The ancient Coat of Arms of the Good family name tells us it describes someone of honorable and respectable character. In the United States alone, more than 32,000 people carry the last name Good. Across the world, over 86,000 share it.
Have you ever looked up your last name? What does it say about your heritage? Your history? Your identity?
The name Good traces back to Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It was often given to someone known for kind deeds or upright living. That knowledge would have made my husband smile. We bear the Good name too.
And yet, as much as we may try to live up to such a description, Scripture gently but firmly reminds us of a sobering truth: no human being is inherently good enough to meet God’s perfect standard.
Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3 both declare, “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” The Apostle Paul echoes those very words in Romans 3:12.
Really? Not even one?
We see kindness every day. We witness generosity, sacrifice, compassion. Surely there are good people on earth.
Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham, once shared about a college professor who asked him, “How good do you have to be to get to heaven?” After letting the weight of the question settle, the professor answered it himself: “You have to be as good as God.”
There it is. The standard is not our neighbor. Not the kindest person we know. Not even our best version of ourselves.
The standard is God. Perfectly holy. Completely sinless. Unchangingly good. And measured against that? I know for certain I fall short.
Some mornings I suspect I stop being “good” before my feet even hit the floor — especially if I overslept or stub my toe on the way to the bathroom.
Matthew West captures it beautifully in his song Good: "I’m good at always falling down. You’re good at never giving up. I’m good at getting turned around. You’re good at saying I’m still loved…I’m not loved because I’m worthy. I’m loved because You’re good."
Romans 3:23 reminds us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That could leave us discouraged — until we read on.
Titus 2:14 tells us that Christ “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”
There is the miracle.
We cannot earn the name “Good.” We cannot polish it enough. We cannot behave our way into heaven. But through the cross of Jesus Christ, His goodness is placed over our lives. His righteousness becomes our covering. His perfection becomes our hope.
Our ticket to heaven. Our hall pass to eternity. Our new name.
And because of Him, we don’t strive to be good in order to be loved — we live out goodness because we already are.
Closing Prayer Father God, we thank You that Your standard is not lowered to meet our weakness, but that Your grace is lifted high enough to cover it. We confess that we fall short of true goodness. We try. We strive. We stumble. Yet You remain perfectly good, perfectly faithful, perfectly loving.
Thank You for sending Jesus to redeem us and clothe us in His righteousness. Thank You that our standing before You is not based on our name, our effort, or our record — but on the finished work of the cross.
Teach us to rest in Your goodness. Shape us into people who reflect Your heart. May our lives bear witness not to how good we are, but to how good You are. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.