How Would God Describe You?
By Dennis Pollock
Sometimes we see an interview where a celebrity is asked to describe himself or herself in a few words. Or perhaps they are asked how they want to be remembered. Usually, they try to maintain the delicate balance between being positive about themselves and yet humble. Few people will ever describe themselves as a horrible person or a jerk. Even jerks don't like to think they are jerks! They would rather think of themselves as high-spirited or that they just "don't suffer fools gladly." But of course, any description we might give ourselves is almost always going to be highly colored and not especially objective.
But what would God say if He were to describe you? We know God cannot lie and never exaggerates, so whatever He might say would be perfectly true and accurate. We might suppose that with God's honesty, He would have little good to say about anyone. After all, we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God.
But strangely, God does say some positive things about certain people in the Bible. In this study, we will consider some of the individuals who receive significant commendations from their Creator. Keep in mind that when we read the Bible, we are discovering the mind of God and hearing from the Holy Spirit. God's words in the Holy Scriptures are not opinions or attitudes – they are absolute truth. When we read, for example, "The LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce," (Malachi 2:16) we must acknowledge that this is not merely the opinion of Malachi, who penned those words. This is how God feels about the matter.
Likewise, when God says something positive about someone, we know He is not simply giving a gratuitous compliment. It is impossible for God to lie or exaggerate. With that in mind, let us look at a few individuals in the Bible who were spoken of highly by the God who holds the universe in His hands.
"More Than Many"
In the little book of Nehemiah, we read how God used the author of this book to help rebuild the broken-down walls that surrounded Jerusalem after they had been demolished during the siege by the Babylonians. After completing the task, it was time for Nehemiah to return to his previous home and position in serving the king. He needed to place someone in charge of Jerusalem, and wrote:
I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. (Nehemiah 7:2)
Here is quite a commendation. Hananiah is said to have two very positive attributes. First, he was a faithful man. Faithful means reliable and consistent to do whatever is asked of you. You work hard, you work well, and you do it every day, year after year. But Hananiah was more than a good worker. The second reason Nehemiah gave him responsibility over Jerusalem is that he "feared God more than many." This man had a respect for God, a passion for God, and a fear of God that surpassed the average Israelite. Let's face it – some people are much more devout, more spiritual, and more conscientious toward God than others. Hananiah seemed to be in the upper tier of the Israelites. Using Nehemiah's words, he "feared God more than many."
A Good Man
The second man we will look at is Barnabas, one of the leaders of the early church in the Book of Acts. Barnabas gets his name mentioned in sermons here and there. I have hardly ever heard anyone speak about the compliment he receives in the Scriptures. Barnabas gets such high praise that many hardly know what to think of this and end up saying nothing. What is this amazing statement of commendation? In the Book of Acts, we read this about Barnabas: "For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." (Acts 11:24). This is a shocking statement. Many Christians would have to check their Bibles to make sure this is even in the Bible, and yet here it is, plainly said. Most Christians would not mind that Luke describes Barnabas as full of the Holy Spirit. Nor would it bother them to read that he was full of faith. But being "a good man?" That is a shocker!
The apostle Paul, in the Book of Romans, writes: "There is none who does good, no, not one." (Romans 3:12). And Jesus told the rich, young ruler: "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." (Luke 18:19). And yet, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Luke describes Barnabas as a good man? How can this be?
To me, the answer is obvious. There are two ways of looking at people: in the ultimate sense and the comparative and general sense. In the ultimate sense, nobody is ever 100% good. I'm not, you're not, Paul was not, Moses was not, and Mary, the mother of Jesus was not. Only Jesus was perfect and 100% good. The rest of us have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. But in a more general and comparative sense, there are good and bad people. When Luke writes that Barnabas was a good man, he used the comparative sense. Compared to most men of those days (or these days) Barnabas was a very good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. We speak the same way today. We have all said of certain people we know: "He (or she) is a good guy (or woman)." We do not mean that this person is perfect and without sin, never losing their patience, never getting annoyed, and entirely without fault. We mean, by our estimation, they are, to paraphrase Nehemiah's words, "better than most."
Walking Blameless
Another example of this comparative sense is found in what is written about John the Baptist's parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth. In Luke, we read: "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." (Luke 1:6). If hearing that Barnabas was a good man is startling, this is incredible: "walking in all the commandments of the Lord blameless?" Who does that? Once again, the only possible explanation is that this godly couple was about as blameless as is humanly possible. Zacharias and Elizabeth were a decent couple who took God seriously and diligently kept His commands. Were they shining examples of divine perfection? No. Only Jesus is that. But in their humanity, they lived daily with integrity, decency, and uprightness, as much as humans with a fallen nature can do. Like Barnabas, they were good people, faithful to God, to each other, and to responsibilities.
There are others in the Bible to whom very high praise is given. Noah was called: "a just man, perfect in his generations." (Genesis 6:9). Cornelius was described as: "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household." (Acts 10:2). Job was said to be: "blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil." (Job 1:1). Mary, the mother of Jesus was told by the angel: "You have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30). David was called "a man after God's own heart." (1 Samuel 13:14). Jesus said that Nathaniel was "an Israelite in whom is no deceit." (John 1:47).
So What?
By now you may be saying, "Ok, Dennis. I hear what you are saying. But what's the point? Some people are better than others. So what?" The point is this: When people learn from the Bible that we are all sinners saved by grace, some mistakenly assume this relieves them of the need to make any efforts to do good or behave themselves. Their idea is: "I'm a sinner, you're a sinner, we're all sinners. None are any better than any other. So, if you're a sinner who sometimes gets annoyed when you should be more patient, and I'm a sinner who knocks old ladies to the ground and steals their purses, who are you to judge me? We're all just human; we're all sinners. Nobody is any better than anybody else, right?"
Wrong! Some people are far better than others. Some people, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, lead highly moral, upright, scandal-free lives, and others go from one moral failure to another, from one disgraceful act to the next, barely thinking anything about it. Yes, Jesus died for us all, and we are all, in the ultimate sense, sinners in need of a Savior. But in another sense, some people are good and upright, and some are wicked, selfish, and immoral. And don't think that God doesn't notice this! The first thing Jesus says when He evaluates and addresses the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, is: "I know your works." Through the power of Christ in us, let us make every effort to be good, decent, and upright men and women, serving the Lord faithfully in every season of our lives.
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