God is Good

 

God is Good

Psalm 145:9; 107:9; 34:8

This concept is a fundamental theme in the Christian Faith; it is often expressed through praise, worship, and acts of service to others. 

Notice a more in-depth description:

Regarding God's Character:

God is inherently good, meaning that He is incapable of evil or wrongdoing. His very nature is described as perfectly good, righteous, and full of integrity. 

The Bible repeatedly highlights the goodness of the God. Psalm 145:9 states, "The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." A declarative statement highlighting His essential generosity to all creation. Psalm 107:9 asserts, "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness," demonstrating His faithful provisions. He is always true to His promises. This faithfulness provides security and stability for us, knowing that God will never abandon us. Additionally, Psalm 34:8 encourages, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Yes, God is ‘good’ and in ultimate control of all things, yet He allows for human choice and responsibility by extending this warm invitation. This sovereignty does not negate His goodness but demonstrates His power, wisdom, and our opportunity. 

God is good! We are encouraged to correctly perceive Him as ‘good’ and free of all and any bad. God's good character encompasses attributes like love, justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Again, not merely an attribute, but His ‘goodness’ is the very essence of His being, prompting His activities and exchanges with people. This goodness is seen in His providing, His willingness to offer forgiveness, and His desire for the welfare of all creation. Summarily, God's good character is the groundwork for His relationship with people, offering love, affording forgiveness, and providing hope. 

The Bible painstakingly emphasizes God's goodness:

• Psalm 23:6: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." 
• Psalm 31:19: "Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!" 
• Psalm 107:1: "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." 
• Nahum 1:7: "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." 
• Lamentations 3:25: "The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him." 
• Romans 2:4: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" 
• Ephesians 2:7: "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." 
• Titus 3:4-5: "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." 

God really wanted us to grasp this fundamental truth about Himself: He is good! He said this, demonstrated it, illustrated it, punctuated it repeatedly throughout the Bible so that we would not miss the fact that He is good. Goodness is not merely an abstract concept but also a reflection of God's activities and interactions with the world. This includes His acts of creation, provision, and salvation. Whether its formation, redemption, or consummation God is always good, doing good, and bringing about good. He even works all things together for our good because we love God deeply, are brothers and sisters of His Son, the Lord Jesus, and he has a brilliant purpose for us in Christ. So many other doctrines are correctly expressed and explain, but this idea must not be forgotten by us who claim to believe God’s Word. He is good; God is good! The devil is evil, sin is evil, the World system is bad, the flesh is bad, but God is good all the time!

The Bible is filled with examples of God's goodness, from the creation account where God declares everything He made to be "very good" to the explanations of His faithfulness and provision throughout history. Specific statements like Psalm 23:6, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" and Psalm 34:8, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good" highlight this beautiful truth. 

Really embracing this idea of God can be challenging when life goes sideways and crazy. In fact, our circumstances can cause us to spin out of control if we do not have a correct view of God. Part of the problem is we tend to interpret God through the lends of our problems and struggles. We are inclined to classify Him as good if He is ‘blessing’ us and those we love. We also see Him as bad when unexpected things pop up and we are obviously not in control. But the character and nature of God remains static and uninfluenced by the changes we are registering. When every day hurts expressively, we fail to see God in and of Himself is still ‘good’ and unchanged. This world is broken by sin and often those consequences touch even the lives of righteous people who do right and are obedient to God. It is not that God is in less control or subject to the problems; in His sovereignty He permits the ugly, painful, and unimaginable in even the most godly saints lives for His own good purposes. Study carefully the first message of the Bible in the book of Job to see this for yourself. Even if God came down to us and personally answered our questions of ‘why the bad’ we may not appreciate the answers, or we will have to confess our ignorance in the brilliant light of His goodness!