You Cannot Say You Are A Good Person

Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”

I learned an important truth long ago, which is that I cannot claim to be a “good man.” That is not my place to say. Other people must call me a “good man” for that compliment to actually mean something. The Bible says in our text passage of Scripture that MOST MEN will proclaim his own goodness (i.e., bragging on himself). But we all know that some people who brag have nothing to boast about!

Neither you nor myself can profess our own goodness, because we don't see in our selves what others see. Proverbs 25:14, “Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.” That is what the old timers called, “big doggin' it.” That is, you're a little puppy trying to be a big dog! So, don't big dog it!!!

If you tell me that I am a good man, that means something tremendously to me. Unfortunately, I cannot tell myself how good I am, because it is not my place to make that determination. I am sure that Playboy magazine founder High Hefner (1926-2017) would have perversely considered himself a good man. But was Hefner a good man? No, he was not! No wicked man who exploits women for money is “good.” Proverbs 12:2, “A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.”

The Apostle Luke referred to Joseph (Jesus' Dad who raised Him, but not His biological father) as a “good man.” Luke 23:50, “And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:”

Some of the people said that Jesus is a “good man,” but others called Him a deceiving lying fraud. John 7:12, “And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.”

The Apostle Luke (who penned the book of Acts) refers to Barnabas as a “good man” in Acts 11:24. “For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.”

Dear reader, it matters what people think and say about us. It matters how we live our life and treat others. Since we are all imperfect people, inherent sinners by nature, we can only attempt to do our best with the Lord's help to live above reproach. However, NO ONE can live above sin! Everyone has a Skeleton Closet (1st John 1:8-10). Albeit, despite whatever sins failures and mistakes we've made in life, by God's grace we ought to rise above our past, and make the best of what time we have remaining in this temporary body. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Amen and amen. Today is the first day of the rest of your life!!!

My goal is not to live to please men; but rather, to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Righteous people call Bible preachers “good” for taking a firm stand against sin; but ungodly fools call Bible preachers “evil” for preaching hard against sin. So the word “good” is actually a relative term, depending on who is using it. Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Proverbs 14:14, “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.” I love that Bible verse! It means that a backslidden man does what HE WANTS! But a good man who desires to please God will do what he knows is right to do, even though it means sacrificing his own ambitions, pleasures and fun. Our nation's prisons are full of unwise men and women who did what THEY WANTED, instead of doing what they knew was the right thing to do. Throughout life, everyone is tested, having to decide continually between good or evil.

Also, oftentimes our choices in life won't be between good or evil, but between good or best. A particular decision may not require you to decide against doing something immoral or wrong, but to make the better choice. For example: A young person may need to choose where to attend college. Although it is not necessarily a sin to attend a more contemporary Bible college (where music and moral standards are lower, et cetera), it is far more better to attend an old-fashioned Bible college (like Commonwealth Baptist College in Lexington, Kentucky) where old-fashioned Christian values are still upheld.

I want people to call me a good man, but I cannot call myself that. I want to live each moment of my life in such a way that glorifies my God and Savior, and people consider me an honest, good and reasonable person as a Christian. There is nothing worse than a Christian who doesn't pay their bills on time, lies to people, cannot be trusted or relied upon, et cetera. Proverbs 25:19, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” Put another way: “People don't care what you know, until they know that you care.” It is so true!

Very few pastors truly care about people. Pastor Jeff Redlin at Pensacola Christian College's (PCC) Campus Church doesn't care about people. He doesn't care about me as a human being. Pastor Redlin has actually banned me (in writing), since August 2, 2022, from attending Campus Church. It didn't matter that I apologized three times in writing, that I humbly offered to do whatever they require to make peace with the PCC camp, they still refuse to let me come back to church. Redlin's belly in his God, whom he serves for a 6-digit annual salary (Romans 16:17-18). Jeff Redlin is not a good man, he is a religious phony, a hypocrite who only cares about the cult at Pensacola Christian College. The Lord will judge between me and PCC. Thank you dear reader for reading my blogs. It humbly means a lot to me.