If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
I Corinthians 13:3
But I’m a good person! And that’s not enough!
In I Corinthians 13:3, Saint Paul mentions two extreme sacrifices a person can make. First, one can divest himself or herself of all that he or she has. Imagine what that would be like, to give away everything you have, every dollar you’ve earned. None of us can really conceive of that, to give away everything. And then on top of that, you gave up your life, and you did it by giving up your body to be burned. That’s a horrific thought. Imagine the level of sacrifice to give away all possessions and your life! This is what Saint Paul is talking about in this verse.
And all of that, ALL of that, done without love, in the words of St. Paul, would gain us nothing. God is love. To do something without love, even something super sacrificial, would mean nothing to God. Because what God calls us to do is to be Godly, not just to be “good.”
Why isn’t “good” enough? That’s because we define what is good. If I say that I am good, then I have not allowed room for God to be the judge of my life. The story of a rich ruler is told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Referring in this instance to the account from the Gospel of Luke, a ruler asks Jesus “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, ‘”Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not kill Do not steal. Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have observed from my youth.” And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Luke 18:18-22)
When I think of this Gospel passage, I think of Jesus speaking to the man in a kind tone of voice, with His arm around the man, under a shady tree. I don’t think of Jesus as lecturing the man or yelling at him. Jesus is gently telling the man that only God is truly good. And that no one is perfect, no matter how good they are. Keeping the commandments—not killing others, not stealing, not lying, not committing adultery and honoring one’s parents—these are good things. But who is the beneficiary of this goodness. Ultimately the person who is good is the beneficiary of his goodness. If there was no punishment involved with stealing or killing, would we steal and kill? Possibly. Many people follow the law out of fear of punishment, rather than out of love. The classic example is the way we drive. Given the choice to share the road with others or to drive alone, most of us prefer to drive without other people on the road. This is because we care about our own need to arrive somewhere quickly, rather than the need of someone else. Who doesn’t breathe a sigh of relief when traffic is light in the morning, right?! I’m a good driver, an excellent driver, in fact, but I am not a Godly driver. Most of the time when I’m driving “good”, I resent the other people on the road. They are just obstacles in the way.
And this is why giving away everything we have and even dying, without the Godly motive of love means nothing. Because what God wants from us is for everything we do to be done in love, for our life to be lived under His umbrella, which means that our goal is much higher than goodness. It is to be like God. We are created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore we are to behave accordingly, honoring God, seeking Godliness, and having God-like love in our daily interactions, something that is much higher than whatever standard of “goodness” is in practice today.
In Matthew 5:48, Jesus tells His followers, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” This verse comes at the end of a section of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus tells His followers that we are not only to love those who love us, but we are to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (5:44) He doesn’t tell us to “be good” or “good enough.” He sets the bar at perfection, to imitate God in all things.
There have been many people who have given generously their time, their money, and their lives. God knows the motives of each person, that come from deep within their souls. There is a desire for recognition of our good deeds, and that’s not a bad thing. But if everything we do is only done for recognition of our goodness, there is something missing. Jesus says concerning prayer, almsgiving and fasting, that “your Father Who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18) It is God who will evaluate whether a life or a sacrifice was good or Godly. And this evaluation will be made according to the degree of love of God and love of others that was mixed in with the sacrificial gesture. If there was no love for God or service for others mixed in with a desire for goodness, then as Saint Paul writes, it will gain us nothing.
Lord, thank You for Your example of goodness and Godliness. Help me to remember that the goal of life is to not just be good, but to be Godly, to not be good enough but to strive to be perfect. I know I will fall short of perfection, and when I do, help me to see my imperfections, and repent of my shortcomings. Remember me, O Lord, in Your Kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
The goal of life is not goodness, but Godliness. The bar is set not at “good enough” but at perfection. And God will be the ultimate judge of our motives and our efforts.
