Are any of us good people

[homwardbound]

I'm a basically good person.

If you buy the premise that you are basically good, you will miss the grace of God. If you believe you are fundamentally good, you don't need grace.

This mindset forces you to rationalize, defend and try to prove to others that indeed you are basically good. Some would call this perfectionism.

I believed I was basically good. Before fully embracing the grace of God, I tried to spin my past in such a way that would put me in the best light possible. Defending my fragile ego was hard work. It was an endless task.

I missed out on truly knowing and experiencing God's forgiveness.

The truth is that in and of ourselves, we are not basically good. Jesus was very clear on this point: "No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18).

Our hearts, as Jeremiah wrote, are wicked and beyond cure. But not beyond the cure of God's grace. God in His goodness reached you in Christ and forgave your sins. He changed your status from sinner to child of God.

This is truth that will set you free.


Forgiveness Challenge #16 - Do you spend time trying to convince yourself or others that you are "basically a good person"? Are you willing to accept the truth of Mark 10:18 and fully embrace Romans 4:5?

"And to the one who does not work but believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness," (Romans 4:5).

 

[blue_ladybug]

NONE of us are "good people". We are all sinners, every single one of us!! We were born imperfect and sinful, as God intended for us to be. How we live our lives, how we treat people, is what makes us good (or bad). If we follow God's commands to love one another and treat others how we want to be treated, then we're showing Jesus through our behavior. We have free will, we can CHOOSE to be good, or we can CHOOSE to be bad. That's what free will is, being able to make our own choices. We can live good lives if we put ourselves up to it. However, bragging about being a good person and showing off our good acts to others is wrong because it is a prideful act.

 

[dcontroversal]

None good, no not one!

When we go to do good, Paul said clearly there is a law found that SIN is present with US!

If God should mark iniquity no one should stand as we are all guilty!

 

[posthuman]

no, not one.

- though the answer you get depends on who you ask, the Truth does not change -

 

[sacraig67]

I'm good..oh wait that's a lie. I am not even close to good but I am washed clean by the blood of Christ.

 

[Esanta]

A person is not a stationary thing like a block of metal or a rock, we're more like rivers that flow endlessly but whose shape changes and whose path, over time, etches new streams and goes new places. Our thoughts, which include the sensed things of a given moment, related to unique memories, conceptualizations, conditions and cirstumtances create a consciousness whose mental ruminations are never, ever exactly the same, and so to ask 'are any of us good people' is to make us stationary, rock-like things that neither move, change nor flow in any tangible way.

The better question to ask is 'can we be good in a moment'? The answer is of course, yes. We can make good decisions in a moment, have good thoughts in a moment, pursue good motives in a moment, and act goodly in a moment, thus in that moment, we are being good. But in the next moment, we might not.

 

[sacraig67]

Matthew 19:17 (NKJ) Mark 10:18 (NIV) Luke 18:19 (NIV)

 

[dcontroversal]

I'm good..oh wait that's a lie. I am not even close to good but I am washed clean by the blood of Christ.

HAHHHA we can be good at things we do HAHHA but overall we re guilty HAHAHAHH YES clean dia the blood of Christ!

 

[sacraig67]

Think about this...how does the world define "good" and we as Christians strive to be "good". Our definition is based on the Word of God. Their definition is based on what the world sees as "good".

 

[iamsoandso]

I'm a basically good person.

If you buy the premise that you are basically good, you will miss the grace of God. If you believe you are fundamentally good, you don't need grace.

This mindset forces you to rationalize, defend and try to prove to others that indeed you are basically good. Some would call this perfectionism.

I believed I was basically good. Before fully embracing the grace of God, I tried to spin my past in such a way that would put me in the best light possible. Defending my fragile ego was hard work. It was an endless task.

I missed out on truly knowing and experiencing God's forgiveness.

The truth is that in and of ourselves, we are not basically good. Jesus was very clear on this point: "No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18).

Our hearts, as Jeremiah wrote, are wicked and beyond cure. But not beyond the cure of God's grace. God in His goodness reached you in Christ and forgave your sins. He changed your status from sinner to child of God.

This is truth that will set you free.


Forgiveness Challenge #16 - Do you spend time trying to convince yourself or others that you are "basically a good person"? Are you willing to accept the truth of Mark 10:18 and fully embrace Romans 4:5?

"And to the one who does not work but believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness," (Romans 4:5).

Yes my friend,the question begs to be answered,,,"are we saved today?,will be be saved tomorrow?,,or were we save(d) at the cross at Calvary?",,,eventually we will all see how weak we were in it all of it,and understand why he did what he did wayyyyy back then",,,,,,,till then the lord will push us through it holding our ankles,as if we are in a wheelbarrow race,,,grab their ankles and push them to the cross,set them all down and let them look at it,,,,,

 

[kennethcadwell]

Yes my friend,the question begs to be answered,,,"are we saved today?,will be be saved tomorrow?,,or were we save(d) at the cross at Calvary?",,,eventually we will all see how weak we were in it all of it,and understand why he did what he did wayyyyy back then",,,,,,,till then the lord will push us through it holding our ankles,as if we are in a wheelbarrow race,,,grab their ankles and push them to the cross,set them all down and let them look at it,,,,,

What do these scriptures say to you ?

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Matthew 24:10-13
And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Matthew 10:22
And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

2 Peter 2:20-22
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Hebrews 10:36
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrews 6:4-6
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Hebrews 3:12-14
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

2 Timothy 4:2-8
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

1 Timothy 4:16
Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Romans 11:19-22
Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Mark 13:9-13
“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

 

[sacraig67]

Yes my friend,the question begs to be answered,,,"are we saved today?,will be be saved tomorrow?,,or were we save(d) at the cross at Calvary?",,,eventually we will all see how weak we were in it all of it,and understand why he did what he did wayyyyy back then",,,,,,,till then the lord will push us through it holding our ankles,as if we are in a wheelbarrow race,,,grab their ankles and push them to the cross,set them all down and let them look at it,,,,,

We are saved when we accept Jesus Christ as our one and only savior. They only way you are not sure if you are saved is if you have not done that. I know I am saved.

 

[crossnote]

A person is not a stationary thing like a block of metal or a rock, we're more like rivers that flow endlessly but whose shape changes and whose path, over time, etches new streams and goes new places. Our thoughts, which include the sensed things of a given moment, related to unique memories, conceptualizations, conditions and cirstumtances create a consciousness whose mental ruminations are never, ever exactly the same, and so to ask 'are any of us good people' is to make us stationary, rock-like things that neither move, change nor flow in any tangible way.

The better question to ask is 'can we be good in a moment'? The answer is of course, yes. We can make good decisions in a moment, have good thoughts in a moment, pursue good motives in a moment, and act goodly in a moment, thus in that moment, we are being good. But in the next moment, we might not.

If there is no personal God (as Buddhists believe) who is to say what is 'Good'? Some 'good' men? What is a 'good' moment? 'Good' decisions? 'Good' motives?
...That is all just talk, with no absolute standard of 'Goodness'.

 

[Dan58]

"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God" (Mark 10:18). Remember that the scribes and Pharisees thought they were good, but it turns out they were just self-righteous.

 

[psychomom]

I'm a basically good person.

If you buy the premise that you are basically good, you will miss the grace of God. If you believe you are fundamentally good, you don't need grace.

This mindset forces you to rationalize, defend and try to prove to others that indeed you are basically good. Some would call this perfectionism.

I believed I was basically good. Before fully embracing the grace of God, I tried to spin my past in such a way that would put me in the best light possible. Defending my fragile ego was hard work. It was an endless task.

I missed out on truly knowing and experiencing God's forgiveness.

The truth is that in and of ourselves, we are not basically good. Jesus was very clear on this point: "No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18).

Our hearts, as Jeremiah wrote, are wicked and beyond cure. But not beyond the cure of God's grace. God in His goodness reached you in Christ and forgave your sins. He changed your status from sinner to child of God.

This is truth that will set you free.


Forgiveness Challenge #16 - Do you spend time trying to convince yourself or others that you are "basically a good person"? Are you willing to accept the truth of Mark 10:18 and fully embrace Romans 4:5?

"And to the one who does not work but believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness," (Romans 4:5).

we all want to be thought of as 'good'. (in our own eyes and the eyes of others)
to secure our own sense of 'rightness', or, what the Bible calls righteousness.

and isn't it just exhausting?
trying to validate ourselves...to justify ourselves.

how amazing that Jesus came to free us from having to fix ourselves to a point we can feel good about ourselves.
(not to mention the gymnastics we go through to fix those around us, which is really a subtle way to feel good about us!)
because you're right, Howard, without the righteousness of Christ, we're doomed to tread
that hamster wheel endlessly.

we know what's required...absolute perfection.
and we inherently know we're falling short.

i wish i could say i never try to justify myself even as a believer, (i can't)
so thank God for His grace as revealed in the Person of the Lord Jesus!!

i love what you said. ♥
~ellie

 

[homwardbound]

A person is not a stationary thing like a block of metal or a rock, we're more like rivers that flow endlessly but whose shape changes and whose path, over time, etches new streams and goes new places. Our thoughts, which include the sensed things of a given moment, related to unique memories, conceptualizations, conditions and cirstumtances create a consciousness whose mental ruminations are never, ever exactly the same, and so to ask 'are any of us good people' is to make us stationary, rock-like things that neither move, change nor flow in any tangible way.

The better question to ask is 'can we be good in a moment'? The answer is of course, yes. We can make good decisions in a moment, have good thoughts in a moment, pursue good motives in a moment, and act goodly in a moment, thus in that moment, we are being good. But in the next moment, we might not.

Good truthful thougts, so now will these good things I do that are viewed as good burn up at judgment? I am pointing out motives behind the good acts we do as human? And this is not for me to decide who is who. I am to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling to finally see it is all God, teaching me truth over error o come n unison of Yeweh's good pleasure havig Mercy on me andal th world through Yeshua,Thanks for your post

 

[homwardbound]

What do these scriptures say to you ?

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Matthew 24:10-13
And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Matthew 10:22
And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

2 Peter 2:20-22
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Hebrews 10:36
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrews 6:4-6
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Hebrews 3:12-14
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

2 Timothy 4:2-8
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

1 Timothy 4:16
Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Romans 11:19-22
Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Mark 13:9-13
“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Thank you, and so lets maybe see this below, and hit apply in the renewing our minds

Matthew 10:16-20New International Version (NIV)[SUP]16 [/SUP]“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. [SUP]17 [/SUP]Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. [SUP]18 [/SUP]On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. [SUP]19 [/SUP]But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, [SUP]20 [/SUP]for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

 

[homwardbound]

we all want to be thought of as 'good'. (in our own eyes and the eyes of others)
to secure our own sense of 'rightness', or, what the Bible calls righteousness.

and isn't it just exhausting?
trying to validate ourselves...to justify ourselves.

how amazing that Jesus came to free us from having to fix ourselves to a point we can feel good about ourselves.
(not to mention the gymnastics we go through to fix those around us, which is really a subtle way to feel good about us!)
because you're right, Howard, without the righteousness of Christ, we're doomed to tread
that hamster wheel endlessly.

we know what's required...absolute perfection.
and we inherently know we're falling short.

i wish i could say i never try to justify myself even as a believer, (i can't)
so thank God for His grace as revealed in the Person of the Lord Jesus!!

i love what you said. ♥
~ellie

I repeated this from www.basicgospel.org Bob Christopher the 28 th day chalenge. awesome sight

 

[4enlightment]

None of us are good. Like if someone slap us on one cheek, can we remain without evil thoughts which it is one of the things that makes a person good? Pride make us fall from being good and which we all has pride. so in order for us to try to reach that goal is we first must become humble by accepting the difficulties of this world that comes upon us every day. So if someone slapped us on one cheek, we should offer the other as well.

 

[Esanta]

If there is no personal God (as Buddhists believe) who is to say what is 'Good'? Some 'good' men? What is a 'good' moment? 'Good' decisions? 'Good' motives?
...That is all just talk, with no absolute standard of 'Goodness'.

What is an action? It is a product of first motivation, rumination, intent, and then movement; either physical or verbal. What is goodness; well if God gives commands, what is their motivation? What are the thoughts of Godliness? What are the intents therein that lead to the action? Because only by discovering the motivations, the thoughts and the intents supposed to lay behind Godly/good actions, can we truly understand Godliness and goodness itself. The restriction of action by rules and nothing else is the shallowest form of morality, but with introspection we can expound that morality into discovering the character of 'Godliness' or of 'goodness', thereby rendering laws without character obsolete. Here I'd ask;

What is my motivation? Are my thoughts of peace, harmony, or of discord? Of hatred or not? What is my intent? Action comes last, after motivation, thoughts and intent. A vindictive desire, is not a good motivation, for instance. Who wants to be a victim of vindictiveness? Thoughts of causing suffering, are not good thoughts, for instance; who wants to suffer? Intentions to violate, are not good intentions, for instance; who wants to be violated?

It's a case of thinking, and consideration.