The following words, are surprisingly, not from the Bible, but were written by a man called Seneca, born a few years before Christ.

“God is nigh unto thee. He is with thee. He is within thee. There is no good man but they have God within him. May any man rise superior to fortune except he be assisted

by Him? He, it is, that gives the noblest and most upright counsel. In every good man, God abides.”

It is interesting that Seneca’s, although he did not become a confessing follower of Christ, and who was trained in rhetoric and philosophy was, in those words, used by God to communicate a great truth.

Our understanding of what is ‘good’ a ‘good’ man is very different to God’s. The problem is, that we measure the goodness of men by comparing one fallen, sinful man with another – and determining our own level of goodness.

But God has made it plain that by our own efforts, there is no-one who is good. In Psalm 14:3 and again in Psalm 53:3 we read:

‘there is none who does good, not even one.’

But Seneca hit on the truth that goodness is not in man himself, but only when man is indwelt by God Himself.

The Apostle Paul, puts it this way:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. (Romans 7:18)

So how can we know God’s indwelling and His goodness? Only by entering God’s Kingdom. Jesus spokethese words to a religious leader of the day:

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  (John 3:5,6)

So Seneca got it right – only through God, can man do, and be, good.

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