And he said unto him, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
(Matthew 19:17)
(John Gill's Exposition)
Matthew 19:17-22. He said, "Why callest thou me good?"
— [Whom thou regardest merely as a prophet sent from God, and therefore supposest to be only a man]
"there is none good — Supremely, originally, essentially, but God."
"And he said unto him"
[By way of reply, first taking notice of, and questioning him about, the epithet he gave him:]
"why callest thou me good?"
[not that he denied that he was so; for he was good, both as God and man, in his divine and human natures; in all his offices, and the execution of them; he was goodness itself, and did good, and nothing else but good.]
But the reason of the question is, because this young man considered Him only as a mere man, and gave Him this character as such; and which, in comparison of God, the fountain of all goodness, agrees with no mere man: wherefore our Lord's view is, by His own language; and from His own words, to instruct him in the knowledge of His proper deity.Some copies read, "why dost thou ask me concerning good". And so the Vulgate Latin, and the Ethiopic versions, and Munster's Hebrew Gospel read; but the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, read as we do, and this the answer of Christ requires.]
"There is none good but one, that is God;"
[who is originally, essentially, independently, infinitely, and immutably good, and the author and source of all goodness; which cannot be said of any mere creature. This is to be understood of God considered essentially, and not personally; or it is to be understood, not of the person of the Father, to the exclusion of the Son, or Spirit: who are one God with the Father, and equally good in nature as He.]
Look first at three chapters earlier:
15 “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!
For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.(Matthew 16:15-17)
John 8:56-59
56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
When did Abram see Jesus? Two thousand years before!
Genesis 15:17: "After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses."
Who were these "two" who together are called God as they confirm Abram's covenant?
Finally, in moving between the two halves of the animals, "God" is apparently finalizing the agreement between Himself and His people through Abram. This aspect, in particular, is important for its symbolism. Scholars suggest that this ritual — passing between the halves of sacrificed animals—was meant to imply a binding oath on those who participated. By walking between the animals, the person was accepting that same destruction if they broke their end of the bargain. Pointedly, note that Abram does not pass between the halves —
only God does, via the symbolism of the smoking pot and flaming torch. The promise God has made here is entirely dependent on His will and His work.
quote=Canuckus Deploracus]Firstly, my gratitude to all who have engaged with me over the past year...I have learned much and discovered even more that I never knew I never knew
Secondly, I don't mean this thread to be a challenge to anyone's beliefs...Nor as a condemnation of those who have beliefs differing from mine...
Lastly, I would like to state my intent on this thread is to learn...I seek understanding... As such I intend to abide by the same rule I used on my "Definitions" threads...I will ask questions, but not challenge the claims made by responders...
God bless you all....
Matthew 19 is one of my favorite parts of the NT... It has provoked much thought on numerous subjects... And I find that as time goes by my love of it grows ever stronger...
Perhaps this is because I am a teacher, and have always viewed Christ as a teacher... Especially when he is engaging with people one on one... A teacher is far more effective when dealing with pupils on a personal basis...
For the first of my threads dealing with Matthew 19 I would like to look at a passage that deals with a controversy that we have been discussing at some length this past half year... Trinitarianism vs Unitarianism...
Matthew 19:16-17
19:16
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
19:17
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
I love the entire premise behind this passage... A young man being graced with the opportunity to ask of Christ a question..And such a perfect question as well...(I'd like to think that I would have asked the same question...But there's a good chance I would have wasted mine inquiring as to the workings of the water into wine miracle
)
That, before he responds to the question, Christ takes the time to gently rebuke the young man... Claiming that only God should be considered good...
And finally, that Christ provides an answer demonstrating exactly where the faith of the young man was more in conflict..
I would like to focus on the part where Christ apparently makes a clear distinction between himself and God...
I am interested as to the various understandings my brothers on the OPP have considering this passage... And look forward to growing in the sharing of these understandings...
Once again...Gratitude...And God bless...[/quote]