The goodness of God; what do we mean?
Tozer said; “the goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men.
If these are complementary definitions of what the goodness of God means, then next we have to ask ourselves what are the implications that we can make from these definitions?
First, we can say that it is the goodness of God that serves as the foundation for other attributes
Next, God’s goodness is seen in these other characteristics:
God’s love is His goodness by which He is eternally moved to self-communication.
God’s grace is His goodness towards those who deserve only punishment.
God’s mercy is his goodness towards those in distress, who cannot save themselves.
God’s patience is His goodness towards those who continue to sin over a period of time.
Jesus did not talk about the goodness of God very much. What He did was demonstrate goodness by the way He lived and interacted with all kinds of people from all different walks of life. Jesus is pictured as the One who knows and the one who cares and the one who gives. He is Good.
There is another implication about God’s goodness that is maybe forgotten or ignored—COMMON GRACE (Matt. 5:44-45; Acts 14:16-17; Gen.39:5).
Common grace is the grace (goodness) of God by which He gives all people innumerable blessings, gifts if you will, that are not part of salvation. These are gifts that are to all people, that are not part of salvation.
The Bible is saying that even when people deny God’s existence, ignore His work of creation or the benefits He freely gives: These people are still given many examples of His goodness to them even as they deny His existence.
FOR HE MAKES THE SUN TO RISE ON THE EVIL AND ON THE GOOD, AND SENDS RAIN ON THE JUST AND THE UNJUST.
Matt 5:44-45
But, is this attribute that we have in the Bible to describe God, is it really true?
Given the current worldwide pandemic, how can the Bible be so bold as to make this claim? If God is good, how can there be so much pain in the world?
Let’s consider an OT example, Job.
He had friends who had a picture of God that said that God does not punish the good. He knew he was right with God; he had no hidden sins. But he could not answer his friends why he was suffering so greatly.
In chapters 38-41, God literally bombards Job and his friends with question after question about all aspects of creation and the world.
Job and his friends have no answer and humble themselves before the good God. God never tells Job why he suffered so.
Let’s take a NT example, Paul.
In 2 Cor. 12 Paul tells of his own experience with unanswered prayers for relief to pain.
God answered and said His grace was sufficient for any difficulty Paul faced, but God never told Paul why He sent the thorn in the first place.
But if we are going to talk about God’s goodness in the face of evil, then let’s consider the ultimate example: the death of Jesus.
The Son of God falsely accused, rejected, ridiculed, abandoned even by His loving heavenly Father at the end of his death.
The God-Man dies not for his own sins, but for the sins of others.
The Goodness of God allowed this to happen so that we could receive what we could not earn or deserve, not just forgiveness of our sins, but in order to gain a personal relationship with the living and only true God. Out of the worst tragedy, betrayal, and pain comes the greatest gift God could give us--Salvation.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
Implications for my life
If you are dissatisfied with the current values and priorities you try to live by, let me suggest you seriously consider the claims of Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be God come in the flesh, God Immanuel. Moreover, when we realize that God is the definition and source of all good, we will realize that God himself is the ultimate good that we seek.
One prayer goes like this: IT IS THE DISCOVEY OF THY GOODNESS ALONE THAT CAN:
BANISH MY FEAR
ALLURE ME INTO THY PRESENCE.
HELP ME TO CONFESS MY SINS.
The best answer to the question of evil in the world is a person—the God-Man Jesus Christ.
He was sent to us by a GOOD God.
As I have wrestled with my thoughts as I have prepared this sermon, the idea has come to me that we are asking the wrong question. Instead of the challenging question, Is God good?, what I have been confronted with is: WHY SHOULD GOD BE GOOD TO ME?
THE GREATNESS OF GOD ROUSES FEAR WITHIN US, BUT HIS GOODNESS ENCOURAGES US NOT TO BE AFRAID OF HIM. TO FEAR AND NOT BE AFRAID—THAT IS THE PARADOX OF FAITH.
-A.W. Tozer
