Am I good enough? Am I worth it? Will I ever be enough?
These questions and many that are similar plague the minds of people all over the world. They may seem like thoughtful, philosophical, intelligent questions that require special mindsets to answer, but the answer is simple.
No. We are not enough. We’ll never measure up, and on our own, we are not good enough.
We’re very lucky though, because we have the only good thing in the world on our side, Jesus.
In New Testament living, we have the opportunity to have the God of the heavens inside of us. Through him alone can be good.
The Real Definition of Good
Good is such a common word in our vocabulary. We constantly use it to describe our days, our food, our mood. It’s the literal standard of neutral in our society and we’ve kind of lost the real meaning of the word.
That is a big reason why we tend to misunderstand what the Bible has to say about it and what we think of it.
Here are a few things that Merriam webster would say are “good”:
- Of a favorable character or tendency
- Bountiful
- Commercially sound
- Suitible
- Fit
- Legally valid
- Adequate
- Competent
- Virtuous
The list goes on. There are so many definitions that it’s hard to keep track of what the word really means.
I like to use one definition to know what good really means and it’s found in Psalms 107
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalms 107:1)
Evidently, God is good. Yet, he is also perfect. We all know that. So, shouldn’t good, really mean perfect?
Let’s look now at what is really referred to as being good in the Bible:
- God.
- That’s it.
Of course, people are called that in parables in such but Jesus himself, said this,
“There is only one who is good.” (Matthew 19:17).
It’s very evident who he is referring to.
With that out there, we should all work to reestablish what we really think that word means. That will be a good foundation to understanding your true value in the Kingdom of God.
What We Really Are
Now that we know that there is only one that can really be described as good, we have to define what we are. What we are as people can be boiled down to two possible things. Born again or not born again.
Scripture tells us that before Jesus came, we were “dead in the trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). That’s some extreme language for sure, but that just means that we were not perfect. We were sinners. We know it. But there’s good news.
Later on in that same chapter, we’re told some fantastic news. Ephesians 2:4-6 says this,
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
This means that because we are born again, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ. We’re made alive together with Christ. As you can probably guess, that is very good news. Because of our position with Christ, we are made completely new. In other words, we are a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
You may be asking, “why does that matter”, but the answer to that question is much more complicated than a single sentence answer can give. However, it can be brought down to this, it matters because in him, we are good. Without him, we are not.
To put this as bluntly and straightforward as possible, if you are not born again, you are not good. You are not perfect, and you are in great need of a savior.
If you are born again, you are good in him.
Good In Him
In case you weren’t able to tell, it’s very important to know that our goodness does not come from ourselves. If we weren’t able to be that way without God, what makes us think we’ll be that way without him even now?
Far too often, I find myself here. I work to do things, earn things, live, by myself. For instance, I have been in a season where I need to better myself. I need to cut traits out of my life such as laziness and intimidation. No matter what I’ve tried, I can’t do it, not on my own. Thankfully, the Lord revealed this to me, and I am now able to succeed in conquering my flaws, but only with the Lord’s guidance.
I’ve let the book of Galatians speak into my life. Galatians 2 says this,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
We no longer live on our own. In fact, it is Christ that lives in us. He works through us, but we first must know that it is his goodness that is working. Not our own. We can’t do anything that’s worth anything on our own.
To put it bluntly one more time: your goodness does not come from yourself, but from God.
Living by Faith
Going back to that scripture in Galatians, we should be not living by the flesh, but by faith. What that really looks like, may be kind of difficult to pinpoint but let’s try.
I’ve been reading this book, “Sit, Walk, Stand” by Watchman Nee, and this book has been incredibly helpful in my fight against doing things in the flesh. The main premise is that we are to first rest in our position in Christ. Out of that rest in Christ comes the strength to walk accordingly. So, that must be where we start.
The next step that I have seen to fully live by faith to start living in the promises that God has made you. You can our post on that topic here! He has made so many promises to his people and he always follows through. There is an array of promises in scripture and it’s vital that we look at them, know them, and believe them. Only then can we start to live in the promises.
When you have those two steps down, living by faith becomes much simpler and easy to do, because you can really trust God!
Do Not Trust Your “Good” ness
There is one story that I’m reminded of when I think of doing things in my own goodness, or in other words, the flesh. That is the story of Abraham.
In case you don’t know the story, Abraham and his wife, Sarah, could not have children. However, God promised that they would have a kid, and from that child, a huge nation would be born. This was great news, however, they decided to take matters into their own hands.
Sarah told Abraham to have a child with her servant, Hagar, and he did just that. They bore a son named Ishmael, from which the Islam religion was born. God still gave them the son that they were promised in Issac, but only after Abraham went and did things in his own flesh, causing issues.
Evidently, we cannot trust our own goodness for a second, and must trust in the goodness we have in Christ.
Next Steps
Instead of writing on the practical application that we could list on this topic, I feel very led to do something I’ve never done before. That is, an online altar call.
If you’ve been in church, you know that pastors often invite those that have not accepted Jesus into their hearts up to the front to have prayer and such. We can’t meet at an altar, but I know that there are many that don’t even know how to receive Jesus.
If you recognize that you are a sinner, that you’re not good, and you understand that Jesus is, it’s a great time to accept him into your heart. Now, if you are already have, then you can read on, but if you haven’t and you would like to give your life to Christ, lean in.
Commit Your Life to Jesus
Romans 10:9 tells us this,
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
That makes it so simple! I deeply encourage you, if you have not given your life to Jesus or find your yourself doubting it, follow these steps.
- Acknowledge that you’re a sinner in need of a savior, but Christ died for your sins on the cross.
- Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
- Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your lord.
- Rejoice!
Scripture tells us that those are the steps to salvation. Remember, it must be genuine, coming from the heart. The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say.
Final Thoughts
This is great. For some of you, you might have just given your life to Christ. You’re ready for a new life! For others, you’re ready for a completely new you, as you begin to live in Christ! Wherever you’re at in your life and in your walks, remember that you can’t do it alone.
I encourage everyone to remember the goodness of God and lean on that alone. That afterall is the way to live by faith.
