Stage One Orientation – Essay Three (a)

Why Must the Highest Good Be
Defined by God Rather Than by Us?

The highest good must be defined by God rather than by us because we are not the source of reality, and therefore, we are not qualified to define what is ultimately good within it. We can recognize, desire, and pursue the good, but we do not create it. If the good is real, then it must be grounded in something greater than human preference, something stable, unchanging, and true. That foundation can only be God.

We Are Not the Starting Point

Up to this point, we have seen two things clearly. First, we are always seeking what we believe is good. Second, we often settle for what cannot satisfy. That combination creates a problem. We are active, but not necessarily aligned. We are motivated, but not necessarily correct.

That means the issue is no longer whether we seek. The issue is whether we are right about what we seek.

If we are the ones defining the good, then the standard shifts with us. It changes with culture, mood, experience, and personal preference. What feels right becomes what is right. But that kind of system cannot hold. If the standard moves, then nothing can be measured against it. The word good loses its meaning.

Scripture does not begin with human definition. It begins with God. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, ESV). That statement establishes order. God is first. Everything else follows. If God is the source of all things, then He is also the source of what is true and what is good.

We are not the reference point. We are participants within a reality we did not create.

Why Personal Definition Fails

At first, defining the good for ourselves can feel like freedom. It allows us to shape our lives according to what we prefer. It removes external authority. It places us in control.

But that control is unstable. If each person defines the good individually, then conflicting definitions cannot be resolved. What one person calls good, another may call harmful. Without a higher standard, there is no way to determine which is correct.

This leads to a collapse of meaning. The word good becomes a label for preference rather than a statement about reality. At that point, disagreement cannot be settled by truth. It can only be settled by power, influence, or consensus.

Scripture warns against this kind of self-definition. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25, ESV). That is not presented as a healthy system. It is presented as disorder. When the standard is internal and shifting, the result is not freedom. It is fragmentation.

Why Culture Cannot Carry the Weight

If personal definition fails, then some turn to culture. Instead of individuals defining the good, the group defines it. Social norms, traditions, and shared values become the standard.

But this does not solve the problem. It only enlarges it. Culture is still made up of individuals. It still shifts over time. What is accepted in one generation is rejected in another. What is praised in one place is condemned in another.

If culture defines the good, then the good is unstable. It changes with the majority. That means it cannot serve as a reliable guide for something as important as how we ought to live.

Isaiah speaks directly to this inversion. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20, ESV). That warning assumes that good and evil are not defined by human agreement. They are real categories that can be misidentified.

If we can call evil good, then the good must exist independent of our labeling.

The Necessity of an Unchanging Standard

For something to be truly good, it must be consistently good. It cannot shift with opinion or circumstance. It must hold across time, place, and perspective. That requires a standard that does not change.

Human beings do not meet that requirement. We change. Our understanding changes. Our desires change. Our judgments change.

God does not.

“I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6, ESV). That is not a minor attribute. It is foundational. If God is unchanging, then what He defines as good is stable. It does not drift. It does not adjust to preference. It reflects what is true about reality itself.

This gives the good a fixed reference point. It is not something we invent. It is something we discover and align with.

Good Is Not an idea; it is rooted in God

It is important to go one step further. The good is not just something God decides arbitrarily. It is not as though God could have defined good in any way He wanted.

The good is rooted in who God is. His character defines it. His nature expresses it. What is good reflects His holiness, His justice, His truth, and His love.

Jesus makes this connection clear. “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18, ESV). That statement does not deny that created things can be called good in a limited sense. It establishes that God is the source of all goodness. Anything good reflects Him.

This means the good is not separate from God. It is grounded in Him.

If we try to define the good apart from God, we are separating the standard from its source. That cannot hold.

The Illusion of Autonomy

At this point, the real issue becomes visible. The desire to define the good ourselves is not just a reasoning problem. It is a control problem.

We want to be the ones who decide. We want to shape reality according to our preferences. We want freedom without submission.

That desire is understandable, but it is not sustainable. We do not have the perspective or authority to define what is ultimately good. When we try, we create systems that reflect our limitations rather than reality.

Proverbs addresses this directly. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, ESV). The warning is not against thinking. It is against treating our own understanding as the final authority.

Our role is not to invent the good. It is to recognize it and align with it.

What This Means for Discipleship

This is where the discussion becomes personal. If God defines the good, then discipleship is not about discovering what works best for us. It is about learning to live in alignment with what is true.

That requires humility. It requires correction. It requires a willingness to admit that our instincts are not always reliable.

It also requires trust. If God defines the good, then His definition is not arbitrary. It reflects reality as it actually is. To follow Him is not to lose something real. It is to gain alignment with what is real.

This changes how we approach life. We do not ask, “What do I prefer?” as the final question. We ask, “What is true, and how do I align with it?”

That is the beginning of rightly ordered love.

Where This Leaves Us

We now have the third piece of the pattern. We seek the good. We often settle for less. And we are not capable of defining the good on our own.

That leads to a necessary response.

If we are not the ones who define the good, then we must examine whether we are actually aligned with the good that God has defined.

Personal Reflection Questions

Understanding
Why must the definition of the highest good come from a source beyond human preference?

Examination
In what area of your life are you most tempted to define good for yourself rather than submit to God’s definition?
Where have you trusted your own understanding as the final authority?

Action
What is one step you can take this week to submit your definition of what is good to what God has revealed in Scripture?