Mark 10:18
Only God is Good
18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone".
Romans 7:18-21
On Trying to Do Good
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
1 John 4:7-21
LOVE Comes from God
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
What is goodness?...Where did goodness come from?...In the beginning did goodness one day begin by hovering over the oceans and just make its way over land, and someone say "Boy that goodness thing -that is a good idea!"...Did it come from heaven?...Do we have the where with all to call someone good?...Does anyone have the right to say who and what is good?...And hasn't there been one or two people from earth, at some point in time, that were or are good?...And why is it so hard to always be and to try to do good?...
Is tolerance a form of goodness?...If you are very tolerant of all people -doesn't that make one good?...Is being courteous to others all the time goodness?...Does each of us (or most of us) think ourselves as being good?...Back to the question of does anyone or do I have the right to go around pointing out that this person is good, and this is a bad person, and there goes someone who is not so good -does that seem just or righteous?...Can't I tell my friends, this person is good, and you should avoid her because she is not?...Why isn't everyone good and equal in their goodness?...Does everyone want to see goodness and have goodness in their personal lives?...
One Man did say what is good -and who is good...His name is Jesus...But He did not say each of us was or is good...He limits very much, those who are good...If we believe what Jesus taught goodness is very scarce...Jesus made the statement that no one is good -except God alone...He said this statement as a matter or fact, and a matter of Truth...Jesus makes us look at goodness in a totally different way...He wants us to think about goodness...I think He also wants us to think about where goodness comes from...After all, He is telling us and teaching us that only God is good...
If God does not exist can goodness exist?...Jesus is telling us no...Because He is plainly telling us that only God, Himself is good...Jesus has limited all goodness to God...And by saying what He said about goodness, He is making a very interesting statement...Since Jesus was sent by His Father to teach us different things, He knows that God exists, and He is telling us that goodness is grounded only in His Father...
I believe there can be no goodness without LOVE...And God is LOVE...Everyone who knows of love, knows a little something about God...If one does not know about love, then that one does not know about God...God showed His LOVE for us, by sending us His Son, so that we might learn things about Him and His Son...Whoever knows about love, lives in God, and God in him...We only know what love and goodness are because God LOVES us and He LOVED us first...Being created in His Image and Him given us His Spirit, He has shown us not only how to love, but where love comes from...We may not be completely good, but in this world we are better, when we are like Jesus...One day we will be made complete in His LOVE...
To the question of who has the right to say what is good?...My answer is Jesus and God do...There is only One God, and only One completely good, full of love, truth, and grace...