Why Do Good?

I've always wondered what to tell people when they ask "Why are you doing this kind/sacrificial/loving thing for me?". I mean, first I've wondered if I'll ever hear those words.... but then, if I do hear them, I wonder how I should reply. To some degree I don't even fully understand why I'm doing it. And some of my reasons for doing it, are pathetic. So... let's unpack this more fully. Oh, and please know that I'm answering my own questions as I type. :)

What I have previously thought....
In the past I've believed that God has done good for me and therefore I'm obligated to do good also. A good amount of guilt is involved here and while I'd say that I was doing it to be like Jesus, I don't even think that was really true. Mostly guilt... Besides, I'm not sure that being like Jesus is, in itself, a good reason. It doesn't really answer why I should be like Jesus. (i.e. I can try to "be like Jesus" without loving Jesus or being His follower)

I've also, in the past, had some vague notions about restoring the world, though I've had (and probably still have) a pretty weak understanding of why I'm to restore the world. I've also had some idea that people are made in God's image and so I should love them... again, my understanding of why this is so was/is weak.

What I don't understand....
So we're to restore creation? Why? Who cares? God's going to nuke it and take us all to heaven anyway...right? And even if He isn't going to nuke it, can't He fix it Himself? Well, I guess that for any of this to make sense you have to first believe that God is not going to melt the earth down and beam us all up to heaven someday. The early church, and many biblical scholars today, seem to agree that we're all due to be bodily resurrected someday (of which Jesus was the prototype...aka "first fruits"). So, without delving into a big discussion on that, let's assume the earth will be used for our future resurrection.

So why couldn't God restore the earth Himself? Well, He will have to do this to some degree because some things are just too jacked up for us to fix. BUT, that's not the point! God designed us to be "over" the earth. To be its overseers, its keepers. This makes us God's stewards. We are to be His people on earth, restoring the earth itself (fixing, cleaning, maintaining, beautifying), restoring people (loving, nurturing, mending, serving), and generally creating beauty. We point people to God by creating art, peace, and beauty. We make earth a little more like God intended it when we do these things. This is being God's ambassadors. It's saying "THIS is a glimpse of what God intended... beauty, love, peace." It's this message that will speak volumes to the world around us.

So, the other question: People are made in God's image? So? Why does that matter? We don't use that as reasoning for why we should love others "You know Bill, those kids were made in Tom's image... you should love them." But yet even as I write that, I can see that God is far different than Tom (whoever Tom is), and that God is worth revering and fawning over. God, who is infinitely powerful, created each and every person, and gifted them each in a way that enables them to do, when nurtured and loved, extreme good and to be like Him. So, loving and nurturing people, enables them to live closer to their potential and to make God look better, to show yet another perspective (facet, dimension, face, etc.) of God on earth, and to make the earth more like the place it was intended to be. Yeah... I guess that makes a LOT of sense.

So, not only do I have some reasons to do good, I have no reason to not. Why? 1 John 3:16 says "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." This verse affirms what true love is, and that love has freed me to love others without fear of loss or a need to protect myself, my time, my possessions, etc. I have all I could ever need and it cannot be taken from me. (Romans 8:38-39)

So what do I say if someone ever does ask me why I'm loving them so sacrificially and so.... well....abnormally? I guess I should say something to the effect of this: "Well, God has shown me that He intended the world to be a lot better place than it currently is... and by loving others, I am, hopefully, helping to make it a little more like He intended it to be and also giving people, including myself, a little glimpse into the world of hope and beauty He intended."

Yeah...that's what I'll say.....