No one is good but God alone. What is good is therefore divine

“No one is good but God alone. What is good is therefore divine, what is divine is therefore good.” — Saint Ambrose

These words, spoken by Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan and one of the great Fathers of the Church, echo the deep truth that goodness does not arise from man, but flows from God Himself, the eternal source of all that is pure and right. To say “No one is good but God alone” is to acknowledge that every act of goodness in this world is but a reflection of His light, a spark of His divine fire within the soul of creation. Ambrose, a man of immense learning and sanctity, sought to remind both kings and commoners that goodness is not an achievement of pride, but a participation in the divine nature.

The origin of this saying traces back to the Gospel itself, to the words of Christ, who, when addressed as “Good Teacher,” replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). Ambrose, meditating upon these words centuries later, drew from them a profound insight: that the very essence of goodness is divine, not human. Our virtues, then, are not ours by possession, but by grace. The kind act, the pure heart, the merciful deed — all are rivers that draw their waters from the same divine fountain. When we are good, it is because we have allowed God’s goodness to dwell and act through us.

Ambrose lived in the fourth century, in a time when empires trembled and faith was tested. As bishop, he stood fearless before emperors and defended the Church against corruption and heresy. Yet he never claimed his strength as his own. To him, courage and righteousness were not self-born virtues, but manifestations of divine power within the willing heart. When Emperor Theodosius ordered a massacre in Thessalonica, Ambrose confronted him, declaring that even kings must bow to divine justice. He stood not as a man defying power, but as a servant of God’s goodness confronting evil. In this moment, his faith became a living witness to his own words — that true goodness is not human pride, but divine obedience.

There is in this teaching a paradox both humbling and ennobling. If only God is good, what then is the role of man? Ambrose would answer: to become transparent to God, as a window is to the light. The human heart, when cleansed of vanity, becomes a vessel of divine goodness. To act justly, to love mercifully, to seek truth — these are not acts of our own making, but responses to the divine presence stirring within us. Thus, what is divine is good, and what is good is divine, for the two are one and the same source seen from different sides of the same mystery.

Consider the life of Francis of Assisi, centuries after Ambrose. Born into wealth, he renounced everything to follow the way of Christ in utter simplicity. When others saw madness, he saw liberation; when they saw poverty, he saw the goodness of God shining in the smallest creatures — the bird, the flower, the beggar. In him, goodness was no longer an idea but a living flame. His compassion for all living things was divine goodness made visible in human form, just as Ambrose had taught. Such souls remind us that when the human heart yields to God, the divine goodness flows through it like sunlight through glass.

Ambrose’s words also strike against the ancient sin of pride — the belief that man is the master of virtue. For pride seeks to own what belongs to God. The moment we claim goodness as our own creation, we separate ourselves from its source, and our light grows dim. The wise man, however, remains humble, giving glory to the Creator for every good thing he accomplishes. Thus, humility is not weakness; it is alignment with divine truth. The tree does not boast of its fruit — it simply receives nourishment from its roots. So too must man draw goodness from his divine root, which is God Himself.

And so, O seeker of wisdom, take this truth as a lamp upon your path: seek goodness not in yourself, but in God within you. When you act with love, know that it is His love flowing through your hands. When you forgive, it is His mercy speaking through your heart. The more you empty yourself of vanity, the more room you make for His light to shine. For the saints teach not that we are nothing, but that we are instruments of the divine — capable of infinite goodness when attuned to its source.

Therefore, remember this: goodness is not achieved, but received. It is not conquered, but allowed to blossom. Live humbly, act kindly, and give thanks for every act of grace that moves through you. For in every good deed, in every spark of truth and act of love, the divine reveals itself again — and the words of Saint Ambrose are fulfilled: what is good is therefore divine, and what is divine is therefore good.