Why Do You Call Yourself Good?

This thought surfaced today: it amuses me that when asked if we are good people, we Christians never hesitate to answer ‘yes’ most of the time.

Mostly, we pride ourselves for living the ‘good’ Christian life — giving to the poor, volunteering our time on weekends to entertain the old at hospices, giving free lessons to children from poor families, volunteering at church, and the list goes on.

That’s great and all, but I’ve got this piece of rather disturbing news for you: None of us is good or deserves to be called good because of what we are doing or have done.

Yes, that is what the Bible tells us. Even our Lord Jesus Christ said very clearly that none is good except God alone.

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Mark 10:17-18

Even non-Christians do those good works, and I’m ashamed sometimes to say that some non-Christian organizations do more and a better job than Christian organizations and churches. Just take a straw poll on the street, and you’d be quite surprised that when asked which organizations are most charitable, Christian organizations and churches are seldom mentioned.

In God’s eyes, your good works mean nothing and, as the Bible puts it, are like dirty rags. In the KJV, the word ‘garment’ is translated as ‘rags’, and some have suggested that the word ‘rags’ might even equate to used sanitary napkins. A rather gross comparison but I think we all see how unworthy our good deeds are.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;

Isaiah 64:6a KJV

It therefore also amuses me that we would cite our good deeds or those of others when making justification for some wrongdoings — that those wrongdoings are insignificant in comparison to the amount of good that we’ve done.

Some might then ask: where does the Christian stand then, if he is never to consider himself good no matter how much good he does? To me, that’s a most un-Christian question to ask because the Bible has stated specifically that we are evil — mankind is evil and without hope by our own merit!

And as Christians we need to first recognize that fact — that no matter what good we do, or have done, or are going to do, it is never good enough. The only thing we have as Christians is this assurance — that we have eternal life solely because of the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ despite our fallen hopeless state.

How about good works then? Since we do not earn salvation through our own merit, why bother with good works then?

Again, another useless question — for aren’t we given to obey the commandment that our Lord Jesus Christ gave concerning loving our neighbors as ourselves? How do you love your neighbor as you love yourself? Why, through good works! Because if you love yourself, you’d want the best for yourself, meaning you’d want the best for your neighbor too.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40

Here’s the other misconception — that when James speaks of faith without works is dead, he meant that we should put the commandments into practice, not that we should justify ourselves by our works. If you have read through James 2, you’d see how he said Abraham was justified because he obeyed God, i.e. he did what he was commanded to do, not by his works.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” — and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James 2:14-26

In other words, good works are a manifestation of our faith and true obedience to God in actualizing the commandments God has given.

Lastly, are we to expect accolades for the good we shall do?

No, for all we’ve done is carry out the will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have only carried out the duties expected of a bondservant, just as you are expected to carry out a certain number of tasks at your workplace as your boss instructs.

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Luke 17:7-10

Therefore, let us persevere to obey the commandments to do good and not to expect the praise of men, for we are all unworthy bondservants bought at a price.

Where we were once held captive to sin, we are now redeemed and serve our Lord Jesus Christ as grateful bondservants. And we shall all look forward to when our Lord says to us the same thing that was said to the good servant in the parable of the talents.

His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Matthew 25:21

Photo Credit: Mira66.

Tagged as: Bondservant, Charity, Commandments, Faith, Works