WHAT IS GOOD?

And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was VERY GOOD. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day – Genesis 1:31

It is easy to exclaim “God is good” when things seem to be going right. Does it mean He’s not good when things go wrong? Does His goodness depend on or change with our circumstances? In order to intentionally believe in God’s Goodness, we must first find out what ‘good’ means to God. Without this, we might be seeking for the answer in philosophy, religion, the world’s definitions of good, or our self-centered ideas. Without a firm understanding of what He considers good, the first hard situation or tough time that comes along our way can cause us to resent or reject God and the plans He has for our lives.

A word-search through the Bible shows that God’s written Word has a lot of “good” in it; and that God is the ultimate judge of what is good. He was the first to declare something as good, each day when He called creation into being (Gen.1). Therefore, our judgement of whether a person or situation is good is only authentic when made from God’s perspective.

• Good is something or someone being “perfect”: that is, complete, finished, or whole. Each phase of creation was “good”!
• Good also means being adequate or abundant: a good thing shows no sign of lack. That’s why God said that it wasn’t ‘good’ that Adam was alone in the Garden (Gen.2:18). God gave him Eve to fill his lack. That’s what good does. It gives us more of what we need to be in tune with God and to fulfil His purpose and will.
• Good is being morally right, in contrast to evil: “Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will He teach sinners in the way” (Psa. 25:8). Good is the opposite of evil; and doing ‘good’ is a choice we have to make. God – the ultimate Source of what is good – gives us the ability to always do the right and proper thing, in accordance to His perfect will.

On all fronts, God is good. He is perfect and complete in and of Himself. He needs nothing else to be God! God is absolutely abundant. He cannot be bound by space and time. His love is infinite, His resources inexhaustible, and His mercy endures forever. He is and always will be more than we need. And God is not only morally right, but perfectly holy! So, despite your ups and downs and transient human condition, the goodness of God is a foundation firm enough to build your faith upon.