Superficial Vs. Deep Seated Goodness

There are many people who believe that the goodness that comes from God is superficial - i.e. it is necessarily seen in a person's surface behavior. This however is absolutely not the case. The goodness that comes from God is deep seated, which means that you see it (reliably) in a person's fundamental behavior. This means that you see God's goodness in a person, through his major actions. Also, this goodness is always present - meaning that it does not come and go.

Realization of the above critically distinguishes someone who knows God from someone who doesn't: because people who do not really know God tend to look at superficial stuff about people, when making judgments about their godliness.

Remember, a good or bad person may appear superficially nice, but only a good / godly person is fundamentally nice. The following scripture bears out my point:

Matthew 7

3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.)
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15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

The scripture above (specifically Matthew 7:3) points out that someone who has faith correctly (i.e. someone who practices the means by which a person attains righteousness), will have superficial defects (sawdust in his eye), but his major actions will be sound. Verse 15 above further points out that people who don't have faith may appear superficially / outwardly good (sheep's clothing) - but are fundamentally / inwardly bad (ferocious wolves).

It is very important that a person recognize the above, including the fact that people who do not really know God, tend to worry about superficial goodness (Matthew 23:27), and tend to judge the godliness of others based on this criterion, which is wrong.