Good Is Determined By Authority

Everybody wants to do good. But what is good? What determines good? Few people realize that good is determined by authority. The higher the  authority, the greater the good. The greater good will overrule the smaller good. How do we know? There is a Chinese proverb, "犧牲小我,完成大我". Translated literally, it says "Sacrifice the smaller self for the bigger self". It means sacrificing the good of a smaller group for the good of a bigger group.

My customer ask me to do him a favour (see What Is Good). He wanted to add memory to his server and needed my help. Although this is not my job, but I helped him and put it into my service report to record the change in configuration. When my boss saw the service report, he rejected it. He said that although I meant well by helping the customer and keeping proper record in the service report, but in doing so, I may have invalidated the warranty of the server. By putting it into the service report, his company will hold our company liable for invalidating the warranty. He asked me to remove the memory and change the service report.

I did a good deed on my own authority. But it was nullified by my boss because it harmed a greater authority, that is, my company. And there are greater authorities than my company, such as my country, the world and so on. But the highest authority is the creator of all things, God. God has the highest authority and what He defined as good is the ultimate good.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25 ESV)