What is Good pt 1

I have noticed recently that a number of my friends of Facebook have made the comments that God is good without giving much of an explanation. A very cynical question comes to mind for me about the fifth time I have read the comment without any context or explanation. Is God good because all is good in my life and I feel happy. Or did He performed some miracle in my life or the life of a loved one. Or is God good because that is apart of His very nature and character in which who He is and how He conduct Himself. These statements often leads to a very churchy statement of God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I agree that God is always good, despite our circumstances we may find ourselves in sometimes, but it has me questioning what is good and how do we define it.

Throughout the Gospels, we are get a picture of that there are two very different definitions of good. One is based on what the Pharisees thought good was, and it is based on outward action or how it makes me feel. Here are some examples of what this kind of good looks like. The other is based on God's definition and we will look at that definition next time

I think our first example of good comes from us being hedonistic. If it makes me or others feel good, and if its pleasurable, it is good. A lot of this good is superficial and shallow, and at times very subjective. Whether it is eating a good meal, our favorite team winning, or the arch rival losing, often it is a very temporal thing and the basis for this goodness is \based on us being happy and not content. Happiness is based on our circumstances and how things benefits me in this moment in time. Being content is often based on things in spite of our current circumstances along with having faith in what’s to come along with looking at the big picture. There is nothing wrong with being happy, but when we stay there, we tend to become self centered and egotistical.

Another form of good is looking at the good of the whole. It might not benifit me or people I know, but is good for the whole of the society. An example of this would be having speed limits. Even though we have vehicles that can go really fast and urges that meet those fast vehicles, having speed limits helps get everyone on the same page and to keep our road ways safe for everyone who uses them. This form of good provides a sense of boundaries to keep people safe, consequences for those who break them and an aim to give people a sense of belonging. This form of good is dependant on what that group of people or society feels that is important and the morals they have set in place to live by.

The third example of what we may consider the definition of good is based on what we can or can not do. This is the heart of the Pharisees because this form of good is based on law and being legalistic. By me being good, I am following a set of rules to the letter of the law and not wondering from it. It also means that we avoid bad behaviors because the law says we can not do that. Some of these rules may come in as no drinking or dancing, showing up to every church event, to what we wear or don’t wear. This form of good takes out any form of relationship with God and others, because it is about what I can do and not about character development. We may look good on the outside, but in all reality , we become a white washed fence or tomb. Next time we will take a look at how God is good and how He defines it.