What is a good person?

[JMJ_coder]

Very often we hear that ‘even if Person A did this or that, they are still a good person’, or that ‘I don’t need religion to be a good person’, etc.

How do you define what it means to be a good person? And why should your definition be considered valid?

 

[dmccormack]

The question of if Person A is good seems to be rather easy. However there is no easy answer. First we would have to define good. One could say that good is all things that please God. Therefore if one does an act against the will of God then it would be bad. Can a good man commit a bad deed and still be considered good? And is the man that says that he does not need religion to be a good man? I would like to deal with later first then com back to the other.

The man that says he does not need religion to be good has some truth to it. One could do things pleasing to God with out going a religious institution; ex. praying, giving to the needy, and living by the Commandments. To this person I would pose the question, if you are striving to be good and being good is pleasing God, then why not go to church, which is formed by Jesus? Furthermore, do you think God would form an institution that He did not want everyone to use? If he doesn’t go to church, then he would be directly going against what God wants, thus committing something that is bad. The good thing for this man is that God is forgiving to sinners and in the end he could be forgiven if he truly sees the err in his ways.

Now for the man that does something bad, but still says he is good. The difficulty of saying that he isn’t good, is that from time to time we all fall into something that in one way or another is ‘bad.’ From this logic we all, in some way or another, have bad tendencies that we need to pray over. So person A may be good, but like us all, has things that he needs to over come.
I hope this helps and if there is anything that doesn’t help let me know

 

[yablabo]

Very often we hear that ‘even if Person A did this or that, they are still a good person’, or that ‘I don’t need religion to be a good person’, etc.

How do you define what it means to be a good person? And why should your definition be considered valid?

I would define what it means to be a good person by defining what the word “good” means, and what the word “person” means. Then, I would logically conclude what the term “good person” means by connecting the concept labeled by the word “good” to the concept labeled by the word “person.” If I did this correctly I would have the essential concept of what a “person” is and the means to determine if that being’s actual existence fulfilled what is necessary to be “good.”

While this approach does not spell out whether these terms would be defined by objective or subjective means, or even what such a definition might be, as long as their definition was made upon what can be certainly known in a logically correct manner, then the concluding definition would be valid even if it did not agree with current use, which is yet another consideration in good definition, yet not one that is required for a valid definition.

My response answers your inquiry, yet you may not be satisfied because you do not seek the method, but rather the determination of what is a “good person.” While that is not a difficult answer, the formulation of the foundational understanding leading to a valid answer can be quite lengthy, and will be of use only to the degree that you believe it is formulated upon what is real.

It would be my pleasure to discuss this with you, but I would prefer to do this by a private means, although you are free to show our correspondence to whom ever you desire. You’re welcome to send me a private message as you desire.

– Nicole

 

[Cling2Cross]

We are told this in the scriptures…

"As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” " (Romans 3:10-12, NKJV)

We are told by Christ in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18 that nobody is good but God…God is the ultimately measure of goodness for He is the fountain of all goodness. So, nobody is good. This is why we all must be born again and be on the road to becoming like Christ - which is not going to happen until the saints are glorified.

But, at the point of salvation - justification - a person is in Christ and is legally declared righteous on the basis of Christ’s life and death - dead to the law (Romans 7:1-4) - dead to the power and penalty of sin. So, born again Christians are seen as righteous after having received of the gift of righteousness - but yet going through the process of sanctification.

 

[AJTheMan]

A good person is someone who practices the Golden Rule:

“do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you”

How do I define a good person? As I said, someone who practices the Golden rule. The golden rule is one of the only ideas that has spread across to all cultures and religions, regardless of the region. The Golden Rule can be found everywhere.

Why is my definition valid? My definition is valid to me. Why? Because it embodies my ideal.

 

[Cling2Cross]

A good person is someone who practices the Golden Rule:

“do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you”

How do I define a good person? As I said, someone who practices the Golden rule. The golden rule is one of the only ideas that has spread across to all cultures and religions, regardless of the region. The Golden Rule can be found everywhere.

Why is my definition valid? My definition is valid to me. Why? Because it embodies my ideal.

We must see what God says…not what a man says. We must search the scriptures, therefore, to learn this. Nobody is good but God.

 

[AJTheMan]

We must see what God says…not what a man says. We must search the scriptures, therefore, to learn this. Nobody is good but God.

It is possible to be good without God. We just have to learn to become independent from him. Christians call God a father and us his children. Alas, however, every child eventually becomes independent from his father and leaves the house in search of a new life. Every child goes to college, gets a job, makes a new family.

Then again, we all have different experiences. My experiences have told me that if I wait for God to help me, I’ll die from waiting. So I’ve become independent.

Just like a child leaves his father for family life so I have left to become independent from the so called Father himself, God. If I wait for his help, then I will be waiting a very long time.

I respect your beliefs, however. I’m just saying what my experience with God has been.

 

[Cling2Cross]

It is possible to be good without God. We just have to learn to become independent from him. Christians call God a father and us his children. Alas, however, every child eventually becomes independent from his father and leaves the house in search of a new life. Every child goes to college, gets a job, makes a new family.

Then again, we all have different experiences. My experiences have told me that if I wait for God to help me, I’ll die from waiting. So I’ve become independent.

Just like a child leaves his father for family life so I have left to become independent from the so called Father himself, God. If I wait for his help, then I will be waiting a very long time.

I respect your beliefs, however. I’m just saying what my experience with God has been.

You do not have any experience with God if you believe that you can be good without God. You do not understand God’s standard in this case nor do you understand that the Scriptures show us the only way we can be saved - which is through repenting and trusting in Christ and Him alone for salvation…forsaking all to follow Him. You must realize as God told us…

as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” (Romans 3:10-12 NAS95)

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; (Romans 3:19 NAS95)

We have all sinned - are all as an unclean thing and…

…And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6 NAS95)

Good deeds done outside of salvation are not good deeds.

My friend, you must bow to Christ as Lord and Savior…

 

[AJTheMan]

Ah, that’s not fair, now is it?

That would be like me commanding you to take refuge into the Buddha.

 

[survive]

I don’t believe in good people and bad people, with only a handful of obvious exceptions. Almost everyone on Earth is a person, plain and simple. Different parts of our personalities are good, bad and neutral. At different times we allow the bad to prevail, go neutrally through a situation, or choose the good and reject the bad. We are called to extinguish the bad and develop the good, and we need the grace of God and instruction to do so. The Lord Jesus Christ gives us that grace if we invite Him to and allow him to.

 

[TEPO]

Very often we hear that ‘even if Person A did this or that, they are still a good person’, or that ‘I don’t need religion to be a good person’, etc.

How do you define what it means to be a good person? And why should your definition be considered valid?

The Meaning of life is to become “the best version of yourself.”
We all have, at any given time, the ability “to choose to be the best version of ourself or some second rate version”. -Matthew Kelly

matthewkelly.org/bookstore.html

I beg you to read Matthew Kelly’s book “Perfectly Yourself”, you can borrow it at your local library.
it changed my life.
He is an excellent Catholic Author!

Another Great book is the “7 habits of highly effective people”… By Stephen Covey.

Everyone needs Morals and core values in their life to stay on track. The problem with Todays world is that it overlooks the value of honesty in human Character; which comes from God.