God's Goodness is Absolute

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, 

serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, 

and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God 

our Saviour toward man appeared,

Titus 3:3-4

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?   Matthew 19:16

Did this poor 'rich' man not understand that 'good' is an inner quality that determines the motive of the 'good thing' being contemplated?  In common speech "good" has been degraded to mean little more than amiability, and is applied with little discrimination to character. What one may call a "good fellow" may in fact be a very sinful person.

"Good" is carelessly applied to charming and physically attractive people in entertainment, politics, and athletics merely because of their professional skill or their ability to elicit a sense of encouragement or admiration, though their character may be exceedingly immoral.

This is what King Solomon says:

"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: . . .   Proverbs 31:30 

If we want to be more biblically correct, we need to learn more about what the Bible means by "goodness."  

Commonly, "good" connotes merely more or less admirable motives and deeds, and its use is often no more than unthinking politeness. This is very likely what Jesus discerned in the rich young ruler's address to Him:

"Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"   Matthew 19:16

Jesus' answer to him made him—and should make us—ask ourselves why we call very ordinary men and actions "good."

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.   Matthew 19:17

The scriptural concept is immensely deeper and its use much more restricted.  

Goodness - this fruit of God's Spirit is more inward, touching on every thought, word and action of the Godly person. It demands that motives be right before we call any action good. This means:

→  our central and all-influencing motive is loving God and regarding His will in all things.

→  that the "good man" is one in whom righteousness (right doing) flows from inward devotion and love toward God.

From these two elements; love toward God and goodness, Godly character, is formed. True goodness is inseparable from godliness. Godliness is goodness' source and foundation and the sole condition on which goodness is possible. Thus, it follows that a man may be truly called "good" and at the same time not be perfect. A good person may have failures. It is the direction of such a person's desires and motivations that gradually determines his character; not necessarily the degree of perfection he has achieved.

God describes Himself as "abounding in goodness":    

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,   Exodus 34:6

God is the source of all that can truly be called good. He does not just have it or do it, He abounds in it and greatly desires to give it to man. We might better understand this abundance by comparing this second revelation of God's name to Moses with the first which occurred at the burning bush.

This second revelation occurs within the context of Israel's very grave sin with the Golden Calf and God's subsequent and justified anger (Exodus 32). Three thousand people die as God executes His wrath through the Levites (verses 25-28). Moses intercedes before God for Israel's sin (verses 31-34), but His anger is not completely placated because an unspecified plague continues (verse 35). Although God states He would nonetheless bring Israel into the land (Exodus 33:1-5), Moses desires more reassurance that God would carry through his plan (verses 12-23).  He asks to see God's glory (verse 18). 

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.  Exodus 33:19

When He does this, He gives Moses what amounts to a sermon on His names, emphasizing, in the light of the Golden Calf incident, His abundant goodness expressed in mercy, graciousness, patience, forgiveness and justice. Exodus 3 records the first revelation:

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?  And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.  Exodus 3:2, 4, 13-14

God, in His being is absolute, dependent on no one or thing. He is infinite and eternal. He is not "burned out" by life and has no proclivity towards death. He is unwearied by work; he can operate eternally and still be unspent. We can take great encouragement in this because He is this way, not only in His labors and length of life, but as Exodus 34:1-7 shows, in attributes such as mercy, graciousness, patience, forgiveness and justice. He is abundant—abounding, rich, plenteous, ever constant—in goodness!

God's inexhaustible goodness ought to be self-evident from the creation and a cursory understanding of human history. God's providence has been supplying unending resources for life for far more tumultuous years of human history than we can imagine. These come as air, water, food, housing and reproduction and all the uses man's creative mind and energetic workmanship put them to. Even our minds and workmanship are products of God's goodness! In spite of our stiff-necked and rebellious conduct, He has continued to deal patiently with us, forgive us, supply us with life and knowledge and move us forward with His purpose.

In the Bible the most profound and absolute sense of "good" is predicated on God alone. Thus, though "good" is used freely in many circumstances; 

→  though there are good and bad individuals

so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  Matthew 5:45; 

→   though it is possible for Christians to do good works 

For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them  Ephesians 2:10; 

→   though everything created by God is good 

For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.   1 Timothy 4:4; 

→   and though God Himself judged and pronounced the creation "very good" 

God saw all that he had made - and it was very good!. . .   Genesis 1:31, 

Jesus declares that God alone is good, 

"Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.  Mark 10:18

Only God's goodness is absolute. All others have degrees of goodness as measured against this absolute standard. Therefore God is the source of all goodness. If men cannot do good, it renders as meaningless all the exhortations of the prophets for the people to do good. 

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.   Amos 5:14

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.   Isaiah 1:17

If human beings cannot do good, then all the moral injunctions throughout the Bible are also meaningless, and we must view the Bible, with its promises of blessings accompanying good deeds, as deceptive.

Moses writes: 

And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. . .

And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.  Deuteronomy 6:18, 24

He adds, 

"Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God."  Deuteronomy 12:28

God's dealings with His people are good because they are the revelation and expression of His goodness, and from these things we learn to be and do good.  Jacob recalls God's own words in his prayer: 

"And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.” Genesis 32:12

A number of Scriptures call God's law good: 

You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments. Nehemiah 9:13. 

Turn away my reproach which I dread, for Your judgments are good. Psalm 119:39.

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Romans 7:12

The good law of God; the law that has its source in God, most clearly teaches us the foundation of moral and ethical conduct. Since God is clearly the source of good, how can a man begin to become good as God is? Jesus briefly addresses this question in the Sermon on the Mount:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.   Matthew 7:7-12

Ask, seek and knock, and God will give good gifts! Could we request anything better of Him than His Spirit?  Nehemiah declares, 

"You [God] also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst." God has already set a precedence for giving His Spirit.   Nehemiah 9:20

King David adds, 

"Teach me to do your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness."  Psalm 143:10 

Jesus says God will give us good things, and this verse shows God's Spirit is good.

Apostle Paul carries these thoughts another step further: 

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth), proving what is acceptable to the Lord."  Ephesians 5:8-10 

Apostle Paul puts the highest significance on this process in that he names distinct fruit or product of the good Spirit of God that are to be working in us (Galatians 5:22-23). God is surely the source of these things because they are not produced in carnal man except as pale shadows of the reality.

(Biblical Studies)

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