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A monthlong ad push promoting atheism began this week in a dozen subway stations in Manhattan. The campaign slogan reads, "A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?" The ad is intended to make the point that belief in God is not a prerequisite for being good. The underlying supposition is that people of faith believe the primary purpose of religion is to impart good behavior.

The question of whether man is inherently good is a long-standing theological debate. The controversy has its foundations in the doctrine of original sin. The Bible teaches that God created a perfect world. Genesis 1:31 tells us, "God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good." But humans were created with free will. Adam and Eve exercised their free will and disobeyed God. Adam's sin tarnished creation; human nature was corrupted and Adam's descendants (the human race) are thus born with a sinful nature.

John Calvin, a 16th-century Protestant reformer, popularized the doctrine of total depravity. This teaching speaks of people's inability to accept the gospel outside of God's sovereign grace. It is based on the idea that sin is such an intrinsic part of human nature that a person is incapable of doing anything good without God's power. An attempt to soften this belief created a distinction between spiritual and natural good; spiritual good is the basis of salvation while natural good simply is an external conformity to moral laws.

The problem

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with natural good is it never is absolute. Societal norms dictate standards of good that differ across cultures and change over time. In addition, natural good does not consider motivation. If a wealthy man clothes the needy for public recognition or to get an income-tax break, has he really performed an act kindness?

Spiritual good is based on values found in the Scriptures. The Christian does not perform good deeds as a means of obtaining salvation or favor with God; acts of obedience and charity are as a result of love for God and gratitude for his gift of grace. Furthermore, God does not simply judge the external actions of humans but is equally concerned with the motivation of the heart.

The purpose of salvation is not to impart goodness. Even after salvation, sin is a constant struggle for Christians. Humans will not be restored to their original state of perfection until Jesus returns, but his death and resurrection paid for our sins, thus reconciling us to God and allowing us eternal fellowship with him despite our corrupted nature. If humans were able to achieve goodness by their own power, they would have no need for Christ's sacrificial death. In Luke 18:19, Jesus said, "No one is good -- except God alone." When we use God's standard as a measure of good, none of us is truly good.

Corey J. Hodges is pastor of New Pilgrim Baptist Church. He can be reached at coreyjhodges@comcast.net.