Goodness of God

Goodness of God - What It Means
The goodness of God is one of the attributes of God, as well as a description of His very essence. God, by nature, is inherently good, as Psalm 34:8 tells us: "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” He is the foundation of goodness and of everything good—He did not obtain it from another source. People can have good traits or do good deeds, but goodness is not in our character. Our goodness comes from God.

Goodness of God - What It Does
The Goodness of God is evident in all His creations and accomplishments. Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..." We cannot earn and do not merit His goodness. It is available to us regardless of our station in life, and even though we are not worthy of it. Matthew 5:45 says: “...He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." And we read in Psalm 145:9 that “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."

God’s goodness is personal. The lyrics of an old chorus say “God is so good; He’s so good to me.” We can all sing this song because He is good to each of us personally, in ways that meet our individual needs. His goodness provides us with benefits such as:

• It gives us the perfect model of goodness. By knowing God and learning about His goodness, we can come to recognize true goodness and strive to do good things. We should pray as the Psalmist did, “You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees” (Psalm 119:68). We can look to God as the perfect role model to teach us about goodness and how to do good things.
  
  
• It assures us that God’s purpose for us is good. Just as parents want good for their children, our Heavenly Father wants only good for us. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” We should remember, however, that good things may not always show up as happy experiences. Sometimes good can come disguised as adversity or hardship, but God can use difficulties for good, as we learn in Romans 8:28: “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.”
  
  
• It offers us security and encouragement. We can depend on the unchanging goodness of God. Psalm 52:1 says, “The goodness of God endureth continually” (KJV). God will always be good. His character does not change. He will continue to be the creator of all things good and we can be confident He will provide good things for us according to His perfect plan.
  
  
• It draws us to God. The purpose of God’s goodness is to draw us to Him. This was manifested in the highest degree when God sacrificed His Son, Jesus, for our salvation. Because of His goodness we have been given opportunities to hear His word and to claim eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Goodness of God - Conclusion
The Goodness of God is the core of our Christian faith. It is because of His desire for our good that He provided salvation through His son. Everything God does is for our good. We can see proof of the goodness of God all around us in the life-sustaining provisions He supplies—from crops that provide our food, to the very air we breathe. We can have goodness in us, and even desire to do good, but true goodness comes from the One who is perfectly good and wants good things for all people. Our goal should be to show the goodness of God to others every day.

Learn More about God's Attributes!