"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8:8

Romans 8 and the Question of Pleasing God in the Flesh

So that didn't answer my question. I said, how are those who are in the flesh, those who are unforgiven, those who are unregenerate, how can those people do something pleasing to God? He says those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

My question, Brock, is does it please God when a person is baptized? Sure. We have to command it. We agree. It always pleases God to obey a command. Yes. No, actually, we're in agreement there. So my next question is how in Romans 8, 8, that says those who are in the flesh, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

And it's my understanding that those who are in the flesh are unforgiven of past sins. They are unregenerate. They are in the flesh. They do not have the spirit. So how can those who are in the flesh please God?

Well, first of all, you said your understanding was, I think you said unregenerate. Correct. Is that correct? And you used, say, sanctification? Did you say sanctify? No. Okay. And you used Romans 8? Let me restate the question briefly.

Okay. Romans 8, it says those who are in the flesh cannot please God. So my question is how can someone who's unforgiven, unregenerate, in the flesh do anything to please God like that? Well, he's writing to a group of people who obeyed an external act.

And that external act, according to the context of Romans 6, is baptism. So I have no problem talking about baptism. That's the context. Okay. You didn't answer my question. He's writing to a group of people who had obeyed an external act, and that external act according to the context of baptism.

Okay. So that didn't answer my question. I said how are those who are in the flesh, those who are unforgiven, those who are unregenerate, how can those people do something pleasing to God when he says those who are in the flesh cannot please God?

Your definition of unregenerate is not the Bible definition of regenerate. So you're going to have to define your terms about regeneration or one being unregenerate. So in the flesh, my understanding of the context of Romans 8, you have those, therefore there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, those who have the Spirit.

Then you have unbelievers that are in the flesh that are hostile to the things of God. And I'm asking you, your position, because someone who's not baptized yet has not had their past sins forgiven, they would be unregenerate under this umbrella.

And I'm asking you, how can someone who is in the flesh, unregenerate, unforgiven, do anything like baptism to please God? The same concept applies to repentance. Would you agree? No. Okay. So let's stay with Romans then, Romans 8.

You keep going to Romans 8. Go to the book of Romans all together, and you're talking about regenerated folks and degenerated folks. But Paul is writing to folks who had been regenerated. Before their baptism?

No, they were baptized. They were regenerated when they were baptized. Right, so how did someone who's in the flesh do anything to please God when Paul says that no one in the flesh can do anything to please God?

You're using Romans 8 to try to negate Romans 6. That's exactly what you're doing. Romans 6, he's already discussed an extra humble act of obedience that they obey. Baptism is the context, and you're using Romans 8 to try to negate that.

No, it actually flows together because he's talking about justification and sanctification, and he goes back to that believer's justified state. He's on the way to insanctification, to glorification, but I would like to move on.