By David R. Tullock
I have become acquainted with a Latin phrase recently which has affected
my thinking in this area. It is the phrase summum bonum or greatest good in life. We
all have in our minds what is the summum
bonum or greatest good in life, which is like an engine that drives
our lives. We know when we are living it, and we know when we are not. I’ve
observing life and have decided that there are many different opinions of what
is the greatest good in life.
Some believe that the greatest good in life is unbridled sexual expression.
For them, to live life at its best is to “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow
may not come.” This “greatest good” is all about gratification of self. Loving
self for self’s sake. The what’s-in-it-for-me mentality. One can also throw
greed in there too. “I want it, and I don’t care if it rightfully belongs to
someone else.”
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Others believe that the greatest good in life is a convenient faith.
For them, to live life at its best is to be able to love God so he will bless
me and mine. This greatest good is also about gratification of self. It says,
“I love you God. What’s in it for me? I won’t sacrifice myself for you, but
I’ll take what you can give me.” If you listen to people, more than you think
believe that this is the highest good in life: Loving God for self’s sake.
Still others believe that the greatest good in life in understanding
God for what He is. Loving God with no ulterior motive. It is like a child
crawling up in your life, wanting nothing but being in your lap. It is loving
God for God’s sake. It is loving God, not for what he has done, but for who
he is. For many, as noble as it is, this is the summum bonum of life, the pinnacle of all
our strivings.
Still, I think Jesus is telling us something more about eternal life
— the summum bonum of our existence. Jesus says,
“This is eternal life — that you may know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.”
This verse is one of the most amazing verses in the Bible. The greatest good
in life is really about a relationship.
The idea of a relationship with God hinges on the word, “know.” What
does Jesus mean to know God? It means a knowledge that is second nature to
you. Let me explain. I have “friends” and I have friends. On the one hand,
there are hundreds of people that I am friendly with. I greet them. I’m courteous.
I am acquainted with them. But there seems to be a guard up when I am around
them. On the other hand, I have a few friends and we enjoy a certain rhythm
in our conversation, we laugh before the punch line, we know the “bag of rocks”
that we each carry and our guards are dropped. We know each other in a way
that is second nature. There is give and take, a dance that goes on without
having to pay attention to the steps in the instruction book.