If you have been around church circles long enough, you start understanding, and even speaking, ‘Christianese’ – Christian words and phrases that reveal you definitely go to church. Some of these are considered ‘ancient’ words such as ‘narthex’ (typically meaning a hallway or gathering space) or ‘brethren’. Others have theological terminology such as ‘Glossolalia’, ‘Eucharist’ and ‘Anathema’… I’ll let you have fun Googling those words on your own!
One that is popular, from preachers, is the “God is good” response. Here’s how it works: When there is a time in the sermon to express how incredibly good God is, the preacher says, “God is good” and the entire congregation responses with, “All the time.” Now the preacher says the latter and the congregation the former. It seems to be a good way to keep people focused and ready if there happens to be a few folks nodding off to sleep in the sermon… something I’ve never experienced 😉
We can say “God is good”, but what does it really mean? It’s important to know because ‘goodness’ is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit. This means that, while God is good, we are supposed to reveal God’s goodness to others through the power of the Holy Spirit.
How does goodness work?
I cannot help but automatically think of the creation in Genesis 1 when it comes to goodness. In this chapter, what God creates He considers ‘good’ – a certain measure of His aptitude and character. In fact, everything He created is good – from the trees to the sky to the fish in the ocean! When Adam was created, it was ‘good’, but it was ‘not good’ that he was alone (I definitely agree with this!). Therefore, Eve was created alongside Adam so that they would be complete.
Goodness then refers to His gracious benevolence in providing lavishly for humanity. Where would we be without all that God created? Psalm 23:6 ends with stating how it is God’s “goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” There’s a purpose in God’s goodness that He will take care of us and provide for us.
Goodness goes beyond what is given to His creation (all humanity, regardless if you know Christ or not) as it is a mark of what He gives to His children. When Moses developed a place of intimacy with the Lord, he was courageous and asked for God to, “show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). What a major request! The Lord honors it by saying He will do such a thing; God is going to reveal Himself by letting Moses see a certain quality ‘pass in front of him’ and He will proclaim His Name (Exodus 33:19).
Now out of all the qualities you’d think God would reveal to Moses, what do you think He would choose? Would it be love? Would it be some type of blessing? Would it be power, displaying all the might of the Lord? Instead, what the Lord chose to reveal to Moses was ‘His goodness”. There’s something revelatory and instrumental in seeing the goodness of God worked out in our lives. Since goodness is fruit of the Spirit, what are we to do with it?
FOR ONE, GOODNESS MEANS WE ARE TO DO GOOD DEEDS.
Peter in speaking to Cornelius, reveals, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” – Acts 10:38. Jesus, walking in the Spirit, was displaying God’s glory through the goodness that He spread. As followers of Christ, we have the same capacity to use what He has given us to do good to others who need to see God’s goodness in their lives.
SECOND, GOODNESS MEANS WE HAVE THE RIGHT HEART FOR WHY WE ARE DOING GOOD DEEDS.
We are often told to ‘be good’ when we are young, and this can usually translate to making sure the chores are finished or not ‘beating up your sister.’ Yet the Greek word for goodness, “agathosune,” means “uprightness of heart and life”.[1] This means that ‘goodness’ is more than an external act or a behavioral response, it is action prompted by the overflow of the heart!
When we act out of true goodness of the heart, rather than duty or selfish motives, we are obedient to God’s commandments and seek the benefit of others. Our actions come from a place of selflessness, and we place the needs of others before our own. Jesus did exactly that by considering our lives worthy of saving, thus dying on the cross for you and me. His self-sacrificing life is the ultimate example of God’s goodness towards humanity. In fact, the Gospel is translated, “Good news” and that really is good news!
Goodness, like all fruit of the Spirit, reflects the character of Christ and gives God the glory. With that said, how are you going to show the ‘goodness of God’ to others this week? There are so many fun and creative ways to do it… what are you going to do? Also, it’s important to note that you can do good behind the scenes. Giving an anonymous gift card, sending an encouraging text message to a friend, or other small acts can show others you care and, ultimately, that God cares about them.
I’m praying that your week will be full of opportunities to do good and don’t forget… “God is good… All the time!”
“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
[1] Thayer & Strong, 1995.