Articles
Good Intentions
According to the old adage: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. There is an element of truth in that, or it probably wouldn’t have become an adage. If we allow ourselves to be satisfied with good intentions only and never follow up with action, then we are fooling ourselves. It is far easier to know what we should do than to actually do it. Good intentions, then, can become merely an endorphin high; we root for the underdog; we sympathize with the underprivileged or downtrodden; we intend to take a meal to the sick or send a card, and that feeling affirms our goodness.
But this adage has also given legitimate good intentions a bad rap. The fact is, we must be characterized by good intentions; they must lie at the very heart of our interactions with others. Good intentions are good, and they serve as a barometer of how we are oriented on a moral and spiritual plane.
Life is uncertain, and there is much that is out of our control. Things get in the way of putting our good intentions into practice. This doesn’t nullify the value of those intentions, and we should recognize in ourselves the difference between neglect and human foible.
When David had secured his kingdom he sought to build a permanent, fixed structure for the ark of God. He shared his idea with the prophet Nathan who replied, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you” (2 Sam 7:3). The only problem was that neither of them had consulted God in the matter. God explains in various places (2 Sam 7:5-17; 1 Chr 22:6-10) that David, though a man of great faith, a fearless warrior and one “after God’s own heart,” was not the one God wanted to build the temple. David later recounts to Solomon: “‘My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around … He shall build a house for My name …”’” (1 Chr 22:7-10).
But note further Solomon’s words at the dedication of the temple: “‘Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, “Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son, who shall come from your loins, he shall build the house for My name”’” (1 Kgs 8:17-19). God acknowledged the goodness of David’s intentions, but He faulted David and Nathan for their presumption and not seeking His will in the matter.
What, then, legitimizes our good intentions?
1. Do our intentions harmonize with the will of God?
This can be further subdivided: Has God spoken directly on the issue, or is it generically authorized?
Here is an example: Much worship in modern Christianity is, I have no doubt, offered with the intention of praising God. But the underlying question is, does my good intention justify something that is outside the bounds of what God has revealed? Some have just worshiped God “formally” for the second time in 2020 with the observance of Christmas (following Easter in the spring). Others worship musically with a rock or rap format using mechanical instruments. Still others use candles, incense, rituals and untethered emotionalism to worship God.
But the new testament – the revelation of the Holy Spirit that defines new covenant doctrine and practice – either authorizes such things or it doesn’t. At least David’s proposal to build the temple was done in the absence of specific revelation, but we have “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 3:16) in inspired Scripture, and we will not go wrong in remaining within its guidelines. Our good intentions will not legitimize that which violates God’s stated will.
2. Do we chronically fail to act, thus indicating that our faith is deeply flawed, or do we suffer from the normal frailties of humanity?
One basic characteristic of faith is activity:
“Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” – Jas 2:17. Or, stated positively of Abraham, “faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect” (2:22).
“Those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works” – Tit 3:8 (cf. also Tit 2:7, 14; 3:1, 14).
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” – Gal 5:6.
The road to hell is paved with the good intentions of those whose faith never follows through. But the road to heaven is trodden by those whose genuine intentions are sometimes derailed by human weakness. May we have the deepest, truest intent to serve God actively and faithfully in 2021.
