Good People and the Bible

Is the Bible about good people?

Isn’t it a book full of dos and don’ts featuring sweet-tempered boring angels playing harps and never doing anything wrong?

Or, is it one long drag of lecturing readers about improving their behavior or else?

Did the writers just put together words to make people feel guilty?

The answer to all those questions is no.

Don’t believe it?

I didn’t either–until I actually read the book.

Indeed, other than Jesus, I’m not sure you can find many good people in the Bible

And that’s the point.

Who IS the Bible about?

It’s about all of us, no matter our race, gender, ancestry, behavior, hopes, dreams, or sins.

It’s the story of God reaching out, time and again, to call the people He created back to Him.

We read it as truth, but also with nuance. Particularly in the Old Testament, we need to read for more than the simple facts.

God is showing us the consequences of lives lived apart from Him.

I may not have much in common with a prophet named Jonah in terms of gender, nationality, clothing choices, or even hairstyles.

I’m also not a prophet.

BUT, I do know what it means to resist God when He directs me to do something.

I know what it’s like to be afraid.

I’ve been resentful.

My attitude has needed God–or one of His children–to straighten me out.

By reading beyond the simple facts, who, what, when, where, why, and how, I can recognize the attitudes in my heart.

Then, I recognize, yet again, that I’m not a good person.

What’s the difference between good people and bad?

The New Testament, in particular, carries good news for people like me.

That would be folks who recognize they sin. Often.

Remember those Ten Commandments?

We call that “the Law.”

The purpose of the Law is to show us the “rules.” It draws the line so we can understand what is “bad.”

Not who is bad.

What is bad.

Without those Ten Commandments, how would we know?

The Definitions

Good= morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious. (Good is mentioned 743 times in the New King James Version [NKJV]of the Bible)

Bad= not good in any manner or degree. (Bad is only mentioned 51 times in the NKJV!)

The Bible= “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Ah, sin.

It’s to act contrary to God’s law–see the Ten Commandments.

What’s the opposite of sin?

To be blameless, obedient, and kind. Here’s a whole list.

Since, however, the Bible has said all have sinned, none of us are good.

The Bible is full of people who are NOT good. On pretty much every single page. (The Bible on my lap is 1500 pages long)

Except, of course, for those whose sins are forgiven because of Jesus’ death on the cross.

So, what’s the point?

I’ve been listening to the Old Testament’s book 1 Samuel at Enduring Word for the last few months.

Hearing the story of King David, the man after God’s own heart, has not shown me a saint without flaws.

It’s been one story after another about a man living in dangerous circumstances, trying his best to honor and love God.

He fails time and time again.

Some of his choices are good.

Some of his choices are horrific.

But the point of reading or listening to 1 Samuel–and then on into 2 Samuel–is not to hear about a good person.

It’s to hear about someone like me.

I’m not a king, a shepherd, or the youngest of eight brothers.

I’ve never been to Israel, I can’t use a sling, and I’ve no interest in a bunch of husbands.

But I am a woman who makes mistakes. I make bad choices. I disappoint people.

Failure, sin, and behaving badly, are common in my life, thoughts, and, too often, my words.

The Bible, in depicting David’s failures, encourages me that despite my choices, I’m still loved by God.

I can still come to Him and ask for forgiveness.

Good people or bad people–does God care?

You bet God cares.

It’s not our behavior He watches, however. It’s our hearts.

By reading the Bible we learn how God deals with the people He loves.

In reading Scripture, we learn how to discern the state of our hearts–toward God.

Studying Jesus’ life in the Gospels shows us how to put the two together to make us whole before God.

All those “bad” people, who stumble and fall, cry out to God for help and forgiveness, show me how.

I didn’t know anything about loving God, following Jesus, and recognizing the Holy Spirit, until I began to read and study the Bible.

I’m one of the many people in there–both the good and the bad.

And so are you.

The question, however, is will I end up in heaven with God eternally?

Well, yes. I will. Jesus died on my behalf.

But, not because I’m good.

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