What is ‘good’? Do you have a definition or is it ‘intuitive’? How does ‘good’ feel? Does it inspire you? Is it only a feeling? Do you search for good? Or better? Or best? Do you try to be good? Scripture tells us that there is no one who is good, except the Father.
“There is none righteous [none that meets God’s standard], not even one. There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12, AMP)
Does this discourage or inspire you to try and be good? Not a defiance to ‘prove’ nor an indifference. However, this scripture provides a context for ‘good’ – righteous. And, it gives us clues as to what we need to do: seek God, understand. But we should remember that it is the Father who has made a way, who makes us righteous (2 Corinthians 5: 17-21). When we make Jesus our Lord, we become a new creation. AND a new creation can’t respond, think, say, do with the old. We do the exchange in the sense that we must accept the new and eliminate our old.
While we are talking about ‘good’ – in what context? Good intentions, Good life, Good fruit, Good enough, etc. There are many layers and aspects of good. Is doing our own personal best sufficient? Should be. IF we are doing our best and if we still maintain an attitude of growing and applying what we learn. There are a lot of feelings and thoughts involved in our quest to find and be ‘good’.
Or, in your world, is this a totally irrelevant discussion. It shouldn’t be. Without definitions, operationalized, how do we know and assess what we do and how we go about it? Or is your plan to go mindlessly through this life? Harsh? Yes. Meant to be. Too much time is wasted on not taking the time to determine, assess, discover who we are, regardless of whether or not ‘good’ is part of our intentions and actions.
‘Good’ may not be attainable in the spiritual realm in this life… however, I believe it should be our goal, our intention. According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary:
“Goodness in man is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good.”
Rather good foundation… don’t you think?
