THE GOODNESS OF GOD

If our minds have been truly enlightened then we know that God’s name is glorious and worthy of all praise. God is glorious in that He is the one true and living God, a most pure spirit, infinite in being. All the properties or perfections of His nature are likewise glorious beyond comparison. There is one attribute of God however which especially defines the glory of His being: His goodness. When Moses prayed in the tabernacle, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory”, the Lord’s answer was, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee” (Exod.33:18,19). The goodness of God then is not simply one attribute among many but it is the summit, the apex, the perfection of all His perfections. It is surely a matter for celebration and so we find the psalmist exhorting his fellow-believers: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good” (Psa.107:1).

The same sweet psalmist sums up all the truth which we wish to state when he addresses the Lord directly, saying: “Thou art good, and doest good” (Psa.119:68). Here we have a testimony to two things: to God’s absolute goodness and to His relative goodness. Firstly, what God is in Himself, and secondly, what He is to the creature. When Jesus said to the rich young ruler, “there is none good but one, that is, God” (Matt.19:17) He was referring to the essential goodness of God’s nature, which cannot be imparted to any creature. The first creation, with the first man, was good, even “very good” (Gen.1:31); Joseph was “a good man” (Luke 23:50) and so was Barnabas (Acts 11:24); yet even the holiest man on earth or in heaven must acknowledge humbly before the Lord, “my goodness extendeth not to thee” (Psa.16:2). Only God is GOOD in the fullest possible sense of the term. He is the very essence of goodness.

Rainbow
God’s relative goodness or goodness to the creation is symbolised by the bow which He set in the sky in Noah’s day, the token of His covenant with the earth (Gen.9:13). This goodness is manifested against a sombre backdrop, the stormclouds of God’s justice, clouds which are heavy and threatening to break in wrathful deluge over a sinful world. Like a rainbow the goodness of the Lord arches over the whole creation, embracing every living thing, every sinner and every saint. The beginning of the bow of God’s goodness is in the work of creation; from there it traverses through the skies of time by the works of providence, to end again in the redemption of the universe – a new creation (Rom.8:19-21).

In a rainbow there are several colours to be seen as the one light of the sun is refracted and reflected in falling raindrops. In the same way the divine attribute of goodness has many hues. This attribute is called by many different names in the Bible according to its varied aspects or objects. We may think of seven ‘primary colours’ which make up the beautiful rainbow of God’s goodness – His goodness in creation, preservation, bounty, patience, love, mercy and grace. Some of these wonderful colours are visible as it were to all men, for “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good” (Matt.5:45). This is His common goodness. Other colours though are only seen and enjoyed by those who have the eye of faith, for He crowns His own with “lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Psa.103:4). This is His special goodness.

Creation
What goodness God displayed in the work of creation! He was perfectly, infinitely happy apart from the works of His hands, yet it pleased Him to give being to a vast universe and to a world which He filled with living things. Supremely He made man, in His own image and likeness, that he might be His servant and friend. He placed him, not in a plain, drab environment but in a paradise. What variety of shape and size, colour and texture, met the gaze of our first parents! There were countless wonderful sounds, fragrant perfumes and delightful tastes. “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches” (Psa.104:24). Then sin entered in and the creation was cursed by God. The world today is but a shadow of what it once was, but even so must we not say “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time” (Ecc.3:11)? Do we thank God for giving us the precious gift of life in this world? Are we using it to the glory of God?

Preservation
When Paul preached to the idolaters at Athens he boldly declared to them many great truths about God: “he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things...For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:25,28). Everything in the universe is maintained in existence by His power. Moreover we owe our daily preservation in this world to the goodness of God. We are fed and clothed and sheltered and warmed. We have our measure of health and strength. We have been spared from death and destruction, perhaps on many occasions. We may have our fellow men to thank in a degree for these things, but we should never forget that there is but one First Cause of all, God Himself. Each one of us is truly in His hands. “O Lord, thou preservest man and beast” (Psa.36:6).

Bounty
The Lord does not merely sustain His creatures in being and supply their wants but He is very bountiful towards them, including the ungodly: “the earth hath he given to the children of men” (Psa.115:16). Asaph observed the prosperity even of the wicked: “Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish” (Psa.73:7). Oh, what an abundance the Lord bestows upon us all! “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord” (Psa.33:5). Do not our glad times outweigh our sad times and our good things our bad things? And this while we provoke Him daily by our disobedience! There is no greater gift that the Lord has brought to us than the gospel of His grace and the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. No sinner ever deserved to hear the gospel. Like Capernaum of old though many in our generation have been “exalted to heaven” through the preaching of the Word, as the way of salvation has been made plain to them time and time again and their conscience pricked. Are you also despising the goodness of the Lord and in danger of being “thrust down to hell” (Luke 10:15)?

Patience
Patience is that quality by which a trial or burden is borne and endured. God is a God of patience (Rom.15:5). That the judgment of God against sin does not always break forth immediately but is often delayed is another evidence of the divine goodness. By His own will, though He sustains many and great wrongs at the hands of sinners, the Lord restrains Himself from punishing them at once. This holy patience is exercised towards both the elect and the reprobate; it is sometimes termed “longsuffering” and sometimes “forbearance”. Before the flood, though He was grieved that He had made man, “the longsuffering of God waited” a hundred years until Noah had finished the ark – and finished preaching righteousness to his fellow sinners (Gen.6:5,6; 1Pet.3:19,20). Only then was His anger visited upon a corrupt race. When the Jews cruelly crucified the Son of God, forty long years passed before the Lord brought desolation upon their temple and nation; during that time the precious gospel of Christ was proclaimed to them. What patience! No less is the patience which the Almighty is showing to our wicked world today.

Love
The love of God is the divine goodness at work to promote the highest happiness of His rational creatures. In relation to the angels it is seen in that He elected an innumerable company of them to glory, preserving them in holiness when their fellows rebelled. In the case of man it is manifest in a deeper and yet more splendid way, in that He chose a great multitude which no man can number and delivered them out of the estate of sin and misery into which they were fallen, while their companions were left to the just consequences of their sin. The greatness of this love is seen in that they were chosen and redeemed in Christ. God gave, sent and delivered up the darling of His own bosom for the sake of His people. The cross of Jesus Christ is the supreme demonstration of the love of God, a glorious display of its breadth, length, depth and height – a love that is infinite in its acting. No wonder then that this aspect of the divine goodness “passeth knowledge” (Eph.3:19).

Mercy
When the goodness of God relieves the distress and misery of sinners we are witnessing His mercy. What is our greatest need? Is it not to have the guilt and filth of our sin removed? We may have much of this world’s good but only a union with Jesus Christ, the Mercy of mercies, can open the way for true, spiritual, mercy to flow to our souls. As branches in the Vine believers find that God is “plenteous in mercy” (Psa.86:5). Worldly men adorn their bodies with costly garments, but the Lord clothes our naked souls with the clean white robe of Christ’s righteousness (Isa.61:10; Rev.19:8). Many today have full tables and full bellies, but our famished spirits are fed with the true bread from heaven (John 6:32). Some have fine houses upon earth, but we look forward to a heavenly mansion prepared for us by our blessed Saviour (John 14:2). Flavel’s words surely speak to our hearts: “Let those that have full tables, heavy purses, rich lands, but no Christ, be rather objects of your pity, than envy: it is better, like store-cattle, to be kept lean and hungry, than with the fatted ox, to tumble in flowery meadows, thence to be lead away to the shambles [slaughter-house]. God hath not a better mercy to give than Christ, thy portion; in him all necessary mercies are secured to thee, and thy wants and straits sanctified to thy good. O! therefore, never open thy mouth to complain against the bountiful God”.

Grace
God’s favour toward the undeserving and hell-deserving is usually spoken of as His grace. There is a well-known saying which conveys accurately the idea of grace, using the five letters of this beautiful word: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. The “exceeding riches” of His grace (Eph.2:7)! In eternity there was an election of free grace, in which God sovereignly set apart certain sinners for Himself. Christ in His coming merited and purchased grace for them with the Father. By His obedience in holy life and suffering death He satisfied for their sins and pacified the wrath of God. We are reconciled by His righteousness alone and entitled to all the blessings of salvation. The gospel we preach therefore is “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). The triune God then has purposed, purchased and published grace.

Fulness
It is the privilege of God’s children, of all mankind, that they enjoy the goodness of God in its most lavish expressions. The Holy Spirit by the gospel has worked graciously in them and they are blessed as they trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. They “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psa.34:8). Friend, are you aware of your many privileges? What are you doing with the goodness of God? Has it lead you to repentance (Rom.2:4)? The Lord has provided some good for all, but in the Saviour He has procured all good for some. May we all be brought to know the fulness of the goodness of God in Christ Jesus.