The Goodness of God
Big Idea: God is the ultimate standard of goodness, the source of all good things, and his goodness transcends the negative, offering redemption and eternal hope through Christ.
There are some songs that are so simple, and yet so profound, that it would take a lifetime to unpack them. I'm going to sing one right now, hoping that you'll join in:
God is so good;
God is so good;
God is so good;
He's so good to me.
I counted, and there are seven different words in this chorus, none of them over a syllable. It's hardly a difficult song to understand. And yet, have you thought about what it means?
"You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees" (Psalm 119:68). Over and over in the Bible, you read about the goodness of God. You might never have thought about the goodness of God, so I'm going to do it for you.
Four Truths About the Goodness of God
Let's discuss four important truths about the goodness of God.
God sets the standard of goodness.
Does anyone enjoy good food? In an audience like this, I thought so! Who here thinks fried chicken is good food? What about filet mignon? Sushi? Haggis?
That's the problem in describing "goodness." Who decides what's good and what isn't good? Good according to whom?
A rich young ruler once approached Jesus and said: A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus answered: "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good–except God alone. (Luke 18:18-19)
Jesus knew that the man needed a quick theology lesson. He didn't realize who he was talking to. And Jesus informed him – and he informs us – of an important fact. No one is good except God. Jesus could very well have said, "I'm either no good or I'm God, because only God is good." In other words, everything that is good finds its source in God. God is the ultimate standard of goodness. Who decides what is good? God does. God is the one against whom all things are measured; he's the ultimate standard of goodness.
I'll put it simply: God is good. Who says so? God does. What makes God the final arbiter of goodness? God does. Because there's no higher standard of goodness than God, we can measure all things against him. That's one of the problems with human beings. We think we're pretty good, but who do we measure ourselves against? We rationalize that we're pretty good people, as opposed to those who kill people. But that's the problem: God doesn't measure us against Hitler or Paul Bernardo. He measures us against himself, and we all fail the test. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Nobody measures up to the standard. I might be good some of the time, but let me tell you: there are lots of times when I'm not so good. My goodness might look impressive to another person, but my goodness doesn't impress God very much.
Isaiah 64:6 says, in the New Living Translation:
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
You and I have a goodness problem. God's good and you're not. It's what we call sin, and the only known cure is forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Romans 3:24, the next verse after the one that says that we all fall short of the glory of God, says this (New Living Translation):
Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. (Romans 3:24-25)
God has solved our goodness problem, by transferring Christ's goodness to our account. If you believe in Jesus Christ and come to him in faith, your problem is solved! I'll say it again: God is the ultimate standard of goodness. That's truth number one.
Everything that God is and does is good.
Even the most patient individuals can occasionally lose their patience. Even the kindest person occasionally loses his temper. That's because we all have dark sides – we're not consistent. However, God stands apart. Everything that God is, and everything that God does, is good.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). God never changes. With him, there is no "shadow of turning." There's no evil in God – never even a hint of darkness in him. God is not only good, he's consistently good. God doesn't know how to be anything but good.
God is so unlike us. God can't be improved upon. There are no defects in his personality. He doesn't need to improve his character or smooth out his flaws. God is perfect in every detail – impeccably perfect. We could discuss God's love, patience, mercy, and grace for weeks. Everything about God – everything he is and everything he does – is good and perfect.
God is the ultimate standard of goodness, and everything God does is good. Here's the third truth about God's goodness:
Everything that is good comes from God.
I'll read James 1:17 one more time: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).
I want you to think of something good for a minute. It could be anything: the most beautiful sunset you have ever witnessed, the most fragrant smell, the best-tasting food. Think about the richest color you've seen, or the most pleasurable experience you can think of. James 1:17 tells us that God is the source of all good in the world. Everything good that you can think of comes directly from God. If something isn't good, it didn't come from God.
The problem is, we attribute a lot of good things to Satan when they are properly attributable to God. There's no such thing as a decadent chocolate cookie, or something that's sinfully delicious. That's giving Satan credit for something that is good. God is the author of our taste buds, and the richness of the foods that we can enjoy. Satan didn't invent good things – God did!
For too long, we've let people think that Satan created the world of sexuality. But listen: Satan didn't design us as sexual beings, God did. Every good thing you can think of comes directly from the hand of God. He is the author—he is the one worthy of praise. What's more, God's intention is for us to enjoy what he has created. Listen carefully to 1 Timothy 4:1-5:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
Do you understand what Paul is saying? It's a sin not to enjoy the goodness of God! Everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
One author says:
Where does it say that sinners get to have the most fun? Many of us believe that becoming a Christian means living a dull life while sinners enjoy all the fun. That is a doctrine from hell. It's a harmful belief that claims being a Christian means living a dull, purposeless life of denial. It's incorrect because God states, "Everything I created is good and meant to be enjoyed by those who know the truth." (Tony Evans)
As Christians, we ought to enjoy nature more than unbelievers. We should build stronger relationships. When we sit down to eat a meal, we should enjoy it more than those who don't know God. We should value flowers and sunsets more. We should enjoy creation more than anyone else because we know the Creator. It's a flat-out lie that Christians can't enjoy things, because every good thing comes directly from God!
God provides wonderful things for even the unbeliever to enjoy. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45) You don't have to be a Christian to get rained on. God has ordained that some of his benefits get shared with atheists as well as his own children.
But certain aspects of God's goodness can only be appreciated by believers.
No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:11)
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)
Jesus said that our heavenly Father will "give good things to those who ask him" (Matthew 7:11).
God delights in giving good gifts to his children. As a believer, you have access to experience His goodness in ways that those who don't know him cannot comprehend. This completes our third truth about God's goodness – that He is the source of everything good in existence.
God is the ultimate standard of goodness, and everything God does is good. Everything that is good comes from the Lord. Here's the fourth truth about God's goodness:
God's goodness transcends the negative.
God is so good that his goodness transcends all that is negative.
You don't have to be a genius to realize that there are a lot of negatives in the world. We could all list things that are wrong with our lives and the world. We might ask, "If God is so good, why is there so much that is bad in the world?"
That's a tough question, but ask yourself: who brought the bad into the world? It certainly wasn't God. Imagine if you had your house all clean, and then had people come in and mess it all up. It's still a good house, but it's a mess because of the guests who have invaded it.
That's what this world is like. It was completely good when it came from God's hand, but it's been contaminated by sin – our sin. And that sin has introduced many bad things into the world. The real miracle is that God's goodness transcends all the bad in the world.
That well-known verse, Romans 8:28, says: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
God's goodness allows him to turn bad situations into something that honors him and helps us. The real miracle is this – God is able to take the bad things that happen to us and bring eternal good out of them. Paul continues in Romans 8 by asking:
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Paul says that when tribulation, distress, persecution, or famine, nakedness, peril, and sword come along, we're still overwhelming conquerors. Even when bad things happen to us, we still triumph because of God's goodness.
If God can make everything work for our good, then everything that happens to us is ultimately good. For believers, there are no true tragedies; in the end, everything serves our greater good. If you are a believer in Christ, the great news is that God's goodness transcends anything negative that might be in your life.
When we understand God's goodness, we don't focus on the negatives in our lives. We're so filled with gratitude for God's goodness that we forget what we lack.
One day a Puritan sat down to a meal of bread and water. Most of us would grumble, "God, what is this? I've only got bread and water." But this Puritan looked down and said, "Bread and water and Jesus Christ too! What more can a man ask?"
God is good.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him" (Psalms 34:8)
It's not enough to believe that God is good. I invite you to begin tasting God's goodness. Experience it for yourself. God is saying, "Try my goodness – I know you'll like it." As we grow in Christ, we increasingly learn how good and kind he is. We experience it for ourselves.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4)
This morning I invite you to delight yourself in God and his goodness to us.
Adapted in part from Our God is Awesome by Tony Evans
