I am sorry it has taken so long to continue my series. Life has been really hectic lately but I continue to think about what exactly it means to walk in the Spirit.
This particular fruit is interesting to me. Romans 3:12 tells us, “There is none that does good; no not one.” Jesus said the same thing in Mark 10:18 and yet “goodness” is one of the fruits that we are to have if we are full of the Spirit. So what does it mean to be good?
In our humanity, we are vile, sinful, selfish creatures. It is only with God’s help that we have any goodness in us. When we come to know God, He teaches us to love others. As we learn to love others, we become more selfless. That is when the goodness of God begins to show through.
I realize that there are “good” people who do not know the Lord but without His Spirit, your goodness avails nothing. Only with God’s Spirit will we exhibit the goodness that leads to life and Godliness.
Christ Alone Wyoming 
Precision in our communications is imperative. Being good or practicing good according to who? According to Jesus, according to Psalm 53 no such person except Jesus has ever lived.
The typical person defines good according to mans standards. This is a false and dangerous concept. While your first paragraph is very praiseworthy and virtually faultless, it is I believe unintentionally somewhat muddied by your second paragraph. God and mankind define good very differently. The English language does a great disservice by limiting our options when expressing such concepts.
When God works through us when we are acting out of supreme love for God then and only then, in Gods eyes, can it be acknowledged as being good.
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@T I Miller ” Being good or practicing good according to who? According to Jesus, according to Psalm 53 no such person except Jesus has ever lived.”
According to the word of God!
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
I thought this post was clear in balancing our responsibility to walk in the goodness that comes from Christ while acknowledging that such walking (doing good) in itself is only possible through Christ. This reminds me of a story Paul Washer tells where he is out with a group of calvinists at lunch. The recently converted waiter gets excited when he sees they have Bibles and tells them how he ‘found Jesus and got saved’. Paul Washer looks at their faces and says ‘I know what you are thinking – he didn’t say it right – but better to have it and not explain it perfectly then to be able to explain it perfectly and not have it’ *paraphrase. I am also reminded of Jonathon Edwards who didn’t fear of speaking on mans works reflecting his faith but rather feared for professing calvinists who exalted themselves to the heavens in their knowledge of their doctrines, of whom he considered to be religious hypocrites.
I hope I have been precise in my communications with you.
– jim
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