Be Good, Andrew!

By Andrew Beasley       Be good, Andrew! I heard that phrase often when I was young. Many times, those words would be spoken to me when I was doing something in Bible class or worship that I should not have been doing. Eventually, I learned to be good to avoid the consequences of not being good. I did not want to be grounded, spanked, or have things that I enjoyed taken from me. Frequently this is the mentality that is associated with goodness today, this idea that we do what is right simply to avoid being punished. But this does not reflect Biblical goodness.     Strongs defines the Greek word for goodness (agathosune) to mean an uprightness of heart and life. When we strive to be good, or do good, only for our benefit it is not truly goodness as the Bible defines it. When we act out of Biblical goodness, then we are obedient to God’s commands and act not just for our own benefit but for the benefit of others as well. We become selfless rather than selfish? Sounds a little bit like our savior, Jesus, doesn’t it?

- Andrew Beasley serves as a minister with the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://nwchurchofchrist.com/about/