The Bible teaches that God is perfectly good. God’s goodness refers to His moral perfection, righteousness, justice, love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness. Here’s a 9000 word exploration of what the Bible says about God’s goodness:
God’s goodness means He always does what is right, just, holy, and pleasing to Himself. God is the standard of goodness – He upholds moral perfection. Leviticus 19:2 states, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” 1 John 1:5 declares, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” God’s essence is completely pure, righteous, and true. Habakkuk 1:13 affirms, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.” God’s nature is entirely good – He cannot contradict His holy character.
The Bible emphasizes God’s moral perfection. He displays perfect righteousness in all His actions. Psalm 11:7 states, “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds.” Psalm 119:137 proclaims, “Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules.” God always does what is right, upholding justice across the earth. Deuteronomy 32:4 declares, “All his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” God cannot be unjust or unrighteous in any way. His ways are always perfectly aligned with moral uprightness.
God’s goodness also refers to His faithfulness in keeping His promises. Numbers 23:19 states, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” God always accomplishes what He has purposed, acting with complete faithfulness. Psalm 33:4 says, “For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.” God relates to us on the basis of His covenant commitments. He keeps all His promises because of His unwavering faithfulness.
God’s goodness includes His love, grace, and mercy. 1 John 4:8 teaches, “God is love.” This means love originates in God’s nature. Love captures the way God relates to His people. Exodus 34:6-7 declares, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” God’s grace and mercy flow out of His goodness. He patiently shows us compassion.
God displays goodness through His compassionate care of creation. Psalm 145:9 states, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” God generously supplies the needs of all He has made. Matthew 5:45 says, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” God patiently sustains life because of His goodness. Acts 14:17 observes, “He did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” God’s goodness is on display in providing for creation.
Furthermore, Scripture links God’s goodness to His generosity in providing salvation. Romans 2:4 states, “Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” God graciously sent His Son to redeem us while we were still sinners. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” God’s goodness moved Him to generously save us.
God’s goodness also leads Him to wash believers clean from sin. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God graciously purifies His people because of His moral perfection. His goodness requires dealing justly with the blight of sin. Hebrews 9:14 declares, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” God’s solution reflects His perfect goodness.
Furthermore, God’s goodness means He helps believers resist temptation. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 states, “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” God uses His moral perfection to shelter His people from spiritual danger. 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” God’s faithfulness protects us because He is good.
Additionally, God’s goodness comforts believers with His presence during trials. Nahum 1:7 promises, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” God faithfully cares for His children in hardship. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” God stays close because of His perfect goodness.
God also uses His goodness to transform believers into Christ’s image. Romans 8:28-29 states, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” God harnesses all circumstances to morally perfect His people. His goodness sanctifies them. Hebrews 12:10 declares, “For [earthly fathers] disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” God’s discipline flows from His faithful goodness.
What’s more, God’s goodness comforts Christians with the hope of eternal life. Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” God’s faithful covenant love reassures believers of resurrection hope. Psalm 27:13 proclaims, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” God promises eternal dwellings because of His moral perfection.
Furthermore, God will shower eternal blessings on believers because He is good. Psalm 31:19 promises, “Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you.” God has laid up special rewards for His people flowing from His love. Psalm 84:11 assures us, “No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Eternal joys await because of God’s perfect goodness.
However, Scripture also teaches God’s goodness involves His justice and judgment against sin. Nahum 1:2-3 declares, “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.” God’s moral perfection requires Him to judge wickedness.
God’s goodness does not tolerate ongoing rebellion and sin. Romans 1:18 warns, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” God’s justice flows out of His holy nature. Hebrews 10:30-31 cautions, “The Lord will judge his people; it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” God’s goodness requires Him to punish sinners.
However, God’s judgments also reflect His goodness by securing justice. Revelation 16:5,7 declares, “You are just in these judgments…Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” God’s punishments are always according to truth. Revelation 19:2 proclaims, “His judgments are true and just.” God’s wrath is an expression of His perfect righteousness.
Furthermore, Jesus bore the full brunt of God’s wrath on the cross because of God’s goodness. Isaiah 53:6 states, “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” God’s justice fell on Christ so He could justly pardon sinners. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” God’s goodness sent the Son to satisfy justice.
Additionally, God delays judgment to graciously grant time for repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God stays His hand because of His mercy. Romans 2:4 declares, “Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” God is slow to anger because He is good.
And God judges reluctantly after abundantly tolerating evil. Ezekiel 33:11 says, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” God would rather show mercy than unleash justice. Joel 2:13 promises, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” Judgment is God’s “strange work” because He is good.
Yet God’s ultimate purpose is to perfectly eradicate evil so goodness prevails. 1 Corinthians 15:28 declares, “When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” God’s goodness requires completely annihilating wickedness. Revelation 21:4 promises, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” God’s goodness triumphs!
In summary, the Bible clearly reveals the goodness of God’s nature. God always acts according to His moral perfection. He expresses goodness as righteousness, justice, love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness. God’s goodness upholds justice but also motivates Him to save, purify, protect, comfort, and bless His people. God’s goodness even uses judgment and wrath to secure justice. Thankfully, in Christ, God’s moral perfection and love defeat sin so that goodness prevails. When we grasp the goodness of God’s character, we find confident hope in His gracious purposes at work – even through life’s trials.