22 Bible Verses About Pleasing God, Not Man



  • Galatians 1:10 and 1 Thessalonians 2:4 use the Greek verb areskō, to please, for the approval Paul refused to seek from people.
  • Acts 5:29 is the apostles’ reply when the high priest reminds them of orders not to teach in Jesus’ name.
  • John 12:43 says leaders who believed in Jesus kept quiet because they “loved human praise more than praise from God.”
  • Ephesians 6:6 and Colossians 3:22 warn slaves against being anthrōpareskoi, people-pleasers, and tell them to serve as if serving the Lord.
  • Paul also tells Christians to please their neighbours “for their good” (Romans 15:2), using the same verb as Galatians 1:10.

The Bible’s answer is that a servant of God works for God’s approval, and it calls the fear of people a trap. Paul says that if he were “trying to please people” he “would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10), and Proverbs 29:25 calls the fear of man a snare. Psalm 118:6 asks, “What can mere mortals do to me?” Peter and the apostles tell the Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29), and…

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