“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22–23
The word good is overused in our society today. We use it to describe everything from how we are feeling to the kind of person someone is. However, the true meaning of the word goodness has to do with moral and spiritual excellence that is expressed through sweetness and active kindness.
Goodness is more than simply moral excellence. Romans 5:7 helps us understand this: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.” A Christian may be morally upright and yet fail to display this aspect of goodness, which is characterized by self-sacrificing concern for others.
In Matthew 1:19 we read, “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” Joseph assumed that Mary had been unfaithful, and being a “just” or “righteous” man, he believed he could not marry her. However, he was also a good man, and therefore intended to put her away privately rather than publicly disgrace her.
It is important for us to note that goodness is another characteristic of God Himself. He is “abounding in goodness and truth” (Ex. 34:6–7). Psalm 100:5 declares, “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”
Whenever the word good is used of God, it refers to the fact that He is intrinsically good. Goodness is not merely something God does—it is who He is. This is why, when the rich young ruler came to the Lord Jesus asking, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” the Lord answered, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God” (Mark 10:17–18). The Lord Jesus was making the point that only God is inherently and intrinsically good. Yet, in another place, the Lord Jesus calls Himself “the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). As the Son of God, He indeed is good.
The Holy Spirit desires to produce this characteristic of Christ in each one of us. We are instructed to look for opportunities to do good (Gal. 6:10). This can only be accomplished through the power of the Spirit of God, as Paul prayed for the believers at Thessalonica: “We also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:11–12).
Anchor For Today:
Look for ways to display the character of goodness today through sacrificial service and acts of kindness.