What I've Been Thinking About

I want to be good.

I want people to see me and think that I am good.

I don’t want any of my faults to be public--because I want people to see me as good.

Goodness, and being good, is something that I desire; but is that a sincere desire?
Every motive, thought, or interest that I have must be evaluated by the standard of the Bible. And, to put it bluntly, being “good” isn’t ever something the Bible really addresses, is it? How many times have you ever read in the Bible a command to be good?

There are lots of other commands, but nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to be good.
To clarify, I would like to mention that there is a very real distinction between being good and being righteous. To be good, in the very real sense of the term, is to do what is good. Lots of people do good things—Mother Theresa, Mahatma Ghandi, and Joan of Arc are a few examples of good people. But what do we really mean by a “good person”?

Well, the internet has a few resources, such as the Wikipedia “How to be Good” article, or EHow’s version, or maybe WikiHow’s version.

All three of these sample article have a step-by-step approach to being good, including “Discover yourself,””Define what good means to you,” “Love yourself,” “Accept everyone around you as your brothers and your sisters,” and “Cultivate both compassion and good karma through volunteer service.”

What is the focus of these articles? Why are they so very unhealthy?

Simply because they take the focus off of God and his majesty, and put it on man and his abilities. Sure, the first three are really awful, secular, crazy steps, but several of the other points, such as being honest, respectful, kind, and considerate, are all things that we should desire.

But that is simply my point. We should desire and seek to live in a way that honors God above all else, and when we live in a manner that pleases our flesh, we aren’t doing that.

Living a good life is one of the ways we can please our flesh. To do good and to think we are good is a desire of every heart. To be seen as good, just as Satan wanted to be seen in the same way God is seen, is a self-centered thought that many people, regardless of their religious affiliation, have.

Why else would there be so many religions that focus on our lives, and the good things that we do? Muslims must follow the rules in their Qu’ran, negating bad deeds they have done with the “extra” good that they do. Those of the Buddhist faith must do good, like their Buddha, and try to find their inner Karma in the process. Hindus must rigorously follow the rules and regulations of being good in their religion, thereby working their way up the “good chain” until they reach their version of heaven.

We can do all the works we want, and be as “good” as we want, but that will never get us any closer to the Holiness and Righteousness that God desires for us to have. Only God, in his great grace and mercy, can create the work in us that we ought to desire before anything else.

Only God, Our Heavenly Father, can shape our hearts and desires into the God-honoring, Christ-centered life that he commands us to live.

Only Christ can mediate and remove our sins, which we cannot negate with our goodness.

Only the Holy Spirit, that small, still voice, can change our hearts and give us the ability to act on those desires God gives us, and overcome the bondage of our sin-nature.