I often hear people say, "I really just want to be a good person." Of course there is nothing wrong in and of itself about wanting to do the right things, but there is a lack of understanding what this really means. To the carnal mind (our natural way of thinking that is based on reciprocity), what we are really saying is that I wish to behave in a way people will think well of me. So, in a sense this is a perspective of ourself which says that if I do things a certain way ("be good"), then I will receive from the world around me the consideration and identity I wish to have. In other words I will "be good" for the social standing I desire to obtain and maintain (social exchange). This is the essence of morality. I am not cynical of human nature, just repeating what God says about us in our "flesh".
The story of the rich young ruler is a perfect example. Here a man goes even farther and wishes to do what is necessary to be right with God and the world around him. When he refers to Jesus as "good teacher", Jesus responds "no one is good but God." In other words "good" is the very essence of God Himself. God imputes "goodness" on us from His very being. It is nothing we can extract out of the world's system. The rich young ruler must relinquish all sense of doing the right things and relying on his self sufficiency ("sell all he has and give it away"). He must let go of the notion that "becoming right with God" is based on what he does "right".
Grace, not exchange, is the source of our goodness. It is freely given to us by God as we lay down our carnal mind for a Kingdom mind, as we cease self gratification and revere His glory. Being good is not about morality. It is the transformed nature of all who trust God for our well being and believe He is the author of who we are, not the world around us.
So the next time you think, "I just want to be a good little boy (or girl)", are you settling for what the world can give you for your moral behavior or are you desiring to be transformed by the power of grace???? I know what God wants for you >>>
random musings from the heart of a CRAZY old man (dedicated to those who inspire me)
The recent events at Penn St bear this out. Joe Paterno broke no laws but he was dismissed (by others) because he failed to lead ethically. Ethics is a sense of doing right (absent rules, policies, laws) when doing wrongly would personally benefit. Paterno acted wrongly in the eyes of others because he failed to follow up on things he knew were inappropriate to protect himself, his friend(s) and the program. He had always been seen as a "good person" and people responded favorably to him because of it. When he broke moral code (acted unethically), he lost favor. Thus, morality is about the exchange we receive from those around us when we act ethically and is a carnally minded perspective of "being a good person."
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