Is Anyone Good?

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."  Mark 10:17-18 (ESV)
Good is a word that always needs a definition because it is a word that demands some sort of compassion. Someone can be a good basketball player in one setting, while being a lousy basketball player when paired against an NBA great. There is no definite way to define what we mean by good without the knowledge of everything.
Jesus seems to be making a point here. If you’re going to use the word correctly, you need a standard, and God alone provides that standard. Jesus is not good, as this man was using the term; however, He was right, which made Him good.
 Culture can speak of people being good, yet when they do, their words are meaningless, and they are saying nothing. Apart from God, there is no right, and apart from right, there is no good. If a man lived righteous lives, man would live good lives, and this cannot be done apart from God.

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