Though there are a lot of Bad people in the world, most humans would call themselves Good and innocent from evil and sin (wrongdoing). If humans do right and have lived a pretty good and obedient life does that make them good?
Before we talk about if humans are good or not, we must understand what exactly good is to begin with
So, what is Good?
Good is defined as
“Something or someone of excellent quality, quantity, and/or moral” [1]
In other words, if something is considered good it meets the standard that is set for it or exceeds the expectation of that standard.
In this case of humans being good, that would be standard for humans and moral expectations that society sets for its citizens. Usually in human societies being a good person is based on how kind, polite, caring, helpful, and obedient to the laws of the society a person is. However, this standard varies from society to society and is not always equal. However, most people consider themselves good people because they meet at least the obedient part of this standard and compared to the Robber or Serial Killer they seem like some pretty good saints.
But the problem with this, as said earlier, society’s standards are varying from society to society. Even from person to person depending on their personal standards! So, which one is the right definition of a good person? Or is there really no right or wrong way to standardize Good in humans?
We should, like all things, go first to the Bible and see what it says: Because the Bible is God’s word, it shows since God alone created everything in existence, he also has the ultimate authority to set standards for his creations. In this way you can know for sure what exactly makes a Human a good person.
So, the real question is what does the Bible say about humans being Good? And what makes a good human by God’s standards?
Sadly, The Bible openly states that no one is good:
Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1
“…there is no one who does good.”
Even Jesus says no one is good!
Mark 10:18
"Jesus answered. 'No one is good…' ”
NO ONE IS GOOD!
Not even one?
Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3
"There is no one who does good,
not even one.”
Nope, not even one Human is good!
So, we have our answer; the Bible says no human is good, even if a whole community or the entire world thinks someone is good, the Bible says otherwise about that person.
“Why is no one good? No one is perfect but some people have never committed a horrible crime and are kind. So why is everyone considered bad?”
You might be wondering why everyone is considered bad
Well, the Bible tells why no one is good:
It’s because every person has failed God’s standard for them (Sinned/ come short of God’s standard)
Romans 3:23
“For all (humans) have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
Because all humans have failed the standard, EVERY SINGLE human has Rejected God’s ways and has become corrupted!
Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3
“ Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;…"
Because all humans have failed the standard, rejected God’s ways, and have become corrupt no human is righteous either, because they don’t do what is right!
Ecclesiastes 7:20
“Indeed, there is no one on earth, who is righteous,
No one who does what is right….”
You might say in your defense:
“Wait, what have I done to break God’s standards? I haven’t done anything horribly wrong, I haven’t Stolen from a store or from one of my friends or murdered anyone, so what about me?”
You only think you’re good because you’re comparing yourself to others:
Many people say they are good people; only based on the fact that they see they are not as bad as someone else they know or don’t act as bad as their society defines it. Some may see people stealing from stores and murdering others, while the people who are not doing any of these things feel more morally right and more innocent that these thieves and murderers so they think: “They're much worse than me (Bad) so therefore I must be better (Good)”
But is this a logical conclusion to make about yourself; to say you’re good because you’re better than some others?
Let’s consider that perspective for a second:
You may say you’re a good cook because you’re better than your younger brother and dad; your dad can’t cook even a simple egg without burning it and your brother doesn’t even know how to cook. You say you’re a good cook because you seem better than them. But then there’s your mom, Mom is a far better cook than you because she can not only cook an egg perfectly but cook it any way you would like. Even better than her is chef Gordon Ramsey the most renown chef in the world [2], he could out cook your mom with a blindfold on and he could not only cook it perfectly and any way you would like but could do things with one egg that your probably never heard of. So, looking at mom and Gordon you no longer feel good at cooking anymore because the standards are higher!
The same is also true when you are a good person based solely on comparison to people who are far worse; it may be true that you may be morally better than a cold-blooded murderer and grand-thief robber. But when you look at God’s standards for humans and what it takes to break them you would not feel so good anymore; in fact, you would probably feel pretty bad and sinful.
So, comparison alone does not make someone good!
Matching up to God’s standards for them is what makes someone good!
So, what does make a human good?
God defines good by his own standards, because he is the perfect example of Good, but it would be ridiculous to assume humans (or any other created creature) could be as perfect as God right away, at least. For a human, however, God does have a standard for humans, and he defines good for humans as someone who is innocent and has never sinned. And sadly, everyone has sinned, so therefore everyone has failed God’s standards and are bad.
“Well, what have done to break God standards?!”
In order to answer that you need to know what God’s standards are for you:
For humans, God has had a lot of different standards in the past varying from groups of humans depending on the situation/time at hand: God’s standards could include only one rule for one group at one point or thousands of rules for another group later. However, since the fall of Adam and Eve God has usually had a basic standard for all of humanity, that applies to everyone, even today!
They are called the Ten Commandments
(Though one [Which is Exodus 20:8 “Remember that the Sabbath Day”] will not be covered in this discussion because it needs a little more explaining than the other nine)
Exodus 20:3
1.“Do not worship any God except me.”
Exodus 20:4-5
2.“Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols.”
Exodus 20:7
3.“Do not misuse my name.”
Exodus 20:12
4.“Respect your father and your mother…”
Exodus 20:13
5.“Do not murder.”
Exodus 20:14
6.“Be faithful in marriage.”
Exodus 20:15
7.“Do not steal.”
Exodus 20:16
8.“ Do not tell lies about others.”
Exodus 20:17
9.“Do not covet your neighbor’s house.”
So, have you failed these basic standards? To find out, honestly answer all these questions to see if you have fallen short of God’s standards:
1.Have or do you have another God you have worshiped besides the God of the Bible? Or loved something more than God? Even just a tiny little bit?
If you have then you’re AN IDOLITER! Which is a sin!
(You don’t necessarily have to worship another God to be an idolater if you love anything like you should love God then its idolatry:
Deuteronomy 6:5
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters (God’s)… You cannot serve both God and money.”)
2.Have you ever called out God’s name and your intention was not to talk to or about God? Like using God’s name as a cuss word? Like ‘God Dam it!’ ‘My God!’ or just ‘God’? Even if it just “slipped out?”
If you have then you are A BLASPHEMER! Which is a sin!
3.Have you ever disobeyed and/or disrespected your parents? Even if it was in a slight pout or small tantrum? Even if you were just a young toddler? Even if your parent were not necessarily right or good to you?
If you ever did, no matter how young, then you are A REBELLIOUS CHILD! Which is a sin!
4.Have you ever killed someone who was innocent? Have you ever hated someone, maybe hated them so much you hurt them on purpose or wanted to kill them in your mind?
If you have done ANY of those things then you’re a MURDERER, which is a sin!
(Because murder is not just limited to physically killing in God’s standard If you have ever hated someone even enough to hurt/kill them, then you have murdered in your mind and sinned!
Matthew 5:22
“Anyone who is angry with a brother or sister [Someone you are close to a group you associate with: friends or family] will be subject to judgment[They have sinned!].”)
5.Have you ever been in a romantic relationship (or married) with someone and went behind your partners back and had romantic relationships with someone else, at the same time? or you just look at someone else lustfully and wanted to date them/ be married to them instead but didn't/wouldn't actually go through with it? Even if you didn’t actually do it and it was just a though in a small glance at this other person and nothing else?
If you have even just lustfully though it, then you are A TWO-TIMMING ADULTERER! Which is a sin!
(Committing adultery is not just limited to actually cheating on your partner in God's standards. Like murder, even just looking at someone else in a romantic/sexual way and desiring them as your partner and thinking/imagining them as your partner is adultery!
Matthew 5:28
“Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”)
6.Have you ever taken something without permission? Even something very small like a cookie or pencil that did not belong to you?
If you have then you’re A THIEF! Which is a sin!
7.Have you ever lied about another person’s actions and or nature? Even it was just a small white lie?
If you have then you are a SLANDEROUS LIAR! Which is a sin!
8.Have you ever been jealous of someone? Even if it was over something small and you got over it?
If you have then you are a COVITIOUS PERSON! Which is a sin!
If you have done any of these things listed then you have failed the standards set for you; then you're no longer good but an idolatrous, Blaspheming, Rebellious, Murdering, Adulterous, Thieving, lying, Covetous person!
Does that sound like a good person to you?
You may be shocked at this because you though sin was just “big deal things” like first degree murder or grand theft robbery, while those are sins; there are also sins that many would consider “small/insignificant things” like gossiping, looking at another man/women sexually, idolizing a pop-star, or even just saying "God" in a sentence. All these "Little things" are really just as wrong and harmful as murder and stealing to God!
And doing either makes you not such a good person.
You may say
“Well, that’s unfair, no one is perfect! These standards are so high, how is anyone supposed to be good with rules like that?”
Well, that is just why no one is good! Because you and everyone else can’t keep God’s standards, God gave humanity standards to live by; he wanted humans to keep them. However, all humans have fallen short of one or (most likely) all these standards, so by this definition no one is Good because all humans have failed the standard of God!
Therefore, this is true
Romans 3:23
“For all (humans) have sinned and come short of the glory (standard) of God”
And
Ecclesiastes 7:20
“…, there is ..no one who does what is right and never sins.”
“Okay, but what if that was just one time in my life? What if I learn from my mistake(s) and never do it again could I be considered good then?”
Even if you never sinned again, it would not matter, once God’s standards are broken for a human; that's it, they’re broken forever.
Much like a farmer comes across an apple with just one hole: it’s just one hole but it has failed the standard set for it (which is no holes), so it is thrown away, so it doesn’t get sold. You could wait, but time doesn’t change the fact it has failed.
Time doesn’t make it any better!
It also it doesn’t matter if it was “just one time” it doesn’t take a hundred sins to become bad it doesn’t take even three to become bad, all it takes is ONE to go from Good to Bad!
Like the Bible justifies this it does not matter if it was just one sin a long time ago, if you have broken JUST ONE you are a sinner(bad) and have broken God’s WHOLE standard for you!!!
James 2:10-11
“For whoever keeps the whole law (standard) and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said:…
(Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18)
'You shall not commit adultery,'
Also said
(Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17)
'You shall not murder.'
If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder (Just have done ONE), you have become a lawbreaker (Bad Sinner!).”
As said before, it does not have to be a “major sin” for you to break if you do ANY SIN even ONCE you are no longer good!
The very first sin Humanity committed would not be considered a “Big Deal”: eating something you were told not to eat is NOT what anyone would consider a “Big Deal” especially just doing it one time. BUT it was a big deal to God! It was such a big deal that that the one time when it did happen God called them out and cursed them! Adam and Eve were no longer good but bad; they had failed the standard set for them by God!
And sadly, even if you were not honest with this test or with yourself The Bible can guarantee, you have sinned in AT LEAST one of these area (but most likely you have failed in all at least once!). So, you might consider yourself a good person, you friends might call you a good person, even the whole world might consider you a good person, but it could not matter less in the ultimate fact that you have failed God’s standard set for you and are no longer good to him but bad!
Time to face reality; you are not a good person you are bad one: you’re a sinner and God will not spare you from punishment!
Sources:
[1]
[A] Dictionary.com “Good”
Website:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/good
[B] Merriam-Webster “Good”
Website:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/good
[2]
Surge “Top 15 best chefs in the world today” by Kavya Vidyarthi; Dec 12 2015
Website: