The Attributes of God Steve Lawson
Trinity Bible Church; beginning June 15, 2022
LESSON 12. The GOODNESS of God
MESSAGE INTRODUCTIONIt is not uncommon for those who face pain and hardship to doubt the goodness of God. But the clear message of Scripture is that God is uniquely good, and that He is the measure for everything we call good. Considered together with His wisdom and power, Christians can be assured that God not only desires to reveal His goodness, but is always accomplishing His good plan in the best possible way. In this lesson, Lawson explores what it means to say that God is good, and how His goodness is operative in the world.
In the past, people used to refer to God as the summum bonum, which is Latin for "the highest good." God truly is the highest good a creature can pursue!
Psalm 119:68 You are good, and what You do is good.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
1. To explain the nature and extent of God's goodness
2. To encourage those who struggle with God's goodness in the face of adversity
3. To elicit praise for the God who alone is good
DEFINITION OF GOD'S GOODNESS
Brad Klassen: The goodness of God refers to His benevolent nature. It is that inherent quality which moves Him to be concerned for His creation and to act on behalf of its well-being. Consequently, God is the sum, source, and standard for all that is truly good.
There is no impersonal law or abstract concept which exists outside of or beyond God, to which God must conform if or when He desires to be "good." Moreover, creatures themselves cannot serve as the standard for determining what it truly means to be and do good, for there is no one good except God alone (Matthew 19:17; Romans 3:12). Ultimately, God Himself is the definition and expression of goodness, and all true expressions and experiences of goodness trace their origin back to Him as their source (Psalm 119:68; James 1:17).
There is no higher standard of goodness than God, for true goodness cannot be defined independent from God. God's Word is both our ultimate criterion of truth, and our sole source of knowledge about God's goodness.
The Puritan writer Thomas Brooks wrote that when God describes Himself as good, it is as if He said:
"All of My attributes shall work for your good:
My grace shall be yours to pardon you;
My power shall be yours to protect you;
My wisdom shall be yours to direct you;
My goodness shall be yours to relieve you;
My mercy shall be yours to supply you;
My glory shall be yours to crown you!"
Brad Klassen:
(1) God is inherently good. While any goodness we have is derived from God, His goodness is not derived from some other source. He is the source and standard of all goodness.
(2) God is infinitely good. God's goodness extends through all His attributes. He is perfectly good in His being, His words, and His actions.
(3) God is immutably good. God's character never improves or worsens. He is perfect. Therefore, His benevolent nature will never change.
Arthur Pink: God is not only the greatest of all beings, but the best. All the goodness there is in any creature, has been imparted from the Creator; but God's goodness is underived, for it is the essence of His eternal nature. All that emanates from God—His decrees, His creation, His laws, His providences, His judgments, cannot be otherwise than good. As it is written, "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good!" Genesis 1:31
John Gill: Our Jehovah, the true God, is superlatively good. He is good in the highest degree—good beyond all conception and expression. He is the best of beings.
Section 1. GOD'S GOODNESS AS REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE
I. God is good to all His creaturesA. God's abundant goodness permeates the entire created order (Psalm 33:5, 136:25, 145:9, 15–16).
B. God's goodness extends even to the animal kingdom (Job 38:41; Psalm 65:9-13, 104:27; Matthew 6:26).
II. God's GENERAL goodness to unbelievers
A. God extends to all people what is called "common grace" or His general goodness. (Matthew 5:44-45; Luke 6:35; Acts 14:16-17). God's general goodness is not salvific.
B. Unbelievers are allowed to marry, have children, work, advance in their careers, etc.
C. Unbelievers are able to enjoy the beauty of God's creation.
D. Unbelievers can experience so much of God's goodness that it can sometimes appear like He's being better to them than to His own children Psalm 73.
Arthur Pink: The goodness of God is seen in the variety of natural pleasures which he has provided for his creatures. God might have been pleased to satisfy our hunger without the food being pleasing to our palates. His benevolence appears in the varied flavors which he has given to meats, vegetables, and fruits! God has not only given us senses, but also that which gratifies them; and this too reveals his goodness.
The earth might have been as fertile as it is without its surface being so delightfully diverse. Our physical lives could have been sustained without beautiful flowers to regale our eyes with their colors, and our nostrils with their sweet fragrances. We might have walked the fields without our ears being greeted by the music of the birds. Whence, then, this loveliness, this charm, so freely diffused over the face of nature? Truly, "The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation!" Psalm 145:9
Everything about the structure of our bodies attest to the goodness of their Maker. How suited the hands are to perform their allotted work! How good of the Lord to appoint sleep to refresh the wearied body! How benevolent is His provision to give to the eyes, lids and brows for their protection! And so we might continue indefinitely.
The goodness of God is seen in that when man transgressed the law of His Creator, a dispensation of unmixed wrath did not at once commence. Well might God have deprived His fallen creatures of every blessing, every comfort, every pleasure.
III. God's SPECIAL goodness to believers (His redeemed people)
Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.
These spiritual blessings include, but are not limited to: election, redemption, regeneration, conversion, adoption, sanctification, preservation, and glorification!
A. God is good in His PROVIDENCE towards believers: Romans 8:28-30.
Even trials are used to conform believers to the image of Christ.
Genesis 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them: "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!"
Genesis 50:20
Jerry Bridges: Nothing can be more consoling to the Christian, than the conviction that the Lord who made the world governs the world; and that every event, great and small, prosperous and adverse, is under the absolute disposal of Him who does all things well, and who regulates all things for the good of His redeemed people.
B. God is good in His PROMISES to believers:
2 Peter 1:4 He has given us His very great and precious promises!
Psalm 31:19 How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You!
Psalm 73:1 Surely God is good to Israel—to those who are pure in heart!
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 86:5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.
John 10:11 I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
C. God is good in the SALVATION of His people:
God's special goodness to His people is particularly seen in saving them from sin and Hell, unto eternal glory!God the Father chose us in eternity past!
God the Son died in our place as our sin-atoning substitute.
God the Holy Spirit regenerates, converts, sanctifies, and preserves all the chosen and redeemed.
God's GENERAL goodness God's SPECIAL goodness
OBJECTS: All people Believers only
NATURE: Physical blessings Spiritual blessings
DURATION: Temporal Eternal
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Since God is good, everyone can expect that their life will ultimately turn out for their own good.
a. True b. false
2. Because God is good, which of the following statements is incorrect?a. He uses difficult circumstances in our lives to conform us to the image of Christ.
b. Even the wicked benefit from His goodness.
c. He cares for even the smallest details of His world.
d. He will always protect His people from physical harm.
3. In Psalm 73, Asaph gained a new perspective on the wealth and ease of the wicked by:
a. Visiting the poor
b. Talking with fellow believers
c. Reading the Bible
d. Going to the house of the Lord
4. Since God wills to send unbelievers to Hell, it cannot be said that He is good to them.
a. True b. false
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. All people are in pursuit of the summum bonum, whatever they perceive it to be. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
What was your summum bonum before the Lord saved you?
What was your summum bonum after the Lord saved you?
2. "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Can you think of difficult experiences in your past when you doubted the wisdom and goodness of His plan, but which turned out for good?
Section 2. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF GOD'S GOODNESS
1. Because God is good, we must accept that all His ways are good.In our finitude and fallenness we are prone to think that we know best what is truly "good" for us. We assume the role of judge, and when circumstances do not measure up to our standard we grumble or descend into self-pity and despair.
But in our finiteness we cannot see the end from the beginning, and our flesh distorts our perception of what is truly good and bends it to the way the world views "goodness." To the contrary, we must submit all of our notions and assessments of what is "good" to the lordship of Christ, and believe by faith what God has revealed in His Word—that He is good and always does good. Psalm 119:68
Certainly, believers do suffer in this present life, as we see with Job. God even sends suffering which He does not alleviate, in order to manifest His grace and keep us humble—as He did with the apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Sometimes God's goodness to the wicked can even be a stumbling block to believers, who appear to have life more difficult. Psalm 73
John Frame: God's goodness is not always obvious on the surface, especially when we experience injustice or suffering. But in the end we shall see that even that injustice and suffering manifests the goodness of God.
Charles Spurgeon: We must never tolerate one instant of unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord. Whatever else may be questioned, this is absolutely certain, that Jehovah is good. His dispensations may vary, but His nature is always the same.
2. Because God is good, we must believe that He can use evil for good.
We see this best exemplified in the cruel cross. God brought the best of all things (the salvation of His people) out of the worst of all things (the suffering and death of His beloved Son!)
John Calvin: Whatever poison Satan produces, God turns it into medicine for His elect.
3. Because God is good, we must imitate His goodness towards others.
Matthew 5:44-45 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness . . .
Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
1 Timothy 6:18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.
Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
3 John 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
4. Because God is good, we must seek Him for that which is truly good.
Sadly, many are prone to seek good things from God as the ultimate ends in themselves. That which is sought—wealth, comfort, health, etc.—becomes the focus, and God is simply used as the means to try to acquire these "blessings" (think of the false teachings of the prosperity gospel).
But for true Christians, God Himself is the ultimate good that we seek! When we long for God's goodness, we long for God's presence and lordship over every aspect of our lives.
Psalm 73:28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ!
Jesus is the treasure hidden in the field, and that pearl of great price!
5. Because God is good, we must respond with gratitude for everything.
The Scriptures are filled with praises for God's goodness, and we must echo their refrains:
1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
Psalm 103:1-2 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all Jis benefits!
Psalm 106:1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His loving-kindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 116:12 What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?
Arthur Pink: Gratitude is the return justly required from the objects of God's beneficence; yet it is often withheld from our great Benefactor simply because His goodness is so constant and so abundant. God's goodness is lightly esteemed because it is exercised toward us in the common course of events. It is not felt, because we daily experience it.
The goodness of God is the life of the believer's trust. It is this excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because His goodness endures forever, we ought never to be discouraged: "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who trust in Him!" Nahum 1:7
Charles Spurgeon: To us needy creatures the goodness of God is the first attribute which excites praise, and that praise takes the form of gratitude. We praise the Lord truly when we give him thanks for what we have received from His goodness. Let us never be slow to return unto the Lord our praise; to thank Him is the least we can do—let us not neglect it.
Grumbling and ingratitude, therefore, ought to be treated as hideous sins which deny God's goodness and attempt to usurp His place as the judge of what is truly good. This is the fundamental heart problem of every unbeliever—he is the great abuser of God's kindness and goodness. Romans 1:21; Romans 2:4-5
6. Because God is good, we must not assume He will abandon His justice.
God's goodness does not negate His attributes of righteousness or justice. Kindness and severity dwell in God in perfect harmony: Romans 11:22 "Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in His kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off."
This "goodness and severity" has always described the perfection of God's character. It was even evident when He proclaimed His attributes to Moses on Mount Sinai: Exodus 34:6b-7a "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness and truth; who keeps loving-kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished."
Section 3. SUMMARY by Thomas Watson
God is the summum bonum, the chief good; therefore the enjoyment of Him is the highest felicity.
God is a universal good—"a good, in which are all goods." The excellencies of the creature are limited. A man may have health, but not beauty, nor learning, nor parentage, nor riches, nor wisdom. But in God are contained all excellencies. He is a good, commensurate fully to the soul.
God is an unmixed good. There is no condition in this life but has its mixture; for every drop of honey there is a drop of gall. Solomon, who gave himself to search out for happiness here below, found nothing but vanity and vexation. God is the quintessence of good.
God is a satisfying good. The soul now cries out, "I have enough!" "I shall be satisfied with Your likeness." Let a man who is thirsty be brought to an ocean of pure water, and he has enough. If there is enough in God to satisfy the angels, then surely there is enough to satisfy us. The soul is but finite, but God is infinite. Though God is a good which satisfies, yet he does not surfeit. Fresh joys spring continually from His face; He is as much to be desired after millions of years by glorified souls—as at the first moment! There is a fullness in God which satisfies, and yet so much sweetness, that the soul still desires more.
God is a delightful good. That which is the chief good must ravish the soul with pleasure; there must be in it rapturous delight and quintessence of joy. There is a certain sweetness about God's person which delights, nay, rather, ravishes the soul! The love of God drops such infinite pleasure into the soul as is unspeakable and full of glory. If there is so much delight in God, when we see Him only by faith—then what will the joy of vision be, when we shall see Him face to face! If the saints have found so much delight in God while they were suffering, then oh what joy and delight will they have when they are being crowned! If flames are beds of roses, then what will it be to lean on the bosom of Jesus! What a bed of roses that will be!
God is a superlative good. He is better than anything you can put in competition with him. He is better than health, riches, honors. Other things maintain life, He gives life. Who would put anything in balance with the Deity? Who would weigh a feather against a mountain of gold? God excels all other things more infinitely than the sun excels the light of a candle.
God is an eternal good. He is the Ancient of days, yet never decays, nor waxes old. The joy He gives is eternal, the crown never fades away. The glorified soul shall be ever solacing itself in God, feasting on His love, and sunning itself in the light of His countenance. We read of the river of pleasure at God's right hand; but will not this in time be dried up? No! There is a fountain at the bottom which feeds it. "With the Lord is the fountain of life!"
Thus God is the summum bonum, the chief good! The enjoyment of God forever is the highest felicity of which the soul is capable!
Is God indeed, your summum bonum—your highest good?
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever!