God's Attributes Reflected in UsNäide

God is good

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

for His steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:1)

God is good. He is the sum total of all perfection. Nothing can be changed or added to His nature or character to make Him any better.

Because God is good, He also is the source of all good things. As Psalm 119:68 says, “You are good and do good.” He acts according to His nature, and therefore everything He does is good. One example is found in the creation account. The Lord God made the earth and all that’s on it, and every day is concluded by the remark: “God saw that it was good.”

Even though evil entered the world and corrupted God’s perfect creation, it is still true that He provides us with a lot of good things. Think of “rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness”, mentioned by Paul as examples of God’s blessings for a sinful world that does not even recognize Him. Or as James 1:17 states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”

The Bible does not give a definition of goodness. Instead, God is the benchmark for what is good. How would you define goodness? To what extent does your definition or standard apply to God?