Q and A: Human Good, Part 2

QUESTION: (PART 2) I fully believe that when non-Christians do good things there is no redemption in their actions. That's only through Christ... But isn't the fact that they are even able to do something good --"good" being something one can only define by God's principles -- a sign of God's image/creation?

ANSWER: Satan's sin was not the desire to be opposite of God, but to be like Him (Is 14:13). He has ministers of righteousness who teach people how to be righteous (2 Co 11:14, 15). How to do good. It is a total corruption of what God is. Satan has systems -- religion is the best of them -- for corrupting God's plan and subtly impugning his character. If you look at sin as being beyond immorality, but really thinking and acting in independence from God, which is what it is, then the good is only good in man's eyes, and is despicable in God's.

As I said yesterday, all those righteous deeds performed in the power of the flesh revolt Him. That which is highly esteemed in the eyes of men is detestable to God (Luk 16:15). I guess I'd have to say technically you're right in that the counterfeit and corruption do point to the original... but what is the point of looking at the alleged "good" being performed by people as being a sign of God's image? It's like looking at a counterfeit bill and saying, "Well, this counterfeit bill tells me there's a real bill somewhere that this was copied and corrupted from."

Hmm. Actually, you wouldn't even know it was a counterfeit unless you were already totally familiar with the real. It's almost like what's being said in this line of thinking is that even though the good done in human power is totally disgusting to God, it's actually a little bit good because it's a sign of God's image.

I don't think so. I think because it's a corruption of God's character, and a substitute for God's ways, that it's a great deception and evil, a deception designed to turn people away from God. And if God thinks it's gross and disgusting, then I think we should, too.

Grace,
Karen