“Good Comes From God”

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

BIBLE READING: Titus 3.1-8

In our vocabulary, being “good” is often expressed as just a step above mediocre. Its usage lacks a punch, so we often attach to it superlatives such as “very” or “extremely” to increase its impact. It is sad that we have saturated such a potent word, especially one that is intended to express the nature of God and his work.

James 1.17 tells us, “Every good… and perfect gift comes from [God].” When God made the world, he saw that it was “good” (Genesis 1.4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Everything was complete and just as it should be (“finished”, Genesis 2.1-2). The baseline reality of this world is that good comes from God. It is defined by the rightness with which he designed both the world and its working. Therefore, any deviation from God’s design, pattern and ways is no longer good. In fact, the scriptures paint a clear dichotomy in Genesis 3 when Eve chose to do something other than God’s will. There was not a gray area of ignorance or relative goodness; but a very definite line defining good and evil (Genesis 3.22). In the many years following that event humanity has blurred the line of good and evil; but it has only solidified the reality that goodness comes from God.

Fast forward the NT where Jesus exposed the faulty trust many put in relative goodness. A young, upstanding, religious man comes to him and says, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18.18-19). Jesus responds with, “Why do you call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.” This probably took him off guard as it might us. In terms of what society defined a “nice guy,” this young man probably was the quintessential model.  Yet he wasn’t good in terms of Jesus’ definition of good.  He loved his things more than God, and that was his downfall.

What we learn from this is when the Bible speaks of goodness as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22, Ephesians 5.9), it doesn’t simply mean that a person is a model citizen, polite, respectful, tolerant, and just nice. It means they are practicing righteousness and reflecting what they see God doing (3 John 1.11). For us to be good like God, we must be more than nice.  We must be holy and righteous, humble and penitent, forgiving and loving.

Some people put on a good show, yet they are not good.  God calls us to be holy in what we do and say because we have a heart that seeks goodness. We must not be merely polished with goodness, but filled with it (Romans 15.14).

“Goodness” is a lifelong pursuit of being recreated the way God intended for us to live. To experience the fruit of the Spirit called goodness is to show the holiness of God through a transformed heart ruled by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“…when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us… so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” (Titus 3.4-8)

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