Wednesday, August 25, 2021

The Goodness of God

 

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Psalm 145:8-9 KJV

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38 NKJV

 The Lord is Good and His mercies endure forever. The most basic truth all believers need to be firmly established in is the truth that God is a Good God. God's Goodness is one truth we should never shrink back from, compromise on, nor dilute or water down to fit anyone's personal experience. 

 In fact, the very foundation and basis for our Faith is the Goodness of God. Think of it, how can one trust in or cling to, or hold fast to the words of one who is untrustworthy and their character leaves little to be desired? We agree with God, trusting Him because He is Good, and He is Good all the time.

 How do we know God is a Good God? We have the testimony of His Word which declares He is Good and only does Good. We have the witness of His Son who is the express image of His Father. Jesus went about doing Good and healing all who came to Him. Jesus never brought death or disease. On the contrary, Jesus removed disease and brought life and peace wherever He went. Finally, we have the confirmation by His Spirit within. His Spirit within testifies of His all the time Goodness, and reminds us of His great love for us and confirms our new identity in Christ as the beloved sons and daughters of God.

 Let's look at a beautiful passage that testifies of His all the time Goodness.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV

 What a powerful passage from God's Word. This simple but profound passage is full of truth and the proof of God's all the time Goodness. Let's briefly examine it.

 The first thing we can see is that there are great benefits that come with a relationship with the Lord. It is rewarding to serve God. When we begin a new job often we look to the benefits package offered. God has a great benefits package.

 Secondly, we can see His goodness in the fact that He forgives all of our sins and iniquities. He doesn't just forgive some of them but all of them. The New Covenant is clear, Jesus has forgiven us past and present and future. That is good news.

 Let me briefly address something concerning forgiveness. What makes forgiveness of sins something we rejoice about? The reason we rejoice that our sins are no longer counted against us the moment we believe is that we know there is a Heaven to gain and a literal eternal hell to shun.

 Now Hell is not made for man but for the devil and his angels. However if one continues on in rebellion, rejecting God's free gift of Grace they will die in their sins and spend eternity in conscience eternal separation from God. I know this isn't a popular truth, but the Gospel isn't about winning popularity contests but proclaiming the truth.

 Now the deconstruction movement wishes to eliminate hell and anything that seems uncomfortable to the flesh and modern thinking. I truly believe the motive for deconstructing is twofold. First, I believe the natural mind doesn't like being the one scorned or looked down upon by the "crowd." People want to be accepted and to "fit in."

Secondly, I believe the motive has to do with the bitterness some have at the Church and any negative experiences they had while growing up. So no matter the motive, deconstruction simply looks to remove the parts of the Bible they don't like and replace them with the things they do, and in the process, they fashion a god of their own making that is socially acceptable and molds itself in the thinking of modern culture. 

 If you want to stay with the truth of Scripture, you don't dismiss parts you don't like but embrace all of who God says He is. You also trust even in judgment, that God is faithful and just and always Good. He will do what is right even when our natural minds can't always understand it.

 Thirdly, we see God declares He is our healer. This proves that He isn't the author of sickness and disease. He is the healer, not the afflicter. He is not ordaining or causing sickness. He is our healer, this proves how Good He is.

 Fourthly, we see He is the one who redeems from destruction. If He redeems from destruction that means He isn't the author of tragedy, torment, or tribulation. God isn't creating storms or sending tsunamis.  We have all those things because this is a fallen world. When Jesus returns we won't be seeing tornadoes or typhoons.

 Fifthly, we see He crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. God delegated us with authority in this life. We have authority over the evil one. God in His Goodness didn't us powerless against the forces of darkness. He surrounds us with love and mercies and protects us from the work of the enemy.

 Lastly, He satisfies our mouth with good and renews our youth. God is the author of life. He grants us long life on this earth. He isn't ending our life but extending it through His mercy and kindness.

 In summation, we have undeniable proof that God is a Good God. God loves us eternally and unconditionally. He has forgiven us and purchased our healing. He is our redeemer and protector. Because our Father is always Good we can fully trust Him with our whole hearts and lives. God is a Good God. 

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay 

No comments: