Every thing that feels good pleases God.

[ZiSunka]

This statement is often used to defend behaviors the Bible says are immoral.

What do you think about this statement?

[GaelSong]

I think that statement is a cop out. Sure God gives us joy and happiness but Jesus told us to pick up our cross and follow Him. Sacrifice is a word christians are often uncomfortable with. Sometimes we have to sacrifice the 'feel good' stuff if we are to stay in right relationship with God. This is not easy.

[xenia]

It reminds me of what St. Augustine said: Love God and do as you please.

[Bevlina]

I guess it feels good for some people when they steal something and get away with it!
Wouldn't feel too good if they were caught though!
Those words are a two edged sword.
Jesus never promised us an easy ride. He told us to "Pick up your cross and follow Me"
The cross is an instrument of death and torture. I find that the best Christians have often been tormented and tortured either mentally, or physically something shocking.
If we have a look at the Original Christians - and the fate of many... it wasn't very pleasant.

[Letalis]

This statement is often used to defend behaviors the Bible says are immoral.

What do you think about this statement?
Whoa, I've never heard that statement used to defend certain behaviors. It sounds like a foolish position to stand behind.

[New_Wineskin]

Whoa, I've never heard that statement used to defend certain behaviors. It sounds like a foolish position to stand behind.

I also have never heard of it before . It sounds more like something selfprofessed unbelievers say . If that is the case , I don't know what the huff is about . I know that I have never heard a Christian say it .

[Tavita]

I don't think christians actually say the words, it's more an attitude in thinking that because they have the Spirit of God within and a certain behaviour feels good then the thought is, it must be of God. Instead of checking all things against the word and realising that their flesh still rules to varying degrees. It is a foolish attitude but I've got to say we all do it from time to time.

[loribee59]

Romans 6:1-23

[Living Stone]

This statement is often used to defend behaviors the Bible says are immoral.

What do you think about this statement?
I think a stalker/murderer thinks it ''feels good'' to kill.
And we know that doesnt please God :)

[bobbichan]

The only times that doing something that feels good pleases God is when we do something good to help others in the name of Christ.

You can give money, food, or clothing to people in need... but if it's not in the name of Christ that it's doing very little to help the Kingdom at all. For example, "Here's $50 from United Way!" opposed to "Here's $50 from Jesus!" Either way, the needy person is getting the money they need, but on the other hand that money may have planted a good seed that will eventually lead to that person's salvation.

But I guess that goes under sacrifice and humility. *shrug*

Sex when you're married probably pleases God, because it's two people who are sharing their love for one another under the spiritual contract of marriage.

But anything else (with perhaps a few exceptions... my mind is dead from work haha), is poo! =P

[JoeC]

This statement is a lie. Sin feels good but it does not please God. What pleases God is our willingness to serve Him.

[Bevlina]

Living in the Will of God pleases God I believe. When Jesus prayed 'The Lord's Prayer' He said "Thy will be done"
He placed God's Will above all else. And I think that's what makes us really feel good. When we know in our hearts that we are living correctly.

[PaladinGirl]

I think it's a pretty good statement to be honest and now you've got my brain spinning! :thumbsup:

[Bevlina]

Hahahahaha!! Good! ;)

[JoeC]

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

:amen:

[holo]

Some christians seem to think the opposite - that if it feels bad, it must be from God. If it's hard, it's true. If it's difficult, it's good for you. If it's easy, it's false doctrine.

I'm only half joking.

[supp]

for many years i was a social sot, liar, thief, was greedy, selfish and etc.
yet because i took that 'oh so common walk' down the isle, i along with many
others considered myself a 'Christian'. do i think God was pleased with me?
NO! do i think i was a 'true Christian'? NO!

[holo]

Of course God is pleased with you, you're his kid! He can't not love you.
A true christian is a true believer, not one who lives correctly according to our standards, which by the way only judge what we see and hear, and not the actual hearts of men.

[Count]

This statement is often used to defend behaviors the Bible says are immoral.

What do you think about this statement?

As always the same thing, eating from the Tree of Knowledge! Unfortunately we read the Bible in order to see what is good so that we could do, or what is not good so that we couldn't do. We depend on our mind, we depend on our emotions, (how do we feel), we depend on our will. But the origin of all these things is from the Tree of Knowledge.

To answer this question in terms of for and against, it would be wrong. I would continue to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The point is that our Lord is the Tree of Life, and we should learn to eat from Him. The Tree of Life is planted within us and the only thing we could do, is turn within and eat of Him. But we must know that His location is neither in our emotions, nor in our mind, his location is in our spirit. It is with our spirit that we can turn to Him and be fed with Him. So, let us put aside what is wrong and what is right, what to do and what not to do, but let us turn to Him and adore Him, and be with Him, and love Him.

[Count]

Living in the Will of God pleases God I believe. When Jesus prayed 'The Lord's Prayer' He said "Thy will be done"
He placed God's Will above all else. And I think that's what makes us really feel good. When we know in our hearts that we are living correctly.

What pleases Gos is a Person and this Person is Jesus Christ. What displeases God is us, nomatter what we do. We could give all our money for the poor, and we could sacrifice ourselves for others, but all these things are nothing but filthy rags, if they come from us. So, we have already pleased God, since He sees in us Jesus Christ. We don't do things to please Him, we do things because He is pleased in us. We don't walk with Him to become holy, we walk with Him because we are holy.

Thus, whatever comes from us, no matter how good our intentions, is but a filthy rag, whatever comes from Him who lives within us, no matter how simple and small it is, He is pleased with us.

[discernomatic]

Of course God is pleased with you, you're his kid! He can't not love you.
A true christian is a true believer, not one who lives correctly according to our standards, which by the way only judge what we see and hear, and not the actual hearts of men.
Agree with you holo for the most part. I think that God loves us even when he is not pleased. I think that the statement could apply to another god, but that would not be the one that sent his Son, Jesus Christ.

[e=mv^2]

Jesus never promised us an easy ride.

Actually he did.
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The real question is:
How do you live easily?
Does sin make your life easier or does it make it harder? Do we cling to sin to make things easier? Is it easier to live attached to hatred, revenge, greed, sexual impulse and addiction or is it easier to live simply free from those burdens?

I was addicted to nicotine. For fifteen years cigarettes were so pervasive in my life that I had to plan simple activites around being able to smoke. It was difficult to have to work my day into my smoking schedule.

November of 2004 I quit smoking cigarettes and as of Jan 2005 I was nicotine free.

It hurt. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Stress like yo uwould not believe. But it got easier. I was able to go for longer and longer without thinking about cigarettes. I no longer had to plan my day around if I could smoke in a given restaraunt or not.

The moral of the story:
Life is EASIER now without smoking. Life is less stressful without smoking. The only way to remove the desire to smoke was to stop smoking.

I think that this applies to any sin.
Fornication feels good but it makes life HARDER. It adds worries of unwanted pregnancy, disease, rejection and a million other things.
Cleptomania is a rush but can lead to legal issues.
Compulsion is a very hard thing to deal with. It complicates life terribly. We sin and feel good. Then comes that nagging feeling - you want to do "x" again. You do it again and you get some temporary relief and feel good for a short time but the compulsion comes back again.

The only way to stop feeling the compulsion to sin is to stop sinning. Sounds hard? It is easier than continuing to sin.

Lets remember the nature of God being a loving father. He does not want us to be stressed out, in pain, in jail, dead or the like. He wants our life to be as easy as it can be. That is why he gave us rules! The rules are there to protect us and keep our lives simple.

[He put me back together]

"If it feels good, do it."

It's easy. It's easier to do what feels good than to forsake one's feelings to do what is good.

It's catchy, because a man who is promoted as "talented" said it, and it allows the practitioners of it to be lazy.

It's selfish, because doing what feels good rather than what is good harms others.

It's cowardly, for these very reasons.

It is shallow, because it does not look deeply into anything, neither does it show any sign of understanding anything.

It is incredible, because those who say it have no credibility, or moral standing to tell anyone else how to live.

And it is a lie, because following it leads to misery and death, not just for the follower, but those who are around him.

Like all lies, it comes from Satan.