What is Good?
By Erik Farstad
February 20, 1998
"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
Here is a question a reader asked: Define what is good?
Before I begin, let me say that what I write here is not the "Christian Truth or definition." I have merely been asked to answer this questions, from my understanding, belief and perspective.
For me to make a blanket statement defining good would be ludicrous, for I am an imperfect being who cannot fully grasp let alone see what is truly good. Only the maker, definer and creator of goodness can define what a "good" thing truly is. I can have my opinion, insight or idea of good, but due to my imperfection I am handicapped to see good only from my perspective. I may see something as good, but from your angle you may see it entirely different. Thus, we as humans cannot define good or evil, but must look to the creator of all things, God, for that definition. God clearly defines what is good, that being, whatever brings glory to Himself. This ranges from enjoying your favorite ice cream (which He gave us to enjoy) to sharing the Gospel with your friend or neighbor.
Further, we, humans have used "goodness" to fault. Good is subject to time, place and circumstances here on earth. An example being, what is good today may not be tomorrow. Or what is good to you may not be good to me, etc. Good can be an adjective describing something, or a noun an actual thing. Through the years, as we see fit, we change and modify goodness to fit our lifestyle or circumstances. People desire all things to be good, for no �one rule�, �way of thought� or �belief� to be bad. Thus, we are living in the age of "tolerance" where we are being told to embraced everything an individual believes (if they believe it) as good. I believe we all need to ask ourselves what or who�s standard are we using to define good. What do you compare your definition of good to?
If we all use our own definition, not holding it up comparing it against the creator of goodness, then there is no such thing as goodness. For something to be defined, there can only be one. One standard, not many. So am I saying that you or I can�t believe something is good? No. What I am saying is that my definition, my belief of good, is not the standard that is to be followed. Nor is yours. I understand that this is a complex issue, especially in a society and time when we are told that what we �feel� IS. What I feel good �is� today, may change as I do. Thus, I can not define good myself.
What I do know, and feel confident to say about good is the following: God is the source of all goodness. God is good. God created humans to be good, but due to sin in our lives we are not inherently good. True and pure goodness is flawless. You and I can strive to be good and do good acts, but it is dependent on who or what it is centered around. I believe good or goodness either has to flow from God or to God. If God provides me with "something" to enjoy (ice cream, sunsets, etc.) it is good. If my actions are glorifying to God, not self seeking or destroying to someone else, then they are good.
My fear right now is that many of you may not understand what I am trying to express. I understand, I can not fully express myself in words. Let me try this: Your best friend is blind. You take him or her to a beautiful sunset. You see the most amazing array of color and light you�ve ever experienced. Your blind friend can sense your amazement and �ah� at this event. Your friend asks you to explain what it�s like, what makes it so good and beautiful. You try with all your might to, but without their "eyes" it makes your job difficult. Because your blind friend does not share your similarity of sight, they�ll never fully understand your description or begin to understand your ideas.
Christ is my eyes, or at least I desire Him to be them. I desire to see good and goodness through Him. So to begin to understand my definition of good, you would need Christ in your life. I run into many people that ask me to describe what life is like as a Christian. I tell them that I wish I had a magical liquid or potion I could put on their hands, to feel and experience Christ in their life. Words don�t describe good, only the true life change of Christ does.
So to me, the definition of good comes from God and to God, through Jesus Christ His son. It is my prayer that one day you will see good also. God is waiting to take away your blindness, and give you new eyes to see His goodness.
In Him, "E"