Faithful on Fridays Blog

When studying Biblical theology always check for the ‘first mention’ of a topic or word; today’s word reflects God’s core values: goodness. The word is used six times in Gen. 1 as God looked at creation and declared it was good; it was beneficial for the masterpiece He had planned: us. The benefits of God began in the Garden, when He made us His beneficiary of favor, well-being, and abundance. Adam and Eve were already God’s image-bearers, but Satan’s temptation of a forbidden tree, giving them knowledge of good and evil was too much for them. They already knew or experienced God’s goodness and generosity at creation, but in their mysterious ‘free will’ they chose disobedience. God’s ultimate plan was for us was ‘very good’ meaning exceeding abundance or more than we could ask or think (Eph. 3:20), however, in His tree of contrast, mankind chose to know and experience evil as well. That began the cycle of shame, adversity, misery, hardship, and death, meanwhile, God’s plan was already in process to bring us back to His very-goodness.

His name is Jesus whose message is good news, 

… I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10b

The Hebrew word for good is tov, meaning whatever creates life and protects it. God’s core value is goodness due to His constant life-giving love for mankind. Jesus went around doing good … it’s that simple.

No one is good except God alone. Mark 10:18b

God’s goodness falls on the evil and the good, the just and the unjust; we call that ‘common grace’ (Matt. 5:45; Jms. 1:17), on the other hand, Christ appeared with the promise of good things to come (Heb. 9:11, 10:1). How do you enter into that type of goodness? 

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. Romans 8:28

Our love for God begins at the cross when we recognize and appreciate what Jesus did for us: that’s the good news, the gospel. When that happens we find ourselves driven to show His goodness to others as we re-present Jesus to our sphere of influence.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

Paul warned believers that in the last days people would be lovers of self, money, ungrateful, and not loving good (2 Tim. 3:1-5), conversely, John reminds us not to imitate evil but good which is from God (3 John 11). My encouragement for you today is to reflect on His goodness in your life, all of His benefits (Ps. 103:2, 5), like mercy, grace, kindness, and generosity ready to show others the same. 

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8