This month in our nation’s capital, Christmas has turned into a war of ideologies waged on the side of buses. An atheist ad on many area buses reads: “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness sake.”
The confrontational ad begs us to address the question: Can anyone be good, ‘for goodness sake?’ Psalm 14 answers this question with a resounding, “NO!” Instead the Psalmist’s indictment of man is that he is: corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven … to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. This provides an accurate report of the condition of man; he is radically corrupt and depraved. The very concept of goodness, can only is only defined by God, and as such, He is the basis of all human goodness; therefore, the absence of God is the necessary absence of good. This is a great offense to the atheist who considers himself good. The question is though, what they mean by “good.” Generally they use a subjective sliding scale to measure goodness – it is whatever they deem goodness to be. But ‘goodness’ is objective; it is based upon timeless standards of truth and nature of God. Psalms 25:8 says, Good and upright is the LORD. God’s goodness is not even ‘for goodness’ sake,’ but for His name’s sake. In Exodus 34:6, God reveals His name to Moses: “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth …” There is only good because there is God, and man may only at best, reflect the brightness of that goodness off of the black darkness of his own soul.
