If God demands that you're good, are you really being good at all?

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   Dustin Staplesposted 12 years ago

   If God demands that you're good, are you really being good at all?
   
   Since everything God commands is coupled with a lavish fiery nightmare it seems like all actions of believers are backed by that self centered fear?

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   NiaLeeposted 12 years ago

   I definitely think I do, though I know I need to keep on going better and better. It is often hard, but the blessings are tremendous. Just the Peace becoming like a river...

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   prayerwomanposted 12 years ago

   Man is not good, he is born sinful and needs relationship with God to become good. The Bible explains in Romans 3: 20-23 that all people have sinned and fall short  of the glory of God.
   
   But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[a] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
   
   This means that we have to obey God's word and follow in obedience the steps that will lead us toward righteousness. We may never reach perfection, because Jesus was the only perfect "human" but we can sin--- less each day as we grow closer to God.

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      lone77starposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Beautifully put, but perfection can be ours if we only ask. What makes it difficult for many people is that ego gets in the way. Humility is the antidote to ego. Faith is the cure.

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      jonnycomelatelyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      " for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
      Your statement sounds very fearful, to me, Prayerwoman.
      "...This means that we have to obey God's word and follow in obedience the steps that will lead us toward righteousness."

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      Dustin Staplesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      john nailed my thought, i was even planning to use his same last quote. Because your only being good to obediently obtain righteousness, are you really being "good"? less than just a sheep looking for shepherding away from a cliff?

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   edhanposted 12 years ago

   Even if God does not want me to be good, I still will be as being good is happiness to me. I have live my life for being good, so it is my free will to be good and enjoy my fruit of life.

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      Dustin Staplesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      An excellent answer! While reading into any buddhist-like philosophies complements all religions well, I see that, that person still misses the real disconnect that buddhism makes in authority of a god and upholding virtues for yourself alone.

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   lone77starposted 12 years ago

   Not necessarily, but not for the reasons you suspect.
   
   Fear is a good motivator for rowdy children. But love is even better. Some children do not respond to love and reason, and must be threatened, especially when they put themselves in danger (touching a hot stove or leaning out of a 20-story window).
   
   Most "good" is relative and not very good at all. Good for the sake of ego is evil. That's why Jesus dismissed the Pharisees. They liked to be viewed as good for their own sakes. It stroked their egos. But ego is the barrier between us and God.
   
   And it seems that ego is the source of all evil. It is the barrier between this world and the realm of creation. Ego is what gives us all of the negatives in life. But it feeds on the positives, too.
   
   Look at it this way. Everything on the vector of any dichotomy is "of this world." You can be very, very bad -- even evil -- or you can be very, very good, but you might still be of this world. If you rely on physical instrumentalities, you are being physical -- Homo sapiens, rather than a non-physical, spiritual and immortal child of God.
   
   True "good" rises above all dichotomy. The Buddhists call this ultimate "good," "paramita" good. Paramita means "perfection" or literally, "the other shore." That other shore is separate from physicality. It is the realm of spirit and creation. This is the realm that made it possible for Jesus to walk on water, and for Peter to join him on the water.
   
   Perfect "good" is like a Zen one-sided coin, untainted by any spot of bad.
   
   Similarly, paramita confidence is perfect confidence. It is creation (cause) rather than perception (effect). This is the confidence to walk on water or to create a universe. Mortal confidence, on the other hand is tempered with imperfect belief. Within every kind of confidence there remains a spot of doubt.
   
   So, when you're talking about being good, make sure you know what kind of good of which you speak. Is it divine "good" (the kind that frequently is anonymous), or is it egotistical "good?"
   
   When you finally understand loving God, fear is no longer necessary. The goal has always been humility which is the antidote to ego. Showing fear can look like humility, but it is a crude and imperfect approximation. Perfect humility makes ego disappear and the true self -- the immortal soul, child of God or Holy Spirit -- awakens.

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      Dustin Staplesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You said "Ego is what gives us all of the negatives in life."
      Bold statement, but maybe you're not making a concrete correlation to Superego and Id? because plenty of evil stems from those, e.g. bad parenting, cognitive dissonance. Great answer tho

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   Cristaleposted 12 years ago

   He demands that we behave, just as a parent would with their children. Fearing God is also just as a child would fear getting into trouble with their parents. This is not a nightmare, just some one who made you and cares for you.

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      Dustin Staplesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The nightmare i was referring to is Hell. It's like your father sending you to hell for not obeying his demands, or a ruler sentencing you to death for your beliefs.

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