Article of Faith: Good and bad pleasure (1), By Femi Aribisala

Bad pleasure ends in eternal death. 

A fundamental spiritual principle of God’s kingdom says God is the centre and circumference of everything. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 1:8). “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. (Romans 11:36).

This means if something is of men, it cannot be of God. And if it is of God, it cannot be of men. Accordingly, Jesus asks the Pharisees: “The baptism of John — where was it from? From heaven or from men?” (Matthew 21:25).

Jesus reveals that the things of men are not only not of God, but that they are of Satan. Therefore, He rebuked Peter: “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23).

Since the things of men cannot be of God, it follows that the pleasures of men cannot be the pleasures of God. Indeed, Jesus drew a sharp distinction between the two by pointing out that: “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15).

Good Pleasure

There are two types of pleasure according to the scriptures. There is pleasure that is of God, and there is pleasure that is of man.

Good pleasure is the pleasure of God. Bad pleasure is the pleasure of men. Good pleasure is what is pleasing and acceptable to God. For example, Jesus says: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32).

Bad pleasure refers to what is pleasing to men and the flesh. This is commonly referred to simply as pleasure. Once it is the pleasure of men, it is bad and unacceptable to God.

It is like success. There is “good success” and “bad success.” The success that God approves is “good success.” God says to Joshua:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8).

Bad success is the success men approve of. It is simply referred to as success. It gives great pleasure to men but not to God.

For example, when a man makes enough money to buy a Lamborghini, it gives him much pleasure. He might even thank and praise God for the exclusive car. What he does not know is that God hates Lamborghinis. It is an abomination to him because it is highly esteemed by men. (Luke 16:15). 

The things that give men pleasure are often ungodly. They are often bad. They are often sinful, and they tend to lead to sin.

However, the good pleasure of God redeems the soul. It gives: “All things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Jesus.” (2 Peter 1:3). It makes us “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15). It leads to eternal life.

Bad pleasure, on the other hand, poisons the soul. It gratifies the flesh and produces sinful lusts. It leads to sin, death, and hell.

Jesus provides good pleasure, while the devil promotes bad pleasure. Jesus says: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).

The Suffering Quotient

There is also good suffering and bad suffering. When we suffer for Christ’s sake, it is good. Peter says: “If you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed.” (1 Peter 3:14).

Bad suffering is when we suffer for malfeasances and crimes. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.” (1 Peter 4:15). 

The disciples of Christ rejoiced when they were beaten for preaching the gospel.

“When they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” (Acts 5:40-41).

The abundant life that Jesus gives includes suffering in this life. Good pleasure often includes suffering in this life and consolation in the life to come. The Bible says of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2):

“Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8).

Isaiah prophesies likewise in his messianic psalm:

“The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. “For the Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” (Isaiah 50:5-7).

Recognising the vanity of the pleasure of men, Moses opted instead for the suffering that meets the good pleasure of God:

“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26). 

Bad pleasure, on the other hand, avoids suffering in this life. Bad pleasure chooses enjoyment in this life, and ends up with suffering in the life to come.

Avoidance of Suffering

Those who opt for the bad pleasures of this life and try to avoid suffering cannot enter the kingdom of God. This is because God has decreed, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22).

Those devoted to bad pleasures who try to avoid tribulation easily fall into sin. Thus Elihu cautions: “Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, for you have chosen this rather than affliction.” (Job 36:21). 

This was Peter’s predicament. He was a lover of pleasure, determined to avoid affliction. Peter disagreed when Jesus told His disciples He was appointed for the cross.

“Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:22-23).

From this, the devil knew he had Peter. He was ready to sift him like wheat. (Luke 22:31). Peter had before him two choices: sin or suffering. He chose sin. So, he denied the Lord Jesus three times to avoid affliction. He cursed and swore that he did not know Jesus. He sinned because he loved his life, loved pleasure, and was afraid of persecution.

Jesus had to offer Peter, on his resurrection, the very cross he had disdained. He said to Peter:

 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.’” (John 21:18-19).

To follow Jesus, Peter had to accept the predicament that he was appointed to suffer for the gospel. The message is clear. There can be no salvation without the cross. Paul cautions about this:

“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame — who set their mind on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18-19).

Therefore, the good pleasure of God ends in eternal life. But the bad pleasure of men ends in eternal death. Good pleasure makes a man hate his life in this world.  Jesus says: “He who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25).

But bad pleasure, on the other hand, makes a man love his life in this world. Jesus says: “He who loves his life will lose it.” (John 12:25).

Valley of Decision

Moses says to the church in the wilderness:

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Nevertheless, virtually all of them chose death.

But why? Why did they choose death? Why did they reject life?

They chose death because they were devoted to pleasure. They chose death because they did not want to suffer. But the life that God offers involves suffering. God’s good pleasure always involves suffering. God kills before He makes alive. He wounds and then heals.” (Deuteronomy 32:39).

If you reject the killing, you will not be made alive. If you love pleasure, you will not be made alive.

The Israelites in the wilderness were lovers of pleasure.

“They soon forgot (God’s) works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:13-15).

Jesus killed them all because they were lovers of pleasure. Therefore Paul warns that perilous times will come because men will be lovers of pleasure. (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

“I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptised as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” (1 Corinthians 10:1-5).

God was not pleased with them because they were lovers of pleasure. So, Jesus killed virtually all of them over 40 years in the desert.

“These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, ‘The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.’ And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” (1 Corinthians 10:6-11).

What is the warning?

Beware of the pleasures of this world and this life. The man devoted to bad pleasure walks in the flesh and fulfils the sinful lusts of the flesh. But the man devoted to good pleasure walks in spirit and does not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16). 

“Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24). CONTINUED.

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