{"id":14015,"date":"2026-03-01T06:14:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=14015"},"modified":"2026-03-01T06:14:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:14:27","slug":"can-we-be-good-enough-to-please-god","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/can-we-be-good-enough-to-please-god","title":{"rendered":"CAN WE BE GOOD ENOUGH TO PLEASE GOD?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

\u201cAnd Jesus said to him, \u2018Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.\u2019\u201d (Mark 10:18 ESV).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In his Gospel, Mark recorded this encounter between Jesus and a rich young ruler. The man had addressed Jesus as \u201cGood Teacher,\u201d likely as a respectful compliment. Yet Jesus immediately responded by questioning his use of the word \u201cgood.\u201d Writing to believers who were learning what true discipleship meant, Mark showed that Jesus was not denying His own goodness or deity. Instead, He was challenging the man to think more deeply about what he was saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Jewish understanding, absolute goodness belonged to God alone. By stating that only God is truly good, Jesus forced the young ruler to examine his assumptions. If only God is good, then calling Jesus \u201cgood\u201d carried profound implications about His identity. At the same time, Jesus exposed the man\u2019s misplaced confidence in his own moral record. The ruler believed he had kept the commandments and was seeking assurance of eternal life through his own goodness. Jesus redirected him from self-righteous accomplishment to the reality that no one can be good enough to meet God\u2019s perfect standard. The verse served as a teaching moment: true goodness is only found fully in God, and eternal life comes not through human merit but through surrender to the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are often tempted to measure goodness on a sliding scale, comparing ourselves to others and concluding that we are \u201cgood enough.\u201d But Jesus\u2019 words remind us that God\u2019s goodness is absolute, holy, and unmatched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After hearing Jesus\u2019 teaching about salvation, the disciples later asked in Mark 10:26, \u201cThen who can be saved?\u201d That question rises naturally in our own hearts. If only God is truly good, and we fall short of His perfect standard, what hope do we have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is not found in improved behavior or religious devotion. We are saved only by grace through faith in Christ, who provides what we lack. His perfect righteousness is imputed to us when we trust in Him. We stand before God not on the basis of our goodness, but clothed in Christ\u2019s righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We cannot be good enough to please God by our efforts. Instead of clinging to self-righteous confidence, we must humbly depend on God’s grace. When we confess that only God is truly good, we are invited to recognize Jesus for who He is and to trust Him fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, forgive us when we rely on our own goodness instead of Yours. Forgive us for comparing ourselves to others and assuming we measure up. Open our eyes to Your perfect holiness. Teach us to abandon self-righteousness and depend fully on Your grace. Help us to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, resting in His righteousness alone. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnd Jesus said to him, \u2018Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.\u2019\u201d (Mark 10:18 ESV). In his Gospel, Mark recorded this encounter between Jesus and a rich young ruler. The man had addressed Jesus as \u201cGood Teacher,\u201d likely as a respectful compliment. Yet Jesus immediately responded by questioning his<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1308],"scripture-chapter":[1343],"oyb_day":[1587],"location":[],"class_list":["post-14015","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-mark","scripture-chapter-1343","oyb_day-march-1"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14015"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14015"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14015"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14015"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=14015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}