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A Good Man
February 2, 2013

Every so often you will hear somebody called a good man or woman. While this title is used casually today, the concept was addressed thousands of years ago. Even Jesus discussed the idea of a good man and based his thoughts on writings from the Book of Proverbs.

Luke 6:37-49
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Jesus explained much in these verses. He showed how our treatment of others will be returned to us. When we treat others kindly, we will be treated kindly. He adds that the ability to help others is to first see where and how we need help. When it comes to identifying a good man or woman, Jesus shows that what we talk about the most is who we are. If we talk about that which is good, then our heart leans to good, and if we talk about evil, our heart leans to evil. For Jesus, the test of good and evil is obedience to his teachings, because without obedience to the teachings of Jesus, everything we believe is built on a shaky foundation that will quickly collapse. Too often, what we believe is based on the teachings of men based on what they think the Bible says. It is important for each of us to understand what the Bible says and of even greater importance, to obey the teachings of Jesus. This is what Barnabus did, and he was thought of as a good man.

Acts 11:19-26
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Who was this Barnabus? The Book of Acts shows in earlier chapters that he pledged and sold his possessions so that all could could equally share. Unlike others who met an untimely death because they secretly withheld money from their pledge, Barnabus gave all that he pledged. Later Barnabus would help with the preaching of the gospel, yet he would never write an epistle that would become part of the Bible, nor was an epistle written to him that became part of the Bible. We know little about Barnabus and that he was a good man. It was because of Barnabus that Paul came to Antioch and it was at Antioch that we were first called Christians. Because he was a good man and filled with the Holy Spirit, because he obeyed the teachings of Jesus, God was able to use Barnabus to add many to the church. Honesty and obedience are tests of a good man or woman, and there is yet a third test to consider.

Proverbs 14:14
The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

The third test of a good man or woman is what they do. An evil person will do what they want to do again, and again, without regard for others. A good man or woman will understand the need to obey God and the teachings of Jesus and will obey. Some modern translations read that a good man shall be satisfied from above.Those who intend to do good are generally viewed favorably. We know that these intentions can be used for good or for evil, and that a good man or woman knows intentions must leadto doing good so thatwe are able to celebrate what is good, embrace what is good, and do what is good.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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