What the Bible Says is Good
What is the meaning of “good”? How do we define “bad”? Is our definition different from God’s? Today, we are going to explore what the bible says is good.
The English definition of good
Let’s start by defining what good means in English. Dictionary.com defines good in a myriad of ways. Here are a few of them
- Morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious
- Kind, beneficent, or friendly
- Right; proper; fit
- Honorable or worthy; in good standing
- Attractive; handsome
- Reliable; dependable; responsible
In English, good carries a lot of different meanings. Which definition is closest to what the bible says is good? The definition in the original language helps us understand.
The Greek definition of good
Ancient Greek was the language used to write the New Testament. There are many instances where one English word is translated from multiple Greek words. For example, the English word “love” is used to translate several Greek words; this happens with “good” as well. Let’s look at an example:
So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
In this verse, two different Greek words; agathos (ἀγαθός), and kalos (καλός) are translated into one English word “good”. So, the verse reads like this: “So every agathos tree bears kalos fruit…” These are the two most common Greek words translated as “good” in the New Testament. We’re going to focus on the most common agathos.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary defines agathos this way:
Agathos denotes the significance or excellence of a person or a thing, frequently in the moral sense.
Collins, Raymond F. 1992. “Good (NT).” In The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, edited by David Noel Freedman, 2:1074. New York: Doubleday.
In the New Testament, “good” frequently means morally excellent. We’ll focus on this definition of good, since it is the most common.
Why do you call me good?
Good means morally excellent. Now, let’s look at what the bible says is good.
And a ruler 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.
In these verses, a ruler (we learn later that he is rich and young) asks Jesus how he can inherit eternal life. He greets Jesus by calling him “Good Teacher.” Jesus responds by asking the ruler why he called him good. Then, Jesus says that “No one is good except God alone.” Is Jesus telling the man that he is not good by asking this question? No, not at all!
A rabbi is never addressed as “good teacher” in any Jewish writing. Either the ruler uses this greeting as a piece of thoughtless flattery, or he means to say that Jesus is good.
Jesus says, “No one is good except God alone”, so if his greeting is flattery, then the ruler has a shallow, superficial understanding of good. Likewise, if he believes Jesus is good, then he is declaring him to be like God. Jesus is not refuting the ruler’s claim of his goodness but wants him to reflect on its implications.
Regardless of which way the ruler meant, Jesus’ response invites him to think about his definition of good and give heed before attributing it to himself.
You know the commandments
You know the commandments, ‘do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said, “All these things I have kept since my youth.”
After declaring that only god is good, Jesus continues his response by having the ruler consider his goodness against the ten commandments. The ruler tells Jesus he has kept the commandments ever since he was a child. This claim was not outlandish to make. Some rabbis believed that God’s law could be kept in its entirety. His claim was not shocking, but it was superficial, especially considering Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the mount, and Paul’s teaching in Romans.
In Matthew 5, Jesus teaches us that God’s law is not about the actions themselves, but about the attitude of our heart. According to God’s standards, being unrighteously angry with someone is equal to murder, and looking at someone lustfully is equal to adultery. Could the ruler say he had never been unrighteously angry or lusted after someone? The ruler appears to have missed the very purpose of the commandments. In his letter to the Romans, Paul explains the purpose of God’s law.
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
The ruler did not understand that the law should show him his sin and his need for God’s mercy. If he understood the purpose of the law and measured himself against it, he would have seen he was unworthy of eternal life in the presence of the Almighty and holy God.
The ruler equates his own goodness with his ability to keep God’s law. The law is good, so keeping the law makes someone good. Jesus wants the ruler to understand if the law is good, then the one who gave the law must also be good; God is the source of good. This means that human goodness finds its source in God’s goodness; God is the source of our good.
Well, that’s it then. We know what the bible says is good. God is the source of all goodness. Yes, that is true, but our story with Jesus and the ruler does not end there. Perhaps there is more for us to meditate on. In our next article we will continue looking at this meeting, as we ask “How can I be good enough?”
Conclusion
The definition of good is moral excellence. In the verses from Luke, Jesus tells us that only God is good. Instead of asking, “what does the Bible say is good?”, we ask, “who does the Bible say is good?” God is the only one who is truly good. So, as it says in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…”. Our definition of good comes from the things God does, says, and gives, because God is the source of all good.
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