Good, Better, Best
By J.B. Hixson. Ph.D.
11/14/2021
“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6)
Have you ever noticed how much we are motivated by comparison? Call it “keeping up with the Jones’s.” We are a society prone to comparison. When we buy a car, we don't just want a good car. We want a better car than the next guy. When we purchase clothes, we want better clothes than our peers. We always are striving for something better. It is not enough to settle for adequate or even good. We want something better.
This tendency is not unique to our American culture. Nor is it unique to our generation. Since the creation of time, mankind has been preoccupied with comparison. The Bible calls it coveting. Eve coveted a piece of fruit. Jacob coveted a birthright. Achan coveted wealth. David coveted a woman. Ananias and Sapphira coveted notoriety. James and John coveted power. And so on. Throughout time, mankind has consistently engaged in the pursuit of something “better.”
Many people go through life jumping from solution to solution trying to find the answer to life's greatest need. Man's greatest need is salvation. And God sent us a Savior to meet that need. There are many good things that can and do distract people in their search for salvation. Living a righteous, moral life is a good thing, but it is not the best. Performing generous acts of benevolence may even be better, but it is not the best. Being involved in church is a good thing, but it is not the best. Sincere religious passion and devotion may be even better, but they are not the best.
When it comes to salvation, only the best will do. And the best is Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews expresses this truth clearly when he writes that Jesus is better than anything and everything the world has to offer (Heb. 8:6). He is the best! When is good bad? When it is not the best.
If you are searching for salvation, perhaps it is time you stopped pursuing so many good avenues of righteousness and instead trust in the best solution of all. Trust Jesus Christ and Him alone for the gift of eternal life. For those who have already received the gift of eternal life, perhaps it is time to stop living life by comparison and start resting in the best. If God provides the best (and only) plan of salvation, will He not also provide the best plan for daily living? “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
11/14/2021
“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6)
Have you ever noticed how much we are motivated by comparison? Call it “keeping up with the Jones’s.” We are a society prone to comparison. When we buy a car, we don't just want a good car. We want a better car than the next guy. When we purchase clothes, we want better clothes than our peers. We always are striving for something better. It is not enough to settle for adequate or even good. We want something better.
This tendency is not unique to our American culture. Nor is it unique to our generation. Since the creation of time, mankind has been preoccupied with comparison. The Bible calls it coveting. Eve coveted a piece of fruit. Jacob coveted a birthright. Achan coveted wealth. David coveted a woman. Ananias and Sapphira coveted notoriety. James and John coveted power. And so on. Throughout time, mankind has consistently engaged in the pursuit of something “better.”
Many people go through life jumping from solution to solution trying to find the answer to life's greatest need. Man's greatest need is salvation. And God sent us a Savior to meet that need. There are many good things that can and do distract people in their search for salvation. Living a righteous, moral life is a good thing, but it is not the best. Performing generous acts of benevolence may even be better, but it is not the best. Being involved in church is a good thing, but it is not the best. Sincere religious passion and devotion may be even better, but they are not the best.
When it comes to salvation, only the best will do. And the best is Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews expresses this truth clearly when he writes that Jesus is better than anything and everything the world has to offer (Heb. 8:6). He is the best! When is good bad? When it is not the best.
If you are searching for salvation, perhaps it is time you stopped pursuing so many good avenues of righteousness and instead trust in the best solution of all. Trust Jesus Christ and Him alone for the gift of eternal life. For those who have already received the gift of eternal life, perhaps it is time to stop living life by comparison and start resting in the best. If God provides the best (and only) plan of salvation, will He not also provide the best plan for daily living? “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
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