Taylor Swift has gained notable popularity in her almost two decades long music career. She has established a loyal following of fans known as “Swifties” who have supported her at various points in her turbulent career. However, everyone seems to be wondering if Taylor Swift is good. Her fans will vehemently insist she is, but what if we take a biblical definition of the term good? Once the terms are defined, this verboten topic perhaps has a far clearer answer than some may wish to accept. In order to assist all contrarians, or mere non-Swifties in causing people to think more carefully, the following discussion will elaborate on the reason behind why Taylor Swift is not good.
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mark 10:18
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus is approached by a rich young man who calls Jesus a good teacher. Jesus responds that God alone is good and no one else. In this passage, Jesus is calling out the rich young man’s misunderstanding of who Jesus is. This misunderstanding leads the man to be unwilling to follow Jesus as he sees Jesus as merely a teacher rather than the one and only “Good Teacher.” A story quite similar to this one, if not the same story, is also told in Matthew where the ruler asks what good deed must he do to have eternal life. Likewise, the ruler lacks an understanding of who Jesus is and merely seeks to earn his salvation rather than pursue a relationship.
17And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. 28Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
Mark 10:17-31
Read more >>16And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 27Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Matthew 19:16-30
Read more >>Regarding critiques of if Taylor Swift is saved, must she then not be biblical good, this is unfortunately not quite the way salvation works. However, this is still an intriguing argument and one that I seek to follow throughout the biblical plot line. In Genesis, God created mankind and said that all He created was good. Therefore, humanity was once good, and if Taylor Swift lived in that original state of humanity, she would similarly have been good. However, Genesis 3 is what is commonly referred to as the Fall. In this chapter, Adam and Eve disobeyed God by breaking the one rule He gave them in an attempt to be like God. This resulted in the need for a sacrifice and a punishment. After this point, the world is no longer good, but rather sin ravages it as even the first brother’s rivalry turns bloody and various sacrifices are necessary to right humanity’s relationship with God (Gen. 4). Even to this day, we see the results of humanity’s rebellion against God through lies, sexual immorality, murder, and people’s desire to be in charge or their own lives instead of submitting to God’s greater will - a will that grants people a purpose and a goal.
However, perhaps after Jesus came to earth and paid the penalty for sin, believers may have been considered “good.” After all, there are numerous passages alluding to our old sinful garments being replaced by Christ’s perfect righteousness (Is. 61:10, Job 29:14). This ideal does not seem to hold up under scriptural examination as those who are saved are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, not Christ’s goodness. Additionally, throughout the scriptures, there are imperfect individuals who are saved, but still struggle with sin. A great example of this is David, who was a man after God’s own heart, but still struggled with adultery and even killed his friend, Uriah, because of his infidelity with Uriah’s wife (2 Sam. 11). In the New Testament, Paul calls Peter out for his hypocrisy and says that he believes those who are saved are no longer under the law, but behaves as though he is still under the law (Gal. 2). Clearly, salvation does not mean people immediately become “good,” but rather through intentional community and God’s mercy, we can come to correct our mistakes and minimize the commonality of our errors.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13
Therefore, although humanity was once good, through their decisions during the Fall, they ceased to be good. Jesus does seek to restore humanity to right standing with Him through His death on the cross, but while here on earth, humanity is plagued by sin. Therefore, assuming Taylor Swift is not a lizard-person (a ridiculous notion perhaps for another post), Taylor Swift is not good. Additionally, assuming Taylor Swift is a lizard-person in a world plagued by sin, she is also likely not good. Although this is all in good fun, this is a good reminder to not idolize imperfect people. All people, regardless of how talented they are, will mess up at times. All correction should be done lovingly and typically by someone affected not by a fan base, if the intent is for change.