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The Theology of “The Good Place”
The hit sitcom helps us reflect on the tension between grace and good works
I know I’m late to the party … or maybe I’m fashionably late? The final season of The Good Place recently dropped on Netflix and landed in the Top 10 shows. Apparently, plenty of people caught up along with me.
Which means, plenty of us have an opportunity to reflect on the show’s super-smart portrayal of Christianity’s tension between grace and good works.
Christianity bases salvation on God’s grace — His unmerited, unwarranted forgiveness of those who repent and place their faith in Him.
Yet Christianity also emphasizes the importance of living out one’s faith — following a moral code, doing good things, being a good person.
So which is it? Are we saved by grace or works?
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But he also said just a few verses later in 14:21–23, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. … Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My father will love them, and we will come to them….” And what is the Sermon on the Mount if not a call to live differently?
