Jesus: The Absolutely Good God
A text that is often appealed to by those seeking to deny Jesus’ Deity is the one where a rich man calls Christ good:
“And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’” Mark 10:17-18 – Cf. Matt. 19:16-17; Luke 18:18-19
The Lord’s response is taken as a denial of his Divinity, since it is interpreted to mean that he was denying being good.
I will prove here that this is the opposite meaning of Christ’s response. I will show that Jesus claims to do the things, which God alone is able to do, and is therefore God.
Take, for, instance, the following words of our Lord:
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 – Cf. Matt. 20:28
“And while they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’” Mark 14:22-24 – Cf. Matt. 26:26-28
Here, Jesus does what he had previously told his disciples that no man is able to do, but God alone:
“‘You know the commandments, “Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.”’ And he said to Him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.’ And looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
“And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ And they were even more astonished, saying to Him, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Looking at them, Jesus said, ‘With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.’” Mark 10:19-27 – Cf. Matt. 19:18-26; Luke 18:20-27
After telling the rich man that he must give up his riches to follow him, Jesus astonishes the disciples with his claim about how hard it will be for the wealthy to enter the kingdom. Their question regarding who can be saved leads Jesus to remark that salvation is something impossible for humans to attain, which is why God has to save a person.
The Old Testament concurs:
“Truly, no man can redeem his brother; He cannot give to God a ransom for him—For the redemption price for their soul is costly, And it ceases forever—That he should live on eternally, That he should not see corruption... As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume, Far away from his habitation. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.” Psalm 49:7-9, 14-15
The fact that Christ states that he offers his very own life as a ransom to save many human lives shows that he is clearly making himself out to be God. Seeing that it is impossible for a man to save himself, let alone someone else, which is why God must redeem the souls of humans, Jesus must therefore be God if he is to save anyone. If he was merely human then it would be impossible for him to save himself, since he would also be in need of God to redeem his soul.
Note how this works out logically:
God alone is good.
God alone is able to save and redeem human lives, since man is incapable of saving himself.
Jesus saves and redeems a multitude of human lives.
Jesus must therefore be God.
Since Jesus is God he must therefore be absolutely good.
The Synoptics provide further evidence that Jesus is absolutely good:
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
“But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:18-23
Jesus again does what the OT attributes to YHWH God alone:
“If You should keep iniquities, O Yah, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, That You may be feared... O Israel, wait for Yahweh; For with Yahweh there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And it is He who will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.” Psalm 130:3-4, 7-8
Since no one is exempt from judgment, seeing that all have sinned, God must therefore choose to forgive if there is to be any hope for creation. Since God has chosen to act in mercy, he therefore is the One who redeems Israel from their iniquities.
Once again, if Jesus were merely human then he too would be a sinner in need of God’s redemption. Instead, he himself is the Savior who comes to save his people from all their transgressions. Christ must therefore be YHWH God Incarnate, which is precisely what Jesus’ Hebrew name Jesus means. I.e., Yeshua is Hebrew for “YHWH is salvation”.
In fact, this is precisely the reason that the angel gave for naming him Jesus, since he himself tells Joseph that the virgin born Son of Mary will personally save his people from their sins.
Furthermore, Christ possesses the authority to forgive sins:
“And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. And being unable to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof over where He was; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the mat where the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Child, your sins are forgiven.’ But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”
“Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”; or to say, “Get up, and pick up your mat and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your mat, and go to your home.’ And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’” Mark 2:1-12
“Then He said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven.’ And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man who even forgives sins?’ And He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” Luke 7:48-50
Even the scribes realized that only God forgives sins, which means that Jesus was clearly making himself out to be God.
In fact, Christ is again exhibiting the very characteristics, which the Hebrew Bible ascribes to YHWH alone:
“then listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men.” 1 Kings 8:39
“Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” Psalm 44:21
“Bless Yahweh, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless Yahweh, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;” Psalm 103:1-4
Notice how Christ, like YHWH, knows the hearts of men, forgives all sins, and heals all diseases.
Jesus would not possess these traits if he were merely human, since humans are sinners who depend on God’s compassionate to be spared from God’s wrath:
“When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; and if they cause these things to return to their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and return and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; and if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; 49 then listen in heaven Your dwelling place to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and give them over as objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them.” 1 Kings 8:46-50
“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, And He has not rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, So Yahweh has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our form; He remembers that we are but dust.” Psalm 103:10-14
Moreover, God the Father testifies that Jesus is his beloved Son who pleases him:
“Now it happened that in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’” Mark 1:9-11
“And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three booths, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!’” Mark 9:2-7 – Cf. Matt. 17:1-5; Luke 9:28-35
Even holy angels, unclean spirits, and apostles/disciples acknowledge that Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One:
“And immediately there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, ‘What do we have to do with You, Jesus the Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’” Mark 1:23-24
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of His kingdom.’
“But Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:26-35
“But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.” Acts 3:14-15
“And which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;” Acts 7:52
“And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from His mouth.’” Acts 22:14
The collective testimony of all these beings shows that Jesus is absolutely good, and therefore must be God in nature.
The following syllogism will help the readers see this more clearly:
God alone is absolutely good, holy and righteous.
Jesus is absolutely good, holy and righteous.
Jesus, therefore, is God.
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