Luke 18:19 says “No one is good but One, that is, God.” What I don’t understand is why Jesus says that He isn’t good, and why He uses this word. I would use words such as awesome, perfect, holy, wonderful etc. What is the Bible definition of “good”? In my opinion, a lot of things are good.
This comment was made within a specific context and was not meant as a general observation. When the man asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life, he was asking how to earn it. When Jesus told him to keep the commandments he replied that he’d always done so. But Jesus knew if someone could keep the commandments, he’d be as good as God.
By saying no one is good except God, Jesus was saying no one can keep the commandments. Then He proved it to the man by asking him to sell everything, give it to the poor, and follow Him. The man couldn’t do it because he loved his wealth more than he loved God. It was a violation of the First Commandment.