The word "good" is used extensively in both the Old and New Testaments. Strong's Concordance devotes approximately 1-1/2 pages to references where the word "good" can be found in the Bible. In the account of the Creation,in Genesis 1,God uses the word in verses 4,10,12,18,21,25 and 31 as he surveys His handiwork. Also,in Chapter 2,"good" is used in verse 9 ("good for food"),verse 17("the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"), and in verse 18 ("not good that the man should be alone"). We also find "good" used in 3 verses in Chapter 3: the serpent says:"ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil" (v5);"the woman saw that the tree was good for food" (v6);"the Lord said:"behold the man is become as one of us,to know good and evil" (v22).
According to Webster`s Unabridged Dictionary,"good" can be used as a noun,an adjective or as an adverb. With such a wide range of usage the word can have several of the following definitions:
1. Having proper qualities
2. Beneficial
3. Valid,real
4. Healthy,sound
5. Honorable
6. Enjoyable,pleasant
7. Virtuous,devout
8. Kind,merciful
9. Skilled
10. Dutiful
11. A considerable amount
Since the word can have so many different meanings,as Christian we need to understand how "good" we are from the viewpoint of God. In man`s evaluation of what constitutes "good' many of the greatest minds have debated,written and pondered over the question of: "what is good?" Such philosophers as Aristotle,Plato Kant,Descartes,Voltaire, and Socrates have explored the concept of "the ultimate good",without having arrived at any consensus. In pursuing the concept of "what is good",man often has established his standard in relation to how he perceives himself relative to the world around him. From man`s viewpoint, if he is neither a murderer,nor a thief, or other "bad person",therefore he is a "good person". Thus man equates behavior and moral standards in relation to the world around him because he compares himself to those whom he considers to be"not good." That is, man sees others about him as being below his standard and, not uniquely,he sees himself as being better than those to whom he relates. "Unfortunately,this standard is not only subjective,relative and variable but also inaccurate and detrimental to his final salvation.
While man looks to the world about him to judge what is "good",God, on the other hand has no such standard. He simply evaluates man on the basis of how well man obeys His laws,-a perfect,unwavering, non-varying standard ,-not related to comparing one man against another. God has said:"there is none that doeth good,no not one"(Ps 14:3). In Romans3:23,Paul writes:"all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Consequently,each person,being equal ,is measured to the same standard and is only responsible for their own behavior,nor need they look to others around them to decide how "good" they are in relation to others in their society. In Matthew 19:16-19 Jesus formulated this Law when the rich,young ruler approached Him with a question about doing "good?" Jesus` response that :"there is no good but one,that is God" serves to point out that rather than to look down we need to look up to establish our standard for evaluating "what's good." There are numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments from which we can derive the moral standards for conducting ourselves as God`s children. However,the sheer enormity of these passages negates referring to them at this time due to our space limitations. Perhaps the best guidelines can be found from reading Matthew Chapters 5-7,an account of the sermon on the mountain. This is the basis for the moral code by which Christians should regulate their conduct rather than using others by which they can equate their "goodness." In Ezekiel 33:17-19,we are told that God`s way is equal for those who obey His will. When men cease to be in communion with God they cease to conform to His will. It makes no difference how "good" men feel their lives may be. Since God has selected His "standard for good living and behavior", man must abide by the consequence of choosing alternatives. For those who elect to follow and use imperfect standards, it will be only in the final judgement by God that they will know what is good.
Home
Another Article
Top
Page last updated: March 03, 2003