Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery,’ “Do not murder,’ “Do not steal,’ “Do not bear false witness,’ “Do not defraud,’ “Honor your father and your mother.”‘ And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22 NKJV)
A recent commentator suggested that we respect Joel Osteen, and by virtue of him, all others that inspire ‘good’ because at least they are not preaching evil.
But, is ‘good’ enough to get you to heaven? Is the gospel of Jesus Christ really about just being ‘good’? Let’s answer it rhetorically, for a moment? If being ‘good’ was enough, then why did it behoove Christ die and to be raised again the third day?
The rich young ruler approached Christ, the latest trend in the religious world, to become a ministry partner – if you will. I mean, how hard could it be to walk around all day, to have the entire world as your banquet with throngs of people shouting your name?This young man wanted what this Rabbi had.
But, he made the first mistake – why on earth would you can Jesus ‘Good’?
The Rabbi quickly corrected Him – only God was Good. Did he assume that He was good simply because of His good works? The young man wanted to get eternal life, and maybe he thought the best way to start the process was to declare Jesus good. Maybe He would return the favor.
The Master quoted to him the Law of Moses, a Law of good works, to which the man replied that he had done all of these things! He surely was ‘good.’
We see here a glimpse of the humanity of our Lord, of our Saviour, of God Incarnate – Peter’s preaching remarks that Christ looked at young man, and loved him, but He answered him nonetheless with the Truth. The works were not enough – he needed sacrifice to be good, to get eternal life.
But he could not offer the sacrifice that was needed, to get himself eternal life. There is one other part to that self-sacrifice. The self-sacrifice had to be first, but it was only a beginning. The self-sacrifice would lead to the man’s ability partake of the sacrifice of Christ, the Cross.
These man had kept the Law of works from his youth, but that Law was not good enough. It still required a sacrifice.
We can thank our God that it takes less than being good to inherit eternal life. See, there is none good, except God,
They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:12 NKJV)
It not about being ‘good’ or having great and wonderful works – it is about repentance, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When Peter was asked the question, what must we do, he said to repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. It is not about earning but about giving. It is not about being good, but being forgiven.
Joel Landon Watts is a Masters of Theological Studies student with a focus in Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific ideals of the past century. Currently, he is a TA for Old Testament at United Theological Seminary under Dr. Vivian Johnson, Associate Professor of Old Testament. His first book, Rhetorical Strategies of the Evangelist: Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark, is expected to be published by Wipf and Stock early next year. He is currently co-editing a book on moving from Fear to Faith (Energion, 2013).
Amen! I know *I* am not good enough for entrance into heaven. Thank GOD Jesus is good enough to be the sacrifice for all who trust Him.
Amen! I know *I* am not good enough for entrance into heaven. Thank GOD Jesus is good enough to be the sacrifice for all who trust Him.
I agree. I also think the problem with Joel Osteen’s philosophy is that it literally causes you to become attached to what you want. You obsess over what you want, you pray over it, you think about it, you believe in it – your mind literally becomes “stamped” with what YOU want, as the neurons in your brain carve literal pathways within (“stamp” or “mark” of the devil?). Eventually, you are no longer in control. Norman Vincent Peale once said to think about it so much until it has you, and that is exactly what happens – something other than God has you. Scary stuff, if you ask me. On the other hand, if you are putting all of the same energy into God and what God wants, then you belong to God because God literally carves His own distinct pathways of selfless thinking upon your mind.
I agree. I also think the problem with Joel Osteen’s philosophy is that it literally causes you to become attached to what you want. You obsess over what you want, you pray over it, you think about it, you believe in it – your mind literally becomes “stamped” with what YOU want, as the neurons in your brain carve literal pathways within (“stamp” or “mark” of the devil?). Eventually, you are no longer in control. Norman Vincent Peale once said to think about it so much until it has you, and that is exactly what happens – something other than God has you. Scary stuff, if you ask me. On the other hand, if you are putting all of the same energy into God and what God wants, then you belong to God because God literally carves His own distinct pathways of selfless thinking upon your mind.