Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur
Cincotti. 08/07/2022
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Study Discussion at: God is Good Podcast!
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God is Good!
“Truly God is good to Israel,
to such as are pure
in heart. Ps.
73:1
God is good all the time
and all the time God is good, is a Christian cliche that we often invoke when
it doesn’t really feel like God is good.
We really must engage
this notion of goodness to fully understand the simple truth that God is
good.
Mk. 10:17, “Now as He
was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him,
‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ So Jesus said
to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.’”
This account is told in
all three synoptic gospels.
Mt. 19:16-22, Mk. 10:17-22, Lk. 18:18-23
In the Mt. telling Jesus
sneaks in an interesting word; “perfect” vrs.21
Eph. 4:13, “…unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fullness of
Christ.”
Phil. 3:15, “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be
this minded…”
Col. 1:28, “teaching every man
in all wisdom; that we may present
every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Jas. 1:25. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty…”
Jas. 3:2, “...the same is a perfect man…”
This word, “teleios”
means: completeness, full of age
If perfection were
through the Levitical priesthood…what further need was there that another
priest should rise…” Heb. 7:11
Where did the man in our
gospel accounts get this notion of good or that perfection was attainable?
Ps. 14:3 and 53:3 say
the same, “There is none who does good, No, not one.”
Our sense of good is
compromised because of the fall. Man ate of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, and therefor attained it, but because of the fractured relationship
with the source of good (Jas. 1:17) he/we can handle it. Good is a moving
target, as our young man in the gospel discovers.
He thinks he’s got it
mostly figured out, but senses that he lacks something. Mt. 19:20, “…What
do I still lack?”
My favorite is the Mark
account because vr. 21 says, “The Jesus, looking at him, loved him…”
The desire in us to be
good, by doing good, should draw us to the source, but as said, good is a
confusing concept, especially in today’s culture. Isaiah said, “Woe to those
who call evil good, and good evil…” Is. 5:20
Jesus interrupts the young man saying, “No one is good
but One, that is God.”
At the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17)
there is an invitation to know evil. They already knew Good. Remember how Jesus says, “And this is
eternal life, that they may know You…”
Joshua set a similar
choice before the children of Israel, “...choose for yourselves this day
whom you will serve…” Jos. 24:15
Satan invites us to know him, and makes that seem somehow
good. Jesus likewise gives and invitation to the man in our gospel. He chose
poorly. The same invitation is ever before us on our pilgrimage. I have decided, to follow Jesus. No turning
back, no turning back!!!
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
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