Did Jesus Say

"Why Do You Call Me Good?”

By Rev. Kevin Labby

By Rev. Kevin Labby, First Free Evangelical Church, McKeesport, Pennsylvania

Today is a happy day in many respects, but one of them is that we commemorate Reformation Sunday. Over the years, I’ve received many gifts as a pastor, and I treasure them all. One of my favorites is a mug from First Free that says, “You don’t have to be crazy to work here. We’ll train you.” That one sits on my desk.

I also have two mugs that read, “Be careful what you say around me—it might end up in a sermon.” Don’t worry—I love you too much to make you sermon illustrations here. When I travel and preach elsewhere… well, maybe!

Another gift is especially meaningful: a Lego Martin Luther, given to me by a member of a previous church who had traveled to Germany during the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. People often see it in my office and ask, “Oh, you like Harry Potter too?” No, it’s not a Hogwarts professor—it’s Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer. Today, he’ll sit nearby as I preach, reminding me to be faithful to the Word.

“As he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.’”

We’re in a sermon series called Did Jesus Really Say That? — exploring difficult passages where Jesus’ words challenge our ears. Today we ask: Why would Jesus, whom we worship as God, say, “Why do you call me good?”

Prayer

Father, we thank You for the recovery of the true gospel during the Reformation: salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, all to Your glory alone, by the power of Your Spirit. Open Your Word to us today. Open the eyes of our hearts to see Christ and believe in His name. Equip us to live all of life for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Rich Young Ruler: Misunderstanding Goodness

A few weeks ago, we looked at the story of the rich young ruler. Today we return to that exchange. He asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He believed goodness was achievable—if only he had the right information. In his mind, humanity’s problem was ignorance.

But Jesus challenged him: “Why do you call me good?” Jesus wanted him to see that goodness is not human achievement but divine revelation. True goodness reflects God’s character. Measured against that standard, the ruler’s goodness—though impressive among peers—was not God’s goodness.

The Reformation: Luther’s Struggle and Discovery

This question of goodness was at the very heart of the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther was tortured in conscience. He prayed, confessed, resisted sin, performed good works—yet he never felt he had done enough to be right with God. His soul was wracked with guilt and shame.

His confessor finally urged him: “Study the Scriptures more thoroughly.” In the Word, Luther discovered that the church’s teachings did not align with Scripture. He called the church back to its foundation. He wrote 95 theses for debate, nailed them to a church door, and sparked a movement.

When pressed to recant, Luther famously declared: “Unless you can show me from Scripture and plain reason where I have erred, here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”

At the heart of the Reformation was the question of authority: Is Scripture the highest guide for our beliefs and life? Luther insisted: Scripture alone.

Scripture’s Authority and Humanity’s Need

Jesus himself condemned the Pharisees for elevating tradition above God’s Word: “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). Paul affirmed: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

Why did Luther have such resolve? Because Scripture revealed a holy God and a helpless humanity. Apart from grace, we are not merely wounded by sin—we are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). Our minds are darkened, our wills enslaved, our desires disordered. Paul wrote: “No one seeks for God… not even one” (Rom. 3:11–12).

Sin touches every part of our being—body, mind, emotions, will. We lack both the desire and ability to seek God. Only His sovereign grace can awaken us.

The Spread of the Gospel

At the same time, Gutenberg’s printing press spread Luther’s writings across Europe. People examined Scripture for themselves and discovered that the gospel of grace had always been true, though buried under centuries of tradition.

Luther’s Bondage of the Will responded to Erasmus, who argued that humans retained a spark of goodness to cooperate with God. Luther rejected this, pointing to his own life of relentless religious devotion—prayer, tithes, worship, confession—and yet a tortured conscience. He knew no human effort could cover guilt before God.

Conclusion: Grace Alone

The Reformation reminds us that salvation is not earned by our goodness but given by God’s grace. We are not saved by better habits or more knowledge, but by Christ’s finished work.

So today, as we commemorate Reformation Sunday, let us rejoice:

* Scripture alone is our authority.

* Grace alone is our hope.

* Faith alone is our response.

* Christ alone is our Savior.

* God’s glory alone is our aim.

Here we stand. We can do no other.

If Martin Luther could be saved, if Paul could be saved, it was not because of their goodness. It was because of the grace of God. The Reformation recovered this truth: salvation is by grace alone. That is what we celebrate today. God gets the glory in our salvation. We contribute nothing—except the sin that made salvation necessary.

Grace is God reaching down from heaven through His Son, pulling us out of the darkness of our sinful condition, reviving our hearts, breathing us back to life. Grace is not a supplement to our effort. It is not God fanning into flame some spark that remains within us. The pilot light of our souls is out until the Holy Spirit ignites it anew. God takes a dead sinner and brings them to life.

Paul writes in Romans 9:16: “It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” Ezekiel foretold this gracious work: “I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” God does not improve a faulty heart; He gives us a new one—entirely by grace alone.

Faith Alone

How do we receive this gift? Luther saw that Scripture describes salvation as received by faith alone. Faith is not another work we perform. It is the transfer of our trust from ourselves to Christ. Faith means ceasing to rest in our accomplishments, reputations, or resumes, and instead confessing: “All my righteousness is as filthy rags. Nothing I can do will bring me peace.”

Faith is resting on what Christ has done, not on what we do. When Luther understood that salvation is revealed as a righteousness from God—by grace alone, through faith alone—he finally knew peace. His position no longer rested on his obedience but on God’s gracious work through His Son.

Paul says in Ephesians 2:8–9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Christ Alone

This gift of justification comes to us by Christ alone. Our adoption into God’s family depends on Christ’s righteousness credited to our account. Jesus not only died for us; He lived the perfect life none of us could live. The One who did not deserve death died in our place. On the third day, He rose again, showing the Father accepted His sacrifice. Now He intercedes for us at the right hand of God.

Our debts are not merely canceled; we are enriched with Christ’s righteousness. His obedience is imputed to us, reckoned to our account, given to our credit—not because we are worthy, but because He is worthy. As Paul says in Philippians 3:9: “That I may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.”

Peter testified on Pentecost: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Christianity is broad—welcoming every nation, tribe, tongue, male and female, rich and poor. Yet it is narrow: salvation is found only in Christ alone.

Faith That Works

Some accuse the Reformation of teaching “cheap grace” or “easy believism.” But saving faith is living faith. Living faith produces works—not as the ground of our confidence, but as the fruit of trusting in Christ. God justifies us, adopts us, sanctifies us, and makes us holy as we grow in holiness. Works are the result of justification, not the requirement for it.

Jesus Himself said, “No one is good except God alone.” When Isaiah glimpsed God’s holiness, he cried out: “Woe is me, for I am lost; I am a man of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” The law reveals our need for Christ. Luther was not wrong to feel guilt and shame—but he was wrong to believe he could remove them by his own effort. Only Christ can redeem, restore, and renew.

Instead, it should have pointed him to Christ—and eventually it did. As a monk, he wore himself out in confession, fasting, and prayer, yet none of it could silence his guilty conscience. The Law exposed him, but it could not erase his sin. Only when he saw righteousness as a gift imputed to his account—not achieved, not earned—did he find peace with God.

Romans 1:17 declares: “The just shall live by faith.” Not faith in themselves, but faith in God.

Scripture alone points to grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as the ground of our salvation—to the glory of God alone. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful because he thought he could do enough to make himself right with God. But we don’t have to leave sorrowful.

If you hear Christ’s voice today—if you have heard the truth that changed the world, if you have heard the good news that Jesus is for you—let me encourage you: even today, lay down your self-reliance. Rest in the goodness and grace of God, freely given. Then rise and walk in the good works He has prepared for you, works that reflect His glory and goodness.

Let me invite you to join me in prayer. If you seek this grace for the first time, seek it in His name:

Prayer

Father, we thank You for that tortured monk from many years ago. He was far from perfect and struggled in many respects, even after his recovery within the church. Our trust is not in him, but in what he was privileged to rediscover—the good news that You sent Your Son Jesus to rescue fallen sinners.

We did not need another example. We did not need another list of laws to follow. We needed Someone who could raise us from the dead. And just as Jesus took up His life on the third day, Father, we believe You lead people to new life even now.

Help us turn away from our performance and trust in Your gracious work. Forgive me for trusting in my own attempts at righteousness. Teach me to trust in the righteousness of Your Son. Cleanse me from my sins, help me walk in Your ways, and bring glory to Your name. I want to follow You.

Be forgiven, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This text is from a transcription of a recent sermon by Rev. Kevin Labby. It has been transcribed verbatim and edited by Copilot AI, along with additional review and editing by the theological staff at Third Millennium Ministries.