ATTRIBUTES—-
GOOD
WHO IS GOD? GOOD
We call a lot of things “good”: days, movies, foods, songs, people, and even pets. But in Luke 18:19, Jesus makes a bold statement: “Only God is truly good.” So if what Jesus says is true, and we believe it is, it means that nothing and nobody is good. Our first reaction is That hurts. And second, we wonder, “How can it be? People do nice things—give money to charity, serve the homeless, volunteer, save animals.” Those are all good things . . . right?
While we should do those things, doing them doesn’t make anyone good. Here is the key word in Jesus’ statement: truly. Only God is truly good. This means that in His core, His being, His character, and His essence is goodness. In everything God thinks, says, and does, goodness can be found. Goodness is at the foundation of everything He does, and God is the source from which all goodness flows. Everything else and everybody else are simply shadows, snippets, and shades of the goodness God inherently possesses. God is truly good.
WHO AM I? NOT GOOD
In Luke 18:18-23, we meet a young man who comes face to face with the reality about himself: he’s not good. At first, he comes to Jesus confidently rattling off all the good things he’s done—he’s never lied or murdered, he’s respected his parents, and he doesn’t cheat on his girlfriend. But Jesus responds that the young man hasn’t done everything, and then asks him to sell all that he owns and give the money to the poor. The young man knows that he hasn’t done this—and honestly, doesn’t want to do it—and he realizes that he is, in fact, not good. Jesus’ point is this: There will always be more good things to do, and those things aren’t what make you good or get you right with God, and they won’t get you into heaven. In fact, in Luke 18:27, Jesus says it is impossible to get to heaven that way. But in the same verse, He also says it is possible—with God.
While we are not good, and cannot do things to make ourselves good, God (who is truly good) can do it for us. When we no longer believe that what we do makes us good but believe instead that the God in us is good, a supernatural thing happens: We change. How we view ourselves, our works, and our lives changes. Our good works are no longer our efforts to be good; they are a result of a good God working in us.
WHAT DO I DO? BELIEVE THAT GOD IS THE ONLY TRUE GOOD
Sometimes the truth is good news even when it hurts. How can the fact that we are not good be considered good news? Because it makes room for the reality that only God is truly good and we are not. If we believe that He is good and desire the good things He has for us, we can personally know and experience His perfect goodness in our lives.
In Luke 18:29-30, Jesus says that everyone who gives up the things they believe are good—including family, friends, possessions, and other really good things—for Him will be given the best and only ultimately good thing: a life and eternal relationship with God. That is good!
Jesus is inviting us to give up good things for the best thing—Him. And if we invite God, the only true good, into our lives, we will have the opportunity to know what true goodness is like. This is a goodness that has nothing to do with material things, empty charity, or forced works. Being close to God puts you in proximity to true, authentic goodness—a goodness that looks past your faults and sees you as someone worth loving, saving, and knowing. And what a good thing that is.