Am I now seeking the approval 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 servant of Christ.
Parallel translations
- WEB For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.
- KJV For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
- ESV For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
- NKJV For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
- NASB For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
- NLT Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul asks whether he is trying to win human approval, answering that a slave of Christ cannot live to please people. His severe words prove he serves God, not popularity.
Overview
The agitators may have accused Paul of softening his message to please audiences. He replies that his blunt curses are the opposite of crowd-pleasing. To be 'a servant of Christ' is incompatible with making human approval one's aim, a principle that frees believers to speak truth faithfully.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- 1 Th 2:4Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.
- Acts 5:29But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
- Eph 6:6And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
- Jas 4:4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
- Matt 22:16They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.
- Col 3:22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord.
- 2 Cor 5:9–11So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it.
- Rom 2:29No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.
- Acts 4:19–20But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.
- 2 Cor 12:19Have you been thinking all along that we were making a defense to you? We speak before God in Christ, and all of this, beloved, is to build you up.
- 1 Jn 3:9Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
- Rom 2:8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.
- Rom 1:1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—
- 1 Cor 10:33as I also try to please everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, that they may be saved.
- Rom 15:1–2We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
- Matt 28:14If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
- 1 Sam 21:7Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.
- Acts 12:20Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.
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