Wednesday, December 26, 2012

God is Good


Part One: What is Good?
"God is Good!!!" As Christians we blurt that statement out so easily. Without really understanding it or having a wrong concept of what it means.On the other hand I also hear people say, "I don't need God, I am good person". Our concept of good is usually that which comes from a person. We can say...that bad Guy did a good thing. On the other hand Jesus says "why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." (he was testing the man to see if the man knew in fact that he was God) Luke 18:19. Jesus's definition of "good" is what the Bible states clearly. God is good. Good is defined by God's nature. We tend to look around and measure if someone is good or bad by what they stand for or if their good things out weight their bad things. Like a measuring scale we weigh someone's good attributes or deeds with their bad and if one tips the scale then we define them by it. This is a religious way of seeing people and the world. This is comparing people to people. If we compare ourselves to Mother Theresa we look pretty pathetic. Oh, but if we compare ourselves to a serial killer, we look like a saint. This is not how the Bible defines it. The Bible says God is good and all of us are bad and in need of a savior. We are being compared to God Himself as the standard of His perfect good. Those of us that are saved by accepting Jesus's death and resurrection as the payment for our sin(bad), now carry God's perfect good in us as His gift of Grace.We didn't earn it or have to work to keep it. We cannot say we are good by our own means but God calls us good because of Jesus.
  Also, If God is the standard of what perfect good is, this is also how we measure the world around us as to what is good and bad. Our point of reference. Being selfish is not bad because we decided it is bad...it is bad because it is opposite of God's nature. The same goes with telling lies, stealing, being prideful...etc. Consequently, if you take the image of the God of the Bible out of the equation, then the only standard is "whatever I think" is bad or good. Then things like being selfish is not a bad thing, it is just "natures way of ensuring survival"...survival of the fittest.