Dallas Willard’s third question (see below) is “What is a good person?”
A. Someone characterized by agape love; whose deeds, naturally, spontaneously, and easily conform to the law of God.
And, having read The Divine Conspiracy and heard Dr. Willard teach, I’m sure that when he says “deeds” he includes thoughts and words. This is no external form of righteousness, but the righteousness of a kingdom heart, a righteousness which “surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law” (Matthew 5:20).
My, my. Isn’t that simply expecting far too much?
Well, remember, this is a definition, not an explanation of how to become a good person (that’s the Fourth Question).
Let’s unpack this a little bit.
Characterized by agape love. Agape. A self-giving kind of love. A love which values and honors and gives to its object regardless of the ability or intention of the beloved to repay or bless in return. The kind of love which when experienced even to a small degree astonishes, delights, and thrills us to the core of our being. The kind of love which when exercised makes not only a good person but the kind of life we instinctively know is “life indeed.”
Naturally, spontaneously, and easily. No gritted teeth here! That abundance of life we call joy comes to mind. A self-forgetfulness, a lightness of step, laughter, delight, wonder…
Whose deeds…conform to the law of God. Again, we are taking our cue from Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets. “Love is the fulfillment of the Law” (Romans 13:10). There is no true goodness which is not rooted in love for God first, and secondly love for neighbor. The apostle Paul’s epigraph in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 sums this up:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
In short, a good person (as Kant says) has a good will. A good person actually loves what is good, true, and beautiful; and from a heart of love for God and neighbor, does good.
So..how are you presently defining what a good person is? Do you think your definition might need some tweaking?
Next question: How does one truly become a good person?
