“There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
-Matthew 19:17
It's a line we hear in movies. It's something Star Trek fans are familiar with. It's the concept of The Greater Good. It leads people to sacrifice themselves. It drove Captain Kirk to violate the Prime Directive on multiple occasions. It sounds great on the surface, but...
SPOILER ALERT! Whatever we place as the greatest good is our god. For many, including Christians, that god is NOT Christ. Instead, it’s autonomy, in fact, control.
Think back to the COVID crisis. Everything was subjugated to“safety" for the purpose of control: community, education, religion, rights, freedoms… everything! Masks and mandatory vaccines were required for everything from travel to employment. Those same vaccines now exclude many from medical coverage. Voices of reason were deemed criminals of the state and heretics. As far as the whole mask debacle... my favorite quote is still:
“If underwear can't stop a fart, why do you think a mask will stop a virus?”
It’s precisely when we have the most stuff and the most “control” there is the most despair. That's Genesis 3 in a nutshell. The crafty serpent still gets us to question: Does this “God” guy really know what He's talking about? Does He really have your best interest at heart? Seize the fruit! He'll be impressed with you taking some initiative! Decide for yourself the “good” path, i.e. the most logical, reasonable, and best course of action for the greater good!
It’s much worse than just a harmless illusion. It’s a despicable lie from the pit of hell that separates us from God our Creator. It’s the wide path that leads only to the outer darkness of perpetual destruction, torment, and despair… the very thing we say we're trying to avoid!
Effective navigation is never about focusing on what you're trying to avoid. It's about focusing on where you want to go.
As King Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, the rains fall, the torrents rage, and the winds blow on EVERY house. The ONLY difference is what that house is built on. Is it safety, control, security, and comfort… or is it the Rock that is Christ Jesus and faith in Him?
Everyone worships something as their god. Everyone subjects their values, beliefs, and doctrines to that god. If it’s not the One True God of Scripture, our God of eternal Holy Trinity that is the Father who sent His Son for us... the Son who gave Himself for us... and the Spirit who regenerates, leads, convicts, and sanctifies us... then it is a false god that is nothing more than an empty idol.
Sorry Captain Kirk, modernism failed. Humanity can never transcend our depravity apart from Christ. Technology and science will never get us there. We'll never get there through enlightenment, modernity, post-modernism, or any other philosophical endeavor or human invention. Charity and kindness will never get us there. Charlotte Mason and Classical Education won't get us there. All those things are merely express ramps to Hell's Highway.
We will never achieve any good, never mind some illusionary “greater good,” apart from Him who is The Greatest Good, King Jesus, the Lamb of God. He is the exclusive source and wellspring of all goodness. That's why His message is called the Gospel, i.e. The Good News. That's why the seed of the Gospel is called good seed planted in good soil by good servants producing a good harvest. That's why the Bible never refers to the Samaritan as good. That's a human insertion. Instead, King Jesus said, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man...?” That's Why King Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler, “No one is good except God alone.”
Are you trying to raise good kids by teaching them right from wrong and to pursue religion through human traditions? Are you pursuing the good cause of reducing human suffering? Are you pursuing some “Greater Good" according to cultural standards -or- are you pursuing Christ Jesus, The Greatest Good?
What we worship will be brought into the light and exposed for what it is. It's either the good works God prepared in advance for us to walk in together as our NEW WAY OF LIFE, or it's sin. Romans 14:23 reveals, “...and everything that is not from faith is sin.” That's why King Jesus said to those casting out demons, prophesying, and doing miracles in His name for some self-determined greater good, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
The Greater Good is a lie.
There is only The Greatest Good.
So the question becomes: Is He your God?
Blessings,
Kevin M. Kelley
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