I like to say I'm a realist even though that's not true. I am a staunch, hardcore idealist, and that's just the way my personality is hardwired. I'd like to think there's good in everyone. But a seemingly bleak reality I've had to face is that is in no way true. Humans suck. We're greedy and prideful and self-centered and all-around mean. As much as I'd like to ignore the fact that all of those things are natural, I can't. That brings me to our dilemma of the day- the good person problem. I, like I'm sure many of you, often designate people into categories based upon their actions. Good person, bad person. I, like the attached web comic, often try to separate this distinction from religion. In many a conversation with those of differing religious backgrounds, I can recall myself saying, "Of course you can be a good person." I really want to believe that, and maybe on some perverted level it's true. The world certainly has a morality of its own, and whether or not that comes from God or is hardwired into us or is an adaptation so we don't destroy ourselves as a society is, for my argument's sake, irrelevant, because through my actual moral lens, the one untainted by my personality and kept clear by objective truth, there is no such thing as a good person. There are people who regularly make good choices, and that's great for them. I at least hope I usually fall into that category. In reality, though, we all consistently fall short of truly putting others before ourselves and treating others as we want to be treated. On our own, that's a completely unreachable standard. The good person problem happens when the secular world holds up good works like a measuring stick and shoves the church beside it. There are atheists who do more charity work than the modern day church; just look at Bill and Melinda Gates, they say. There are Muslims who are more devout in avoiding temptation than Christians- it takes tons of dedication to follow rules day in and day out. Being devoutly spiritual is fine as long as your faith doesn't harm others and it's even better if you know the reality of salvation, and charity work is something we, as Christians, are literally commanded to do. Those things are great. But doing those things does not and can never make us great. We fall short and miss the mark almost constantly, so humans suck. The elusive good person does not exist. No one wants to hear that because we want to believe that all our cute little efforts to do the right thing will eventually earn us some shiny gold stars and pats on the back from the people that surround us, but those rewards have no eternal significance. Nothing I could ever do could even begin to qualify as good on my own. Without Christ I am literally nothing. Without Christ the world is literally tearing itself apart, clinging to pseudo-righteousness and false codes of behavioral standards no one can ever live up to. So, Christian, congratulations. Your life is tainted by sin and is thus filthy. That seems like a damning statement, sure. But in it, you can find liberation like you've never known before. You will never be held to some standard of good works that you can never keep. There is nothing you can do to make God look at you and smile more than he already does, because when he looks at you, he sees his perfect son. The straight up truth is that no matter who you are, you are not a good person. But you can become a redeemed person with the potential for everlasting good if you turn your life over to Christ. Embrace the person God has said you can become and run to the cross. Don't let the world hold you back.
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AuthorTwenty-something kind-of-adult woman trying to navigate her future, her calling, and her God. Archives
August 2017
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