Good without God?

Back in October of last year in New York around the time when Greg Epstein’s book Good without God was released, there was an advertising campaign with the slogan “A Million New Yorkers are Good Without God.  Are you?”  (More about it here:  http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/good-without-god-atheist-subway-ads-proclaim/)  (This summer, I saw some signs that I suppose were done in response to this advertising saying, “I am good with God.”  (More about this here: http://www.goodwithgod.org/thecampaign.html).

So in thinking about this, I wasn’t thinking of whether I think people are good with or without God because I believe what the Bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  None of us is good without God.  People are imperfect and are incapable of being perfect.  And because of this we deserved a separation from God [death]:  “For the wages of sin is death.” But instead, God gave us the greatest gift:  “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  And so Jesus exchanged His righteousness for our unrighteousness and He paid the penalty for our sins.  So now, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus’ righteousness and not our unrighteousness.  Because of Jesus we were made righteous.

But anyways, I digress.  What I was thinking was okay, so people who are not Christians say that they are “good without God.”  But I wonder, how many people in the Christian community, in how they live their lives, are saying the same?  Perhaps they are not broadcasting it our saying it out loud, but how many people’s lives are demonstrating the exact same thing?  How many Christians are trying to become “good” people without God’s power?  How many people are focusing on conforming to society’s standards of “good” behavior or conforming to the church’s standards of “good” behavior, rather than abiding in God, remaining in Him, and being transformed from the inside out and bearing much fruit?  How many Christians are trying to perform, perform, perform for other people and for God?  How many people are trying to live the Christian life out of their own power and strength?  Instead of remaining in the vine as it says in John 15.  Or how many people rely on their strategies and their methods to try to see life change in people rather than depending upon God? 


I know I’ve definitely seen this in my own life.  Those are the times when I think the Christian life is so difficult.  Those are the times when I realize of course it’s difficult because I’m not relying on God to do the transformation.  I’m trying so hard to change the outside through my actions, when it’s my heart that really needs the transformation.  It’s in those times that I need to remind myself of Jesus’ words in John 15:5—“I am the vine, you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Taking Things Day By Day

Exodus 16—Manna and Quail

The Israelites left Egypt and were in the dessert. At this point, they were starving. They thought back to the times when they were in Egypt and had all the food they wanted. Now, they were blaming Aaron and Moses, saying “…you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Exodus 16:10—While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.

God provided. He heard their grumbling and provided them with bread each day, with the exception of the Sabbath. On non-Sabbath days, the Israelites were to eat as much as they wanted on that day, but they could not keep the manna overnight because it would become filled with maggots and would reek. I think God might have done this to develop the Israelites faith day-by-day. It also caused the Israelites to run to God each day and remember Him. (It is in times of excess when we are more tempted to forget about God.) Each day they had to trust Him for that day’s bread. Each day they had to trust that God would provide.

I think that it is similar in following God throughout our lives. Many of us want to have everything mapped out from beginning to end. We want to know where we will be five, ten, twenty, fifty years in the future. Instead of promising us the map, God promises us His presence. He wants us to take it day-by-day. He wants us to trust Him every step of the way. He wants us to run to Him each day.  It would be so easy to forget about Him if we had the map, saying, "Well, I know where I'm going, no need to consult God."

One of the verses I like that speaks of following God is Psalm 119:105:

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path.

Someone once pointed out to me that if you put a lamp to your feet, you can only see where you will take your next step. That’s what it is like in following God—you only see enough to take your next step. I think sometimes God reveals more than just one step, but oftentimes it is only a step. But that’s what faith is—trusting that God isn’t going to lead you off a cliff if you follow Him.