My Goodness, What a Paradox! Part 1

A perfect example of a Biblical paradox:

HERE'S ONE SIDE OF THE COIN

Luke 18:18-19 A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Matthew 19:17 And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is {only} One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Mark 10:18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

NOTE: In these passages, Jesus is not denying His deity. Rather, He is challenging the questioner to clarify the matter in his own mind. Part of the reason this man did not follow Jesus' advice was because he didn't believe Jesus was the all-wise Son of God. For our discussion, the main point here is Jesus' statement that God alone is good.

AND HERE'S THE OTHER SIDE

Luke 23:50-52 And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God; this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Acts 11:22-24 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.

One of the first questions that would be asked by any good Bible college or seminary student is this: “Are the Greek words the same?” Answer: YES, exactly the same. In each of the verses above, the word translated "good" is the Greek adjective AGATHOS.

As to the first assertion, that God alone is good, there can be no argument from those who embrace the Biblical doctrine of the total depravity of fallen humanity. But how are we to interpret the descriptions of particular human beings as good? Does this force us to alter the doctrine of total depravity? To lessen its severity or tone it down a bit? Does it imply that Christians – or at least some Christians - no longer have indwelling sin? Only Biblical balance can help us to avoid serious error in answering these questions.

There are those today who would preach much to us about our own goodness, and little about God's. I've heard enough sermons from Joel Osteen and read enough of his writings to have my self-esteem inflated for the rest of my life (that's two sermons, and about 40 pages, by the way). Osteen seems hell-bent on building my self-esteem, but I've heard him say next to nothing about God. Considering the fact that he reaches more people in a week than most pastors will speak to in a lifetime of sermons, I think he ought to at least consider using his platform to preach the Gospel of Christ's cross. Everything I have heard him say about God is directly related to my self-image. Isn't that backwards? Who depends on Whom? This is not a Joel Osteen bashing party, so I'll stop there. It's too easy to see the faults of others and ignore our own.

I've also heard preachers much closer to my own theological view who are so legalistic that they only leave their listeners hungry for salvation – never captivated with the joy and grace of a Christ Who so loved us that He died in our place. That is as much a problem as Osteen's message, but it will never draw the same crowds.

We're now facing two seemingly contradictory Scriptural ideas. In parts two, three and four, we'll take a further look at the paradox of divine and human goodness. Let me assure all of my readers that there is no real contradiction here, only a need to dig deeper and understand what God is saying to us in His Word. Feel free to comment, but I request that you refrain from offering explanations until you read the next post.

Grace and peace.