Goodness

[atpollard]

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially and morally] good except God alone.
- [Luke 18:19 AMP]

So what do you think? Is it possible for anyone to be GOOD?

• What is “good”?
• Who sets the standard?
• Are our “good” deeds really good, or do we have tainted motives?
• What about through the Holy Spirit? Can He empower us to do or be “good”?

[Sola Scruptura] Can you back up your position with Scripture?

 

[Fellow Traveler]

The word "good" in Luke 18:19 is Strong's Gr. 18, "ἀγαθός" or "agathos", and it means "describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him".

We can never be good enough on our own.

For He hath made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

Hi @atpollard

I’ll give it a try, but I will provide the biblical support later during the week, my friend.

So what do you think? Is it possible for anyone to be GOOD?

• What is “good”?

Love

• Who sets the standard?

God, as manifested through Christ.

• Are our “good” deeds really good, or do we have tainted motives?

When Christ lives in us, our deeds are really good.

• What about through the Holy Spirit? Can He empower us to do or be “good”?

Yes. That’s why goodness is among the fruits of the Spirit.

[Sola Scruptura] Can you back up your position with Scripture?

 

[Fred]

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially and morally] good except God alone.
- [Luke 18:19 AMP]

So what do you think? Is it possible for anyone to be GOOD?

• What is “good”?
• Who sets the standard?
• Are our “good” deeds really good, or do we have tainted motives?
• What about through the Holy Spirit? Can He empower us to do or be “good”?

[Sola Scruptura] Can you back up your position with Scripture?

https://berean-apologetics.community.forum/threads/why-the-trinity-is-wrong-language-usage.201/page-10#post-110881

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

Love

If I could dare to give a "definition" of goodness, the closest thing would be love.
Love encompasses all good atributes (1 Cor 14:4-7), and Jesus made of loving the summary of all Scripture (Mat 22:37-40), his personal commandment and the signature of a true discipleship (John 13:34-35) and communion with God (1 John 4:16).

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Love never fails. (1 Cor 14:4-7)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 22:37-40)

God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

God, as manifested through Christ.

Here is the biblical support of Christ, the Manifestation of God's love, as the standard of that goodness that I call love.

as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:35)
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16)
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us... (Ephesians 5:1-2)

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

When Christ lives in us, our deeds are really good.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal 2:20)
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1 John 2:29)
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. (1 John 3:7)

 

[Soyeong]

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially and morally] good except God alone.
- [Luke 18:19 AMP]

So what do you think? Is it possible for anyone to be GOOD?

• What is “good”?
• Who sets the standard?
• Are our “good” deeds really good, or do we have tainted motives?
• What about through the Holy Spirit? Can He empower us to do or be “good”?

[Sola Scruptura] Can you back up your position with Scripture?

“Good” is the ultimate goal at which all things aim. For example, a square is a plane figure with four equal straight sides and four right angles and a plane figure is a good square to the degree that it is aimed at being in the likeness of a square. A square drawn freehand is not as good of a square as one drawn using a ruler and protractor. To say that God is good is not just to say that He is a doer of good works, but that all works are good to the degree that they are aimed at being in the likeness of God’s character and that all good works testify about His goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16) and why “sin” is missing the mark. The fruits of the Spirit are aspects of God’s character, so that is the way that the Spirit leads us to do good.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

“Good” is the ultimate goal at which all things aim. For example, a square is a plane figure with four equal straight sides and four right angles and a plane figure is a good square to the degree that it is aimed at being in the likeness of a square. A square drawn freehand is not as good of a square as one drawn using a ruler and protractor. To say that God is good is not just to say that He is a doer of good works, but that all works are good to the degree that they are aimed at being in the likeness of God’s character and that all good works testify about His goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16) and why “sin” is missing the mark. The fruits of the Spirit are aspects of God’s character, so that is the way that the Spirit leads us to do good.

This is a beautiful and overarching concept of goodness that permeates all creation.
Certainly, we must answer "what is the ultimate goal of X?" in order to find out what is good for X.
Here is where we can hold different views.

For example, I can say that the ultimate goal of a star is to provide light and heat to its planets, and hopefully to planets with life, for a certain time.
Once that time ends, it must collapse or explode, so that its material can help in the formation of new stars. So, the death of a star is good.

I can say that the ultimate goal of a human body is to sustain the development of our souls, and once that mission is finished in God's eyes, it is good to be recycled on earth to serve the formation of other human bodies. So, biological death is good.