Walking in the Light, November 9, 2008

GOD is…Good

     To say “God is good,” seems a little elementary, doesn’t it? An adjective like good hardly seems to do our Creator justice. Doesn’t the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, the Supreme Ruler of the universe deserve a more flowery descriptor than good? Good seems like such an inadequate description because good doesn’t equate with the highest level in our minds. If something is good, it’s just good; that’s it. It’s just a little above average or a little better than mediocrity. In our English language, the comparative form of the word good is the word better, and the superlative form is the word best. It would seem more appropriate to say, “God is best,” rather than “God is good.” There are a lot of other adjectives that would outdo good. We could say, “God is great,” “God is supreme,” or “God is the ultimate.” All of these would seem to surpass good, but that’s only because we lack a complete understanding of the meaning of good as applied to God in scripture.

     The Greek word commonly used for good is the word agathos. Agathos describes “that which, being good in its character or constitution, is beneficial in its effect.” We see it used of physical things, such as a tree in Matthew 7:17. If something is inherently good then it will produce good things. A good tree produces good fruit. The connotation of agathos is something that is good by nature will produce good things.

     When applied to human beings, we notice that agathos means much more than just above average. It is used in a moral sense. Good is synonymous with blameless, upright, honorable, incorruptible, virtuous and obedient. It is a character trait that signifies being morally honorable, pleasing to God and, therefore, beneficial.

     When applied to God, agathos refers to the perfection of His nature. God is essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself. 1 John 1:5 reads, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” There is nothing wanting or defective in God’s nature; no spot or blemish; not the tiniest speck of impurity. For man, goodness is a superadded quality, but for God it is His essence. When we speak of the goodness of God, we are speaking of what God is; not some quality that is added to Him. Like all of His other attributes, the goodness of God can always be safely relied upon.

     The goodness of God is most beautifully illustrated in the sending of His Son. God’s goodness forms the foundation of our redemption. It brought Christ to the cross. Not so that you and I might be slightly better than average or that we might merely exceed mediocrity. But so that we might be blameless, upright, honorable, incorruptible and virtuous; that we may be good!

Chris McCurley