Ah, Academia!
Recently, in a magazine, a certain history was promoted as one of the fifty best books of 2020, which it may be. But one of the comments praising it stated that it asked one of the greatest questions for human beings to consider: "How does one live a good life?" As Christians, we are always interested in this subject, as well as the way others think about it. One reviewer recommending the book said that this question was first raised by the Greeks and primarily answered during the Renaissance period. Well, that's not true, and the author of the book may not even agree with that statement, either—since he mentions "Judaica," which precedes the Greeks. Most students of the Bible would point out that Job and his friends spoke a great deal on this subject—about 2000 B.C. So, it was at least a topic of conversation and exploration by then, and it was concluded when the New Testament was completed. Job was around more than a thousand years before the Greeks.
Man is not the one who first thought of this question. God had it in mind when He created mankind. We do not know what moral principles God gave to man or when He gave them (prior to the Law of Moses); we do know that mankind ignored them. "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). This condition brought the Flood upon the earth. Obviously, God showed greater concern over man living "a good life" than man did.
But humanists and those entrenched in today's academic atmosphere take on themselves a task that proves to be too great if the search for the definition of "a good life" leaves out the moral specifications set forth in the Scriptures. Who would have a better answer to the question than the One Who created mankind? Consider the attributes that a Christian is to put on from Colossians 3:12-15 or the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 or the things that will guarantee never stumbling from 2 Peter 1:5-7 (cf. 8-11). The kind of character developed from these characteristics goes a long way toward establishing "a good life."
Two of the greatest principles that one can bring to bear on this matter are the two greatest commandments of loving God and one another. To love others results in two admirable qualities: 1) not doing them any harm; and 2) doing good to them (Gal. 6:10). Surely, "a good life" would not involve stealing from a neighbor (or a company), taking another man's wife, or depriving him of his life. On the other hand, encouraging others to be the best that they can be is also helpful and needful. Saving others from their sins is exceedingly important. Living "a good life" does not necessarily involve wealth, popularity, or the commendation from one's fellow man. Pleasing God makes for the most successful life (Rev. 14:13).