The G.O.A.T
In every major sport, there is an ongoing debate about who is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time). Michael Jordan or LeBron James (NBA), Tom Brady or Joe Montana (NFL), Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods (PGA), Babe Ruth, Willie Mays among others (MLB). While comparisons are ongoing, there is simply no way to declare a player is the G.O.A.T. of his profession.
Typically, comparisons are made between eras, but conditions are not equal between eras. The golfers of the 1960’s had very different equipment than today’s players. Training and conditioning are totally different now than they were fifty or more years ago. Imagine Jack Nicklaus played in this era with the advanced equipment and training. Likely, he would still be one of the best players to play the game. Same with all other sports. I recently heard John McEnroe say in his time, hardly any player lifted weights or stretched. How can you compare him to Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic? Likely, if he were playing now he would still be one of the greats.
There truly is only one G.O.A.T. not defined by any era, and that is Jesus. As the Apostle Paul states in Colossians 1:15-20:
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Jesus lived early in the 1st Century, but his very nature dictates that he is the greatest not only of that era, but all eras before and after. No human compares to him, not Abraham or Moses, not Mohammed, not Buddha, and not Joseph Smith. They all are in their graves. Jesus was in one briefly, but it was a short stay. He triumphed over death and he still lives!
Because he is the G.O.A.T., we look to him for hope and guidance. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He can say this because there has never been anyone like him. He is unique and he is the G.O.A.T. Therefore, he is worth of our trust and our allegiance.
© Jim Musser 2025 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.
