I have a friend who is a good man. Like all Christians, he knows the evil in his heart and agrees with the apostle Paul, who said, “evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (Rom 7:21). Evil is always present in the heart, even the heart of the Christian. Part of what makes him a good man is that he has the power to do evil, but he chooses not to act on it. Rather, he chooses to know the Lord and walk with him. It’s not a perfect walk. It never is. And daily confession of sin is a constant (1 John 1:9). But as Christian, he has a new nature too, one that wants to please the Lord, that “joyfully concurs with the law of God in the inner man” (Rom 7:22). The struggle is real and constant, and he daily chooses to pursue good. Again, he can and does sin, but he also humbles himself and, like all growing believers, comes before God’s “throne of grace” in order that he may “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). Of course, what is written here applies to women (except for being a good husband, son, and father).

Those who pursue good, and regularly do good, are good. Those who pursue evil, and regularly do evil, are evil. And the good are always good by choice and never by chance. Likewise, the evil are always evil by choice and never by chance. Solomon said, “A good man will obtain favor from the LORD, but He will condemn a man who devises evil” (Prov 12:2). The wicked are those who hate the Lord and devise evil against others, and they are always among us, like tares among the wheat. The wicked exploit the weak and kill the innocent. The Bible tells us “God is good” (Psa 73:1; cf. Psa 86:5). And the psalmist says of the Lord, “You are good and do good” (Psa 119:68). The Old Testament, in several places, mentions the “good man” (Heb. טוֹב tov; cf., Prov 13:22; 14:14; Eccl 9:2). Delitzsch states, “the good man is thus a man who acts according to the ruling motive of self-sacrificing love.”^[1] And Waltke adds, “Whoever strives for wisdom through knowledge is a good person because he contributes to the community’s well-being out of his unfailing kindness. In the highest court of appeal, he obtains favor from the Lord, Who the source of all good (Mark 10:18; Gal 5:22; Jam 1:17).”^[2] In another place the psalmist wrote, “Do good, O LORD, to those who are good and to those who are upright in their hearts” (Psa 125:4).

Jesus said that good people will manifest what fills their heart, saying, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45; cf. Matt 12:35; Rom 5:7). There are good people. They choose what fills their heart, and they act accordingly.

In the book of Acts, Luke tells us about a man named Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). When the church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch (Acts 11:22), it is said that “when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:23-24).

Of some of the Christians living in Rome, the apostle Paul said, “I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another” (Rom 15:14). And to Christians living in Ephesus, he said, “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph 5:8-10).

A good man, in the biblical sense, is a man who models his life after Christ. He is a Christian in the fullest sense of the word. He is, first and foremost, in a relationship with the Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, and has been born again into a new life (1 Pet 1:3). He puts on “a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col 3:12), and denies “ungodliness and worldly desires” and lives “sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Tit 2:12). He continually studies Scripture in order to live God’s will (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), and strives toward spiritual maturity (2 Tim 3:16-17; Eph 4:11-16). He regards others as more important than himself and looks out for their interests (Phil 2:3-4). He is filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) and walks in the Spirit (Gal 5:16). He lives in fellowship with God (1 John 1:5-7), trusting Him to guide and sustain him in all things. His life is being transformed, to think and act less like the world (Rom 12:1-2), and to conform to the image of the One who saved him (Rom 8:29).  He does not love the world (1 John 2:15-17), but shows gracious love to his enemies who live in the world (Matt 5:43-45; Rom 12:19-21). He shows love within the body of Christ (1 Th 4:9; 1 John 3:23), and helps the needy, widows and orphans (Jam 1:27). As a son, he honors his father and mother (Eph 6:1-3), as a husband, he loves his wife as Christ loves the church, providing, protecting, and honoring her always (Eph 5:25; Col 3:19; 1 Pet 3:7), and as a father, he teaches his children the ways of the Lord (Eph 6:4; cf. Deut 6:5-7). These are not all the characteristics of the good Christian man, but they are among the most important.

We choose what enters our heart, and what fills the heart becomes manifest in the life, either as good or evil. Wisdom says, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23). As God’s people, let us always strive to be good and do good, that we may be called good, by the Lord and those who know Him.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

• The Gospel Explained
• The Woman of Excellence 
• Biblical Self-Talk  
• When God’s People Sin
• The Worthless Person
• The Sin that Leads to Death 
• The Doctrine of Simultaneity 
• My Christian Identity and Calling  
• Walking with God 
• The Christian with Integrity 
• Advancing to Spiritual Maturity
• Knowing and Doing the Will of God
• The High Calling of God’s Servant
• The Life of Faith
• The Righteous Lifestyle of the Believer
• A Role Model for Believers

^[1] Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 6 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 182.

^[2] Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2004), 520.