Neighborhood Church

The Christian faith goes beyond religious knowledge or even belief–it’s the conscious, daily decision to orient our lives around Jesus, practicing his way of love wherever we go.

Authentic spiritual growth is an inner transformation that results in outward expression.

• Goodness
• Knowledge
• Self-Control
• Perseverance
• Godliness
• Mutual Affection
• Love

What is goodness?

Four Cultural Definitions of Goodness:
• Pleasure
• Virtue
• Duty
• Intuition

ἀρετή (aretē)
moral excellence

Good is Pleasure: something is good if it leads to happiness, comfort, or good results for people.


Good is Virtue: having character traits like kindness, honesty, and courage. It’s not just what you do, but who you are.

Good is Duty: doing the right thing, based on moral rules.

Good is Intuition: something we feel and understand without needing a definition

In Jesus, we see what goodness really looks like.

“To pursue the good in all things is to align ourselves with the kingdom of God. The pursuit of goodness is not merely a moral effort but a life lived in union with Jesus."
Dallas Willard

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."
John Wesley