Is God Really Good?
YES!!! God is really GOOD!
Now that we have that out in front of us, let’s talk about it. God is most certainly good, but not because of the many reasons that His followers provide for the defense of His goodness. How would you complete this sentence?
God is good because…
It is common for believers to speak of God’s goodness based upon His provision and protection. One may say to the other, “I was really struggling through a difficult time in my life, but God was good because He provided.” We speak of God providing finances, health, protection, and reconciliation of relationships. It is encouraging to speak of these things and remind each other that God does do good things (according to our definition of “good things”). However, does this imply that God would not have been good if He had not provided? Is God’s goodness based upon what we determine to be positive or negative circumstances? I believe wholeheartedly that most people who speak of God’s goodness in this manner do not intend to make this implication. However, quite often the new believer and the world hear this implication loud and clear. Many who choose to reject God (claim atheism or agnosticism or some other religion) do so out of disillusionment with God, anger at God, or feeling unwanted by God based upon life circumstances. Satan loves to use the evil of this world to convince mankind that God is not good and does not genuinely care about them. People pray for a loved one to be healed from a disease or accident and yet they die. People pray that they will be protected from persecution and they are not. People do what they understand to be good and obedient and it results in apparent disaster. The world observes this and concludes that they cannot believe in, or follow, God because He allows children to suffer and good people to face great trial. As a result, we must be mindful of how we speak of God’s goodness; and the basis for His goodness.
The goodness of God is not based upon the ebbs and flows of our daily circumstance. He cannot be good one moment and evil the next. The truth is:
God is good because God is good!
In fact, God defines goodness. Jesus responded to a question about goodness in Matthew 19 with the statement, “There is only one who is good.” This means that EVERYTHING God does is good. He cannot do anything other than good. Even His judgment and wrath are intrinsically good. Of course, it won’t always feel like it is good. The author of Hebrews expresses this in Hebrews 12:11. He says,
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Paul also spoke to the church in Corinth on this matter in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 by saying,
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Let us show the world by how we act and how we speak that God is always good and can always be trusted. Let us live and speak like Shaddrach, Meshach, and Abednigo who refused to bow to any but God and boldly proclaimed to Nebuchadnezzar, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
As we study the flood geology of Grand Canyon we are impressed with goodness of God. The presence of Grand Canyon is a direct result of God’s wrath against sin. But His wrath is a part of His goodness as He defends holiness and righteousness. His mercy is infused into and permeates His wrath. John Woodmorappe is a creationist researcher who recorded some of his research in the book, Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study. On page 16 of that book he writes, “Less than half of the cumulative area of the Ark’s three decks need to have been occupied by the animals and their enclosures.” The significance of this is humbling and strong. The ark bore up upon the waters of the flood with great amounts of unused space. God had prepared space for all who would humble themselves, repent, and turn their hearts toward Him.
God really is good! You can trust Him ALWAYS!
Praiseallujiah!
Jon
