Lots of folks think they are good people. They are very "spiritual". I once spoke to a fellow in the grocery store, when I was handing out Gideon's Bibles, spreading the Word more like a used-car salesman more than anything else. I asked the fellow the tried and tested, "Do you know where you will go after you die?" and the obligatory, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" Something like that.
The fellow stuttered to me, sounding almost ashamed, "I am spiritual. I am a very spiritual person,"
I said to him, "Oh yeah? In what way?"
He told me, "I jog every day. I walk my dog..." I think he was trying to say that he meditated. I dropped a Bible into his shopping cart. I pray he read it or will read it some time.
No doubt, if you are a Laodicean, you will think you are "good people". Although there is no distinction between your lifestyle and the lifestyle of an unbeliever, you are good deep down inside. But what about a legitimately good person? How would you distinguish him from a faithful Christian, one after God's own heart? This question was posed during my men's Bible study group. A good question. We pondered the response. Several responses were made. But today I will write of another response.
*Note: we speak of differences not in terms of salvation, but in terms of conduct and being salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)
I am reading a book by one such good, yet pagan man. His name is Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero writes the book, De Officiis (Latin for, On Duties) for his son, Cicero the Minor. Being good costed him his life in the draconian political arena. He was a political opponent of Julius Cesar, since he was a defender of the failing Roman Republic's ideals. He opposed Julius Cesar's populist tyranny. He was later executed by one of the Second Triumvirate, Mark Antony.
In it he writes of morality, advantage, and when morality and advantage conflict. The overarching theme of the book is that expediency, if immoral, must never been seen as expediency. On Duties was a popular book with the early church fathers and vigorously preserved, printed and taught because of its agreeableness with Biblical teachings. I wonder what Cicero would say and do if he were living by the time of Christ's life.
One of the subjects he writes on is glory and honor. To summarize, glory and honour are useful tools in going far in life. It is a means to make meaningful friendships. The essence of perfect glory, he writes, is goodwill, trust and admiration. Goodwill is attained by charity and good performance of regular duties, say at work, for example. Trust (or loyalty) is acquired through justice and wisdom, where Justice is better than wisdom, because justice has authority even without prudence. However, wisdom without justice is crafty and deceitful. The way to admiration (or respect) is worth rather than morality. Worth as in work ethic, industry, foresight. He states that a worthless person is less respected than a bad person. In reading this, we gain understanding on the nature of glory. Thank you Cicero, for your insights on glory.
Now we differentiate the good man and the godly man. It is simple. The good man keeps glory to himself. He may exhibit his glory, or he may hide it in humbleness. All in all, whether his glory be in secret or in public, he is meager with it and it is his to keep. This shall be his reward (Matthew 6:5, Matthew 7:22). A godly man does not keep his glory to himself. The godly man gives his glory to God and God alone (Colossians 3:17, Matthew 5:16, Psalms 115:1, 1 Corinthians 10:31)
Think of it this way, a rich man may publicly display his wealth, or he may try to drive his Ferrari on quiet roads to maintain a low profile. But a low profile is not a useful humility.
Say an unassuming and unremarkable man does a great thing. He saves a bus load of kids from say, drowning in a river. If during an interview, the reporter praises him for his heroics, and he responds by saying, "Oh, I'm not that great,"
The reporter replies, "Oh, you're so humble and down to earth," Not only does he retain the glory of the things he had done, but he accumulates more from his humility.
If instead the man says, "I could not have done these things without God. It was all God," Then people will pause and ask questions. From this begins the planting of seeds. It is why songs like John Newton's Amazing Grace are so powerful. They attribute good things done by broken people to a God who overcomes the brokenness and does the impossible (Mark 10:27). Now if when you give glory to God, you feeling as though you were impotently giving credit to a quiet, uninteresting friend, worry not. If five people said the same thing about the same quiet friend, people would be inclined to listen. If the Lord does great things through many people (John 14:12), and giving him his due, the word will spread.
Now the difference between a good man and a godly man can be like the difference between Saul and David. If you read 1 and 2 Samuel, you see the contrast between Saul and David. Saul disobeys God twice and tries to do things his own way, for his own glory. David, however has done things arguably morally worse than Saul, but he always gives God the glory, and was repentant and humble before God. In doing so he is justified (Romans 4:6-8). The good things a good man does can make him some friends and gain him popularity, but they can never hold the power of the mighty things of God who works through those who humble themselves before Him.
This has always been one of my favourite bible verses:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives his beloved sleep.
Psalms 127:1-2
Don't just try to be a good person. Give God the glory when you have an opportunity to do good.
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