Christ shows that the idea of human goodness is preposterous. The Scriptures everywhere points out the fact that sin infected mankind. And the fact that the human race has been infected by sin touches everything we do. I have frequently used an illustration over the years that can be very telling if we understand it. Suppose I offered you a glass (a very “dirty” glass) of water and I said, “The water is clean, I just took it out of this container. It’s spring water.” But what was in that glass? Smallpox culture. “Have a drink.” “Oh no,” you say. But I say, “Listen now, the water was spring water.” Well, it doesn’t make any difference if it was spring water, tap water or ditch water. If the glass just had smallpox culture, let’s not argue about what water was in it. Now there are 3 kinds of men in the world, spring water, Judge Springwater, you know him; and Joe Tapwater, enough chlorine, he’ll get by; and Bill Ditchwater, you know he’s the fella in Moyamensing Prison. But what God Almighty is saying about these 3 men is that they’re all of the human heart, that there is no difference between men. But Judge Springwater is extremely proud of the fact that he’s spring water, and I say, “Judge, your glass has smallpox on it,” and Judge doesn’t like it. And this is just the confusion that Jesus Christ was trying to meet in the mind of this young man who came up and said “I am Judge spring water Good Master, what must I do to obtain eternal life?” And Jesus said, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Don’t you understand that goodness will not get you eternal life?
D.G. Barnhouse
