Matt. 19:17 So He said to him, Why do you call Me good?[f] No one is good but One, that is, God.[g] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
What did Jesus mean by saying no one is good , not even himself, only God is good.
What does he understand good to be? Yet he said be perfect as God is perfect. What would a perfect man be?
What is good?
Moderator: Moderators
-
amortalman
- Site Supporter
- Posts: 577
- Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2016 9:35 am
- Has thanked: 25 times
- Been thanked: 30 times
Re: What is good?
Post #2[Replying to post 1 by dio9]
Jesus said many things that were confusing, not only to the Jews and others in His own day but to scholars and Bible students for the past two thousand years. Even the authors of the Gospels often gave contradictory accounts of Christ's life and the letters of Paul and others failed to agree on doctrine. The Bible in its entirety is a good example of man-made religion. It is presented exactly as one would expect from men, not from a god. In fact, all the suffering and injustice that's rampant in the world is evidence enough that there is no all-merciful, all-loving, and omnipotent god.
Jesus said many things that were confusing, not only to the Jews and others in His own day but to scholars and Bible students for the past two thousand years. Even the authors of the Gospels often gave contradictory accounts of Christ's life and the letters of Paul and others failed to agree on doctrine. The Bible in its entirety is a good example of man-made religion. It is presented exactly as one would expect from men, not from a god. In fact, all the suffering and injustice that's rampant in the world is evidence enough that there is no all-merciful, all-loving, and omnipotent god.
-
ttruscott
- Site Supporter
- Posts: 11064
- Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:09 pm
- Location: West Coast of Canada
- Been thanked: 3 times
Re: What is good?
Post #3Good is to be in accord with GOD's righteousness on a matter; perfect is to be completely in accord with GOD's righteousness all the time...they are the same.dio9 wrote: Matt. 19:17 So He said to him, Why do you call Me good?[f] No one is good but One, that is, God.[g] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
What did Jesus mean by saying no one is good , not even himself, only God is good.
What does he understand good to be? Yet he said be perfect as God is perfect. What would a perfect man be?
He is obviously only talking about Himself obliquely as HE was not openly preaching His Divinity... Why call me good is a test...If He is called good then He must be GOD; to call Him not good is to deny His divinity.
PCE Theology as I see it...
We had an existence with a free will in Sheol before the creation of the physical universe. Here we chose to be able to become holy or to be eternally evil in YHWH's sight. Then the physical universe was created and all sinners were sent to earth.
This theology debunks the need to base Christianity upon the blasphemy of creating us in Adam's sin.
We had an existence with a free will in Sheol before the creation of the physical universe. Here we chose to be able to become holy or to be eternally evil in YHWH's sight. Then the physical universe was created and all sinners were sent to earth.
This theology debunks the need to base Christianity upon the blasphemy of creating us in Adam's sin.
-
imhereforyou
- Scholar
- Posts: 384
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:02 pm
Re: What is good?
Post #4Maybe it's how we taste. Ha!dio9 wrote: Matt. 19:17 So He said to him, Why do you call Me good?[f] No one is good but One, that is, God.[g] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
What did Jesus mean by saying no one is good , not even himself, only God is good.
What does he understand good to be? Yet he said be perfect as God is perfect. What would a perfect man be?
Doesn't matter because he didn't say GREAT. So no one is good but God, but even he's not great.
Why not seek something that's GREAT and not just GOOD?
Sounds silly but if we focus on specific words Jesus is said to have said (aka a quote) why not look at it from the superlative?
Sure God's good, but not great? Next!!
See, it's silly for us to focus on verbatim words someone that (even if he did exist) died a long time ago and isn't likely to be quoted exactly.
Re: What is good?
Post #5The bible is full of contradictions. In this part, only gods are perfect, and Jesus isn't a god.dio9 wrote: Matt. 19:17 So He said to him, Why do you call Me good?[f] No one is good but One, that is, God.[g] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
What did Jesus mean by saying no one is good , not even himself, only God is good.
What does he understand good to be? Yet he said be perfect as God is perfect. What would a perfect man be?
-
Overcomer
- Guru
- Posts: 1330
- Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 8:44 am
- Location: Canada
- Has thanked: 32 times
- Been thanked: 66 times
Post #6
It's helpful to know that in Judaism, only God was characteristically good. It's unusual for the rich young man to use the word, even of a respected rabbi, because it would be a form of blasphemy, attributing what was a characteristic of God to a human being.
In light of that, Jesus' response of "Why do you call ME good?" and "only God is good" has been understood by some to be an oblique way of him saying, "If you recognize that I'm good, does that mean you understand that I am God? And if you don't, why don't you?" Personally, I think that's reading a lot into it.
Others have mistakenly seen it as a denial by Christ that he is God Incarnate. Given that he WAS God Incarnate, that is definitely a wrong interpretation of Jesus' statement as well.
I think Christ responds the way he does simply to point out to the young man that nobody but God is good. Therefore, if he thinks he can be good by obeying commandments, he's mistaken. He's going to miss the mark simply because he's human. And because he is going to miss the mark he is going to miss out on salvation unless he follows Christ.
Ultimately, the rich young ruler fails Jesus's test -- because that's what Christ's commandment re: selling everything and giving money to the poor is. It's a test to see if the young man's money means more to him than following Jesus. And, sadly, it does. He has indeed missed the mark.
See here:
https://bible.org/question/mark-1018-je ... he-not-god
https://www.gotquestions.org/rich-young-ruler.html
In light of that, Jesus' response of "Why do you call ME good?" and "only God is good" has been understood by some to be an oblique way of him saying, "If you recognize that I'm good, does that mean you understand that I am God? And if you don't, why don't you?" Personally, I think that's reading a lot into it.
Others have mistakenly seen it as a denial by Christ that he is God Incarnate. Given that he WAS God Incarnate, that is definitely a wrong interpretation of Jesus' statement as well.
I think Christ responds the way he does simply to point out to the young man that nobody but God is good. Therefore, if he thinks he can be good by obeying commandments, he's mistaken. He's going to miss the mark simply because he's human. And because he is going to miss the mark he is going to miss out on salvation unless he follows Christ.
Ultimately, the rich young ruler fails Jesus's test -- because that's what Christ's commandment re: selling everything and giving money to the poor is. It's a test to see if the young man's money means more to him than following Jesus. And, sadly, it does. He has indeed missed the mark.
See here:
https://bible.org/question/mark-1018-je ... he-not-god
https://www.gotquestions.org/rich-young-ruler.html
-
Elijah John
- Savant
- Posts: 12236
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:23 pm
- Location: New England
- Has thanked: 11 times
- Been thanked: 16 times
Re: What is good?
Post #8Jesus was using the poetic device hyperbole. Exagerating to make a point. "No one is good" read "no one is good compared to God".dio9 wrote: Matt. 19:17 So He said to him, Why do you call Me good?[f] No one is good but One, that is, God.[g] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
What did Jesus mean by saying no one is good , not even himself, only God is good.
What does he understand good to be? Yet he said be perfect as God is perfect. What would a perfect man be?
If we take the statement literally instead of poetically, we formulate strange doctrines such as universal depravity and compose hymns that call us "wretches". Even the Bible indicates there are some good people, including Noah and his family, Job, Lot, etc, etc. Though it is implied, and assumed that all goodness comes ultimately from God.
A "perfect man"? No one is perfect, not even Jesus. When Jesus calls people to perfection, he is simply calling people to embrace God's higher ideals: things like mercy and embracing the Spirit and intent of the Law, not the letter.
My theological positions:
-God created us in His image, not the other way around.
-The Bible is redeemed by it's good parts.
-Pure monotheism, simple repentance.
-YHVH is LORD
-The real Jesus is not God, the real YHVH is not a monster.
-Eternal life is a gift from the Living God.
-Keep the Commandments, keep your salvation.
-I have accepted YHVH as my Heavenly Father, LORD and Savior.
I am inspired by Jesus to worship none but YHVH, and to serve only Him.
-God created us in His image, not the other way around.
-The Bible is redeemed by it's good parts.
-Pure monotheism, simple repentance.
-YHVH is LORD
-The real Jesus is not God, the real YHVH is not a monster.
-Eternal life is a gift from the Living God.
-Keep the Commandments, keep your salvation.
-I have accepted YHVH as my Heavenly Father, LORD and Savior.
I am inspired by Jesus to worship none but YHVH, and to serve only Him.
-
ttruscott
- Site Supporter
- Posts: 11064
- Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:09 pm
- Location: West Coast of Canada
- Been thanked: 3 times
Re: What is good?
Post #9To be holy is to be as good as GOD is... Matt. 25:31, When the Son of man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him. makes "no one is good" refer to only humans without hyperbole as only sinners are born human.Elijah John wrote:Jesus was using the poetic device hyperbole. Exagerating to make a point. "No one is good" read "no one is good compared to God".dio9 wrote: Matt. 19:17 So He said to him, Why do you call Me good?[f] No one is good but One, that is, God.[g] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
What did Jesus mean by saying no one is good , not even himself, only God is good.
What does he understand good to be? Yet he said be perfect as God is perfect. What would a perfect man be?
PCE Theology as I see it...
We had an existence with a free will in Sheol before the creation of the physical universe. Here we chose to be able to become holy or to be eternally evil in YHWH's sight. Then the physical universe was created and all sinners were sent to earth.
This theology debunks the need to base Christianity upon the blasphemy of creating us in Adam's sin.
We had an existence with a free will in Sheol before the creation of the physical universe. Here we chose to be able to become holy or to be eternally evil in YHWH's sight. Then the physical universe was created and all sinners were sent to earth.
This theology debunks the need to base Christianity upon the blasphemy of creating us in Adam's sin.
-
bluethread
- Savant
- Posts: 9129
- Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:10 pm
Post #10
I think you are correct with regard to "good". Yeshua is sating a truism. However, "holy" is not the right equivalent. That term simply means to be set apart for a purpose. He is refering to the philsophical "good". It refers to thge general concept that encompasses the entirely of those things that are truly appropriate to thier varius situations. To another posters comment, it is not a comparative. That is why we are not talking about the term "great". As Overcomer points out, Scripturally, the philosophical "good" is that which conforms to Adonai's ways. That is what make what Yeshua is saying a truism. Regarding EJ's reference to the "perfect" man, the term is not refering to scientific or mathematic perfection, but moral and spiritual wholeness. One can say that Thomas Jefferson was a perfect man, even though he was an antibellum slaveholder. This is that he was wholly fit for his time.brianbbs67 wrote: Good, the word, comes from God or like God.(holy) comes to mind. "none are holy but God" This is, however, my opinion.
