The Goodness of GOD

The Goodness of GOD

(Genesis 1:1-25; Mark 10:17-18)

Yearly Theme:  “Goodness is…”

Series Title:  “Goodness:  Two Sides of the Same Coin”

January 14^th, 2024

Something to think about:

What do we mean when we say, “GOD is Good?”  Do we really understand the meaning of that phrase?  To say “GOD is Good” is to assert something of His nature.  And if His nature is good then we need to understand what that means in order to live a life that produces goodness as a fruit of GOD’s Spirit in us.  One of the best places to start to understand GOD’s goodness is in the first chapter of the whole Bible, Genesis 1.  Let’s take a closer look:

Turn in your Bible to:  Genesis 1:1-25 (NLT),

In addition to Genesis 1 and the creation narrative, Jesus also speaks of the nature of GOD as being “good” when approached by a man seeking eternal life…

Mark 10:17-18 (NLT),

¹⁷ As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.”

Here’s the point, if we want to know the goodness of GOD, we must first understand that…

Key Point:  “GOD is the measure of all that is truly good.”

So what does this look like, practically?  Well…

• GOD is  and in His goodness He creates that which is  .

GOD is love, and love always yearns to give.  As a result of the very loving nature of GOD, He creates that which is “good.” 

• All that emanates from GOD is inherently  because He is  .

GOD only creates that which is good because to do otherwise would be contrary to His very nature.  As a result, everything that GOD created was inherently good.

• GOD’s  is  .

Nothing is better than GOD’s good because GOD’s good is best.

Something to take home:

There’s a story told of one of God’s faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, who experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior.  Despite his troubles, he said, “While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me.”

“In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America.  When his body was found, his diary lay nearby.  It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness.  The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly.  It read, “I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God.”[1]

We can be overwhelmed with the goodness of GOD only when we realize that He causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His good purpose for them.[2]  Now this doesn’t mean that all things that happen to us are good things, but it does mean that there is a promise that all things will work together for our good (whether good or bad) as we remain steadfast in our faith in Him.

There’s something about knowing that GOD is good that sets my mind at ease knowing that He is not out to destroy me but save me.  So, no matter what happens to me, I can stand and testify to the truth that GOD is good and He is the measure of all that is truly good.

Key Point:  “GOD is the measure of all that is truly good.”

[1] Source unknown.

[2] Romans 8:28.