Can those who are in the flesh please God?
No. Scripture concludes that those in the flesh cannot please God. This describes lost mankind outside the Gospel and outside being positionally in Christ. Hebrews 11:6 states as an absolute that without faith it is impossible to please God, so the unbeliever cannot please Him.
Les teaches from Romans 8:8 that this is a conclusive thought about mankind who are lost, outside the Gospel, and outside being positionally in Christ: they that are in the flesh cannot please God. He illustrates the same principle with Prohibition, noting that a law could prohibit whiskey, but it did not stop people because they still wanted it; as long as they want it, somebody will produce it. That is human nature. Even though God's laws are clear and precise, mankind totally rejects them and does not want anything to do with them. Les then points to Hebrews 11:6 as one of the absolutes of Scripture: without faith it is impossible to please God. He says that is where it is all at, and the unbeliever who is an enemy cannot please God.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
More Questions
Can a person in the flesh please God?
Those who are in the flesh—lost, outside the Gospel, and outside being positionally in Christ—cannot please God.
Who are 'they that are in the flesh' in Romans 8:8?
In Romans 8, 'they that are in the flesh' are the lost—those outside the Gospel and outside being positionally in Christ.