Sproul: "Jesus was not denying His deity"

The goodness of God is another moral attribute that we are called to emulate, though the Scriptures give a grim description of our ability in this regard. A rich young ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responded, “Why do you call me good?

No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:17–18). Jesus was not denying His deity here, but simply asserting the ultimate goodness of God. Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul, quoting the psalmist, says, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10).

In our fallen condition, we do not imitate or reflect this aspect of God’s character. Yet believers are called to a life of good works, so with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can grow in goodness and reflect this aspect of God’s nature.

R. C. Sproul, Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2014), 67–68.

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