At first glance, the phrase “aiming at the highest good” sounds noble, even holy. Many people, Christian or not, seek to live morally upright lives, to do good, to love others, and to seek truth and justice. But for a follower of Christ, there’s a deeper question that arises: Is aiming at the highest good the same as doing something for Jesus?
In a profound and meaningful sense, yes, but only if our understanding of the “highest good” is rightly grounded. If we define the highest good as living in union with Christ, becoming more like Him, loving what He loves, obeying Him as Lord, and bringing glory to God while blessing others, then aiming at that good is inseparable from doing it for Jesus. In this light, Jesus is not just an inspiration for morality; He is the very centre of it. He is both the source and the end of all goodness. A life lived with Him at its heart is not simply about ethical living but about a dynamic relationship, a communion, with the One who is Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
However, things become less clear when the “highest good” becomes untethered from Christ and instead turns into an abstract or self-defined ideal. If our pursuit of the good centres on becoming a better person, achieving personal growth, maximizing happiness, or doing good for the sake of society alone, then the motivation, while perhaps admirable, drifts from the heart of discipleship. Goodness in itself is not enough at least not from a biblical perspective. Even noble behaviour, when done apart from the love and Lordship of Christ, can subtly become about self: self-improvement, self-image, self-fulfillment.
This is not to say that seeking to do good is wrong. In fact, Scripture calls us to good works repeatedly. But it is a matter of why we do them, and for whom. When our pursuit of good becomes disconnected from Christ, it begins to lose its transformative power. It becomes performance, not worship. It becomes effort, not abiding. Jesus did not call us to be merely good people; He called us to follow Him, to love Him, to become like Him. And in doing so, good works naturally flow, not as a goal in themselves, but as the fruit of intimacy with Him.
This distinction is critical because it’s easy to drift without realizing it. Even those with a sincere desire to honour God can begin with the right intentions but gradually fall into doing good for the sake of the result for peace, order, spiritual success, or even praise. But doing good for the outcome is not the same as doing it for Jesus. The former may still be useful, but it lacks the soul of worship. The latter, even when hidden and costly, carries eternal weight because it’s done in love.
Jesus invites us into more than good behaviour; He invites us into union. The life He offers is not just a moral blueprint it is His very life in us. Obedience, then, becomes relational, not just ethical. Every act of love, patience, humility, or justice becomes a living prayer when it’s rooted in Him. We begin to live not merely to avoid evil or achieve virtue, but to express our love for the One who first loved us.
In the end, the answer to the question is both simple and profound. Aiming at the highest good is only the same as doing it for Jesus if Jesus is your highest good. When He becomes not just the motivator but the meaning, not just the teacher but the treasure, then everything we do even the smallest, most ordinary acts — becomes sacred. It becomes worship. It becomes love returned.
So let us not settle for abstract virtue or personal improvement alone. Let us live for Jesus the living Good, the radiant centre of all that is true, beautiful, and worth giving our lives for. In Him, the highest good is no longer a concept. It becomes a Person. And that changes everything.
Faith and Reason
