulpit, May\/June 2009.<\/address>\n
\u00a0<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For this cause we also, since the day we heard\u00a0it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;\u00a0 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[167,135],"class_list":["post-364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-christian-living-cross-discipleship","tag-culture-worldview"],"yoast_head":"\nPleasing God - Aletheia Baptist Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pleasing God - Aletheia Baptist Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For this cause we also, since the day we heard\u00a0it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;\u00a0 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-07-27T00:27:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-01-23T01:24:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Book-Reviews-1024x1024.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rick Shrader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rick Shrader\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rick Shrader\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2\"},\"headline\":\"Pleasing God\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-07-27T00:27:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-01-23T01:24:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/\"},\"wordCount\":2205,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Christian Living \/ Cross \/ Discipleship\",\"Culture \/ Worldview\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/\",\"name\":\"Pleasing God - Aletheia Baptist Ministries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-07-27T00:27:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-01-23T01:24:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pleasing God\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/\",\"name\":\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\",\"description\":\"Rick Shrader's Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":277,\"caption\":\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2\",\"name\":\"Rick Shrader\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rick Shrader\"},\"url\":\"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/author\/rick\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pleasing God - Aletheia Baptist Ministries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pleasing God - Aletheia Baptist Ministries","og_description":"For this cause we also, since the day we heard\u00a0it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;\u00a0 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and […]","og_url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/","og_site_name":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist","article_published_time":"2009-07-27T00:27:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-01-23T01:24:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":1024,"url":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Book-Reviews-1024x1024.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Rick Shrader","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rick Shrader","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/"},"author":{"name":"Rick Shrader","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2"},"headline":"Pleasing God","datePublished":"2009-07-27T00:27:49+00:00","dateModified":"2014-01-23T01:24:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/"},"wordCount":2205,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Christian Living \/ Cross \/ Discipleship","Culture \/ Worldview"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/","url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/","name":"Pleasing God - Aletheia Baptist Ministries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-07-27T00:27:49+00:00","dateModified":"2014-01-23T01:24:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/july-qpleasing-godq\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pleasing God"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/","name":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries","description":"Rick Shrader's Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization","name":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries","url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg","width":400,"height":277,"caption":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2","name":"Rick Shrader","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rick Shrader"},"url":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/author\/rick\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4203,"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions\/4203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}