Defining Good and Bad

How bad is too bad? That is a relative question. It has too many variables to answer clearly and decisively. The world has developed too many definitions for the word bad. What is bad for one person may not be so bad to another or may be worse than thought to yet another. And, the same can be said of the word good. We all like to think that we are a good person, or at least most of us would. However, we may think that we are better a person than others think of us and vice-a-versa. So, how do we understand or define bad?

To do that we have to have a set standard that is the same for everyone, everywhere, all the time. No human, no government, no association, no one anywhere could ever set such a standard. So, this requires a belief in something bigger than us, someone who is perfect, blameless, perfectly good. Only this person could set such a standard. Once we have a set standard of what is perfectly good then we can know what is bad. Bad is anything opposite of what is good. The trouble then is that in our humanity we weigh out various levels of good and bad and therefore we are confused about what good and bad are, why we have so many different definitions.

If we rely on simply one definition, one standard, then we can properly gauge our goodness and our lack thereof. Like darkness is merely the absence of light so bad or evil is merely the absence or lack of goodness. All good and perfect things come from God. Jesus is the light of the world. We cannot be good. All mankind has sinned and fallen short of the standards God set forth in His Son Jesus. We can never live up to those standards on our own. So, Jesus did it for us and then died to pay the perfect blameless, spotless, sinless price that we could not. Thus, he is our example on how to live and he is our helper, by the power of his Holy Spirit, guiding us and correcting us, teaching us and encouraging us. He doesn’t leave us, and he doesn’t give up on us. But it is a choice, our choice.

We cannot be good enough, but we can be better, and we can continually become better. We can strive toward goodness and our hearts can be trained to be good. But to do that we need a trainer. The good news is, God has given us three sources for training so that we can be fully equipped for every good work. 1.) First and foremost, God has offered to all who will believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior and submit to Him in all things the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus in Spirit form taking up residency in our hearts and minds. This was promised to us by Jesus himself. 2.) Secondly, God gave us his inspired word. The word logos literally means God breathed. The breath of God as he spoke gave to us an inspired word that not only instructs us but also relates to us. 3.) Lastly, God designed the church as a sort of training ground or boot camp, a place where we could gain community, a vulnerable place where we can feel safe as we navigate life and gain friendship, support, accountability, correction, acceptance, encouragement, etc.

Most importantly, God never calls us to fix anything or to get anything right. He only calls us to himself. He wants us to accept him, trust him, rely upon him, call on him. He knows all, hears all, sees all. He knows our thoughts and he has seen our every action. Therefore, nothing is ever hidden from him. Guilt and shame are a good thing because they let us know that we need forgiveness. They are like sensors in our hearts and minds. But we should not sulk in our guilt and shame. When we sulk in it, we begin to contemplate how we can fix it and we can’t. We must turn it over to God and strive for something better through Him. We must lean on his strength and love and not on our own understanding or abilities.