Since Nobody’s Perfect . . . How Good is Good Enough? by Andy Stanley

Since Nobody’s Perfect . . . How Good is Good Enough?
by Andy Stanley
Multnomah Books/LifeChange Books 2003

If you are a Christian, an inevitable question is how good do you have to be to get to Heaven? If you are not a Christian, surely the same issue arises in the beliefs of your own religion.

I thoroughly enjoy discussing religion with anyone who is willing to have an open mind to contemplate hard issues. I suspect Andy Stanley would be a joyful companion in this regard.

This thoughtful and interesting book addresses the question of “good enough” from a variety of standpoints. Mr. Stanley’s conclusion is that the answer is unknowable, certainly, God provided no formula. The Old Testament provides some guidance, though, as the author notes, the good works are “culturally irrelevant and physically impossible to achieve.” In the New Testament, Jesus advised that most religious people of his day were not good enough to enter the Kingdom, though promising criminals and prostitutes that they would be gladly welcomed.

This is certainly an interesting paradox. Our author resolves the riddle by concluding that it is forgiven people who get into Heaven, which is facilitated by the sacrifice of Jesus. Is this fair? the author wonders. His answer is that fairness is not relevant.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about good enough. It is a small, easily read and thoughtfully written epistle. When I closed the back cover, I wanted to look across the room and ask Mr. Stanley: if being good is not good enough, and the key is being forgiven, haven’t you skipped over a critical step – does not one have to confess and ask for forgiveness before being forgiven?

It seems to me that there must be an element of cognition and self-awareness before forgiveness can be achieved. It also seems to me that this is an ongoing process, perhaps similar to confession in the Catholic Church.

In my case, I try to be the best that I can be, treating everyone the way that I would like to be treated. If someone is unreasonable toward me, I try to turn away. I think that means I try to be a good person. Of course, I often believe that I have failed in one regard or another. I try my best to determine if I have done something inappropriate. If so, I apologize. Perhaps, then I can be forgiven.

I find the issues framed in Since Nobody’s Perfect . . . How Good is good enough? to be thought-provoking and fascinating. I look forward to talking about them.

Warms, Cym

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