Sense: well pleasing
adj. — giving pleasure and satisfaction; perhaps in a greater degree than usual.
Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing [εὐάρεστος] to the Lord.
Colossians 3:20 (NASB)
In our example verse, we find that obedience to parents is well pleasing to God. What other actions does the New Testament describe as well pleasing to God? Some of the verses listed in the Bible Sense Lexicon entry for “well pleasing” are generic when it comes to saying what pleases God, such as 2 Corinthians 5:9: “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (NASB). However, Romans 14:18 suggests that serving Christ in an appropriate manner is well pleasing to God. And the Philippians’ offering to Paul was well pleasing to God (Phil. 4:18). So, we find that activities as diverse as obeying parents and sending offerings are pleasing to God. Perhaps this is why there is always room to “learn what is pleasing to God” (Eph. 5:10). Consider exploring some of the more concrete ways we might please God.
What is the Bible Sense Lexicon?
Sense of the Day is based on content from Logos’ Bible Sense Lexicon, which organizes biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words by meaning based on a variety of semantic relationships. Sense of the Day provides examples of senses in context, along with insight into their application for theology and interpretation.
The Bible Sense Lexicon is a Logos dataset available in Logos 5 Gold and higher base packages. If you’re enrolled in the Logos Academic Discount Program, you can also find the Bible Sense Lexicon in the Biblical Languages base package. Take your studies even further by exploring semantic domains, engaging the biblical text like never before.
Learn more about the Bible Sense Lexicon.