{"id":225368,"date":"2024-04-29T18:51:01","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T01:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/?p=225368"},"modified":"2024-04-29T18:51:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T01:51:02","slug":"ra5d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/ra5d","title":{"rendered":"RA5d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why Goodness Isn\u2019t Always Good?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

“All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”<\/p>\nRomans 3:12 (NIV)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In Romans 3:12, Paul makes the astonishing claim that “no one does good.” This statement may seem outrageous, considering the many kind and generous acts performed by non-Christians that make the world a better place. However, Paul is referring to a specific kind of goodness\u2014one that can repair our broken relationship with God and establish our own righteousness. Ultimately, he argues, our good deeds cannot save us and may even lead us further away from true righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible defines a truly good deed as one that is good in both form and motive. Helping an elderly person cross the street, for example, is good in form, as it aligns with God’s will for our behavior. However, if the motive behind the action is selfish, such as seeking a reward or impressing others, then the deed is not truly good in God’s sight. A genuinely good deed is one done for God’s glory, not our own (1 Corinthians 10:31).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C.H. Spurgeon illustrated it like this:
Once upon a time, a gardener grew a huge carrot. He decided to give it to the king because he loved his sovereign. Upon receiving it, the king discerned his love and devotion, and the fact that he expected nothing in return. So the king said: \u201cHere, my son, I want to give you some of my land so that you can produce an even greater crop. It is yours.\u201d The gardener went home rejoicing. A nobleman heard of this and thought: \u201cIf that is what the king gives in response to the gift of a carrot, what would he give if I gave him a fine horse?\u201d So the nobleman came and presented the king with a fine steed as a gift. But the king discerned his heart and didn’t give him anything. As he was puzzling, the king said: \u201cYou expect me to give to you as I did to the gardener. I will not. You are very different. The gardener gave me the carrot. But you were giving yourself the horse.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we trust in God’s love for us through Christ and accept His perfect righteousness, we can perform good deeds as a gift to God. However, if we believe that our good deeds will earn or maintain our salvation, we are ultimately serving ourselves, not God. It is the condition of our hearts, not the actions of our hands, that determines the true nature of our deeds. Without faith in Christ, our good works are not genuinely good, as they are motivated by self-interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This understanding is crucial for distinguishing between saved Christians and unsaved-but-religious people. Both may repent of their sins, but only Christians will repent of wrongly-motivated good works, while religious people will rely on them. Recognizing the limits of human goodness and the importance of faith in Christ is essential for a genuine relationship with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the knowledge that your good works cannot earn your salvation change the way you approach serving others? How can you ensure that your good deeds flow from a heart of gratitude and love for God rather than an attempt to establish your own righteousness?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[The ideas for this week’s materials on Romans 3:1-20 were drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You<\/a>“]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Goodness Isn\u2019t Always Good? “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:12 (NIV) In Romans 3:12, Paul makes the astonishing claim that “no one does good.” This statement may seem outrageous, considering the many kind and generous acts performed by non-Christians […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-225368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devo","category-romans"],"yoast_head":"\nRA5d - Redemption Point<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RA5d - 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