self-serving motivations. They "bind up" others in the
tyranny of legalistic performances, encouraging them to
strive and struggle to perform goodness, right living,
morality, modesty, etc. Such is the bondage of religion and
morality.
The Christian gospel, contrary to such religion and
morality based on the three premises previously stated,
asserts these three monotheistic premises:
(1) "Good" exists only in God.
(2) "Good" is knowable only as God reveals Himself.
(3) "Good" is do-able only as the character of God is
activated and expressed in human behavior by the
grace of God.To expand on these premises and document their
Biblical basis:
(1) "God is good" is an assertion made throughout the
Scriptures. "No one is good except God alone" (Mark
10:18; Luke 18:19). "There is One who is good" (Matt.
19:17). There is no legitimate, genuine, absolute "good"
which has any objective, independent, autonomous
existence, apart from God. "Good" exists exclusively in the
essence of the autonomous God. "Good" can only be
defined by the character of God's goodness.