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The Goodness of God
"God is going to get you for that!" People have said that for
years, both jokingly and because they really believe it. Somehow
people have believed that God is watching us closely, just waiting to
"get" us with pain and punishment every time we sin. But it's not true.
The wages of sin is
death but God is not the One who sends it.
God is a good God and He loves us. His Love
causes Him to be good to us; His Goodness
causes Him to love us. It is imperative that you
believe that God is a GOOD God to you
- your capacity to receive from Him whatever you need
depends on it. That is the purpose of this article - that you may
believe.
Webster's Dictionary defines the term "goodness" as
- the state or quality of being good;
- virtue, excellence, kindness, generosity, benevolence;
- the best part or essence of something;
- a euphemism for God.
It further defines "good" as a general term of approval or commendation.
The goodness of God is a theme that runs all through the Bible.
Why? Because it is the
foundation of our faith in Him. The
more we know about God's goodness, the more we can trust Him. The
more we trust Him, the easier it is to place our lives into His hands.
Psalm
86:5
For You,
O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive (our trespasses,
sending them away, letting them go completely and forever); and You are
abundant in mercy and loving-kindness to all those who call upon You.
(AMP)
Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the
Lord (our God) is good! Blessed (happy,
fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.
(AMP)
God is good all the time. He was good to us from the very beginning.
Genesis
1:31
And God
saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good
(suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely. And there was
evening and there was morning, a sixth day. (AMP)
The
Bible reveals that goodness is part of God's essence:
Psalm 52:9
I will praise You
forever, Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I
will wait on Your name, for it is good.
In Biblical usage "name" means nature,
character, or essence. When we say that God is good, it means
that which is in
the nature and character of God that causes Him to be kind and
benevolent. God's goodness means that He is basically tenderhearted and
sympathetic towards His creation; His underlying attitude towards His
creatures is one of friendliness. By His very nature He is inclined to
bestow blessing and happiness. By His inherent nature He takes pleasure
in the happiness of His people. He is good and He does good.
Psalm 35:27
Let them shout
for joy
and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say
continually, "Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the
prosperity of His servant."
Luke
12:32
Do not
fear, little flock, for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Contrary to popular belief, God doesn't play favorites with His
children, either. He treats all with the same loving-kindness and
tender mercy. Even those who don't believe in His existance.
Matthew 5:45
that
you may be
sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil
and on the good, and sends rain on
the just and on the unjust.
Acts 10:34
Then Peter opened his
mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
Luke 6:35
But
love your enemies,
do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will
be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the
unthankful and evil.
Of course, traditional religion has made people think they couldn't
depend on the goodness of God. Some preachers have even said that
God gives you things like sickness and poverty to bless you. But that is
religious tradition and it is contrary to the written Word of
God. God is not confused about good and evil. Nor does He change
His mind about you with your every sin.
James 1:17
Every
good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of
lights, with whom there is no
variation or shadow of turning.
Many people question why bad things happen to basically
good people.
That is because they do not understand that God made a covenant
with mankind to provide for us, to
protect us, and to bless us, and He always keeps His Word!
Deutoronomy 28:11-13
The Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of
your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of
your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to
give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the
heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your
hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not
borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you
shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments
of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to
observe them.
But compared to the infinite goodness of God, the best
of men don't even come
close! There is a definite chasm between the goodness of God and fallen
humanity. If we do not admit that He is truly good and we are
not, we
will never experience the totality of His saving goodness.
Psalm 14:3
They have all turned
aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good,
no, not one.
Psalm 53:3
Everyone of them has
turned aside. They have together become corrupt; there is none
who does good, no, not one.
Romans 3:10, 12
As it is written: There
is none righteous, no, not one. . . they have all turned
aside; they have together become unprofitable. There is none who does
good, no, not one.
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.
But even in this God has made a way for us.
John 3:16
For
God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God Himself took on human flesh and walked among us to show us how to
fully live, with Him inside us. He used the power of His Word and His
Spirit to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cast out demons,
raise the dead and show that the kingdom of God was one of abundance,
forgiveness and blessing.
God Himself paid the penalty for our unbelief and disobedience at the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. He died
for us on another tree so that we didn't have to! The Covenant has been
renewed; the breach sealed with God's own blood. All we have to do is believe His Word and accept His forgiveness.
God wants all of us to give our lives to Him so He can lavishly,
without reserve, pour His blessings upon us. He wants all of us
to be so blessed that everywhere we look, we see the goodness of
God. If you find out what the Bible says about God's goodness and
His love, and dare to believe it, things will change for you in a
wonderful way! Your life will immediately begin to improve.
Romans 8:32
He
who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how
shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Psalm 84:11
For
the Lord God
is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows (present) grace and favor and
(future) glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing
will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (AMP)
Psalm
27:13
What,
what would have become of me had I not believed that I would see
the Lord's goodness in the land of the living!" (AMP)
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