Whenever I talk about my beliefs to people who don’t share the same faith, we often reach a place in our conversation about being “good”. It’s like they think I’m judging them and so they say: “Once you get to know me, I’m really a good person.” I immediately reassure them that I don’t believe I’m any better than they are. These conversations lead me to ask the question: How do you define good? Or, who has the authority to define good? This is what we’ll be discussing in this week’s post.
Only God is Good
Luke 18:18-19 tells us: “A certain ruler asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good—except God alone.’” Only God is good. We could even say that anything good originated from God. We see this in the Book of Genesis: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). And the Book of John tells us: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3). From these passages we know that everything was made by God and, in the beginning, everything was good because God made it.
Now, with that said, God defines good. He is the definition of good. He sets the standard for good. Therefore, good cannot be defined by human standards. Human standards change with time, allowing room for questioning authority and morals. One person’s definition of good is most likely different from another, depending on their background. That is why I believe we have to follow standards that are above any man or woman. For me, the only way to define good is by reading the Bible. The Bible clearly lays out who God is and who we are in relation to Him. And we all are far from His standard of good.
Evil is Defined by Good
Because God defines good, then anything that is opposite of or against God is evil. Therefore, good defines evil. And for evil to have distinct lines, there must be an ultimate, universal, and absolute good—that being God. Without this, the definitions of good and evil would change through the ages. What I mean is that mankind cannot define good and evil because we so easily fall to temptation, giving into our selfish and sinful nature. This always leaves room for compromise and corruption. If the definition of good and evil were left to mankind, every society, nation, culture, and individual would have a different standard. These standards would most likely change through each generation. And, when the definition of good is altered, the definition of evil is also changed. You cannot modify one without the other.
That’s why we need Someone outside of this world, above every man and woman, to define good. When standards change throughout generations, right and wrong, or good and evil, become unclear. God never changes. That’s why I go to His Word, the Bible, to seek what is good. The Bible tells me what is good so I can discern between right and wrong without myself getting in the way. Taking this a step further, I believe good has to be absolute and objective in order to have Truth and Hope.
Our Hope in the Only Good
The only reason we have Truth and Hope is because God is good. God and His goodness never change. If God changed or if He was not good, we would be left with this broken, fallen, evil world and we would have no hope of salvation. There would be nothing with the ability to save us. Only good can conquer evil. Evil cannot defeat evil. Beginnings have to come from good in order to have hope of something greater in the future.
When we believe in the Truth and Hope in God, we don’t have to worry. We know God made mankind with free will and He saw that it was good. But God also knew that, because of free will, mankind would never meet His standards and choose good. So, out of His own goodness, God sent His one and only Son to pay the price for all of mankind’s sin on the cross. And God raised Him from the grave three days later. The culmination of this goodness is the defeat of sin, death, and all evil. This goodness also made a way, through Jesus, God’s Son, for all peoples to have a restored relationship with God and live with Him in eternity. God provides us with His Spirit (check out Who is the Holy Spirit?) and His Word, the Bible (read 4 Things to Know about the Bible), to help point us to Jesus—the only Way to Himself.
Whose standard of good do you follow—man’s or God’s?
