GOODNESS OF GOD

THE GOODNESS OF GOD IN RELATION TO HIMSELF

 

The discussion of the attributes describing the greatness of God is concluded, and it is now time to consider the attributes that delineate the GOODNESS of God. The classification of attributes under the titles of greatness and good­ness is purely arbitrary on the part of the theologian. It is his effort to reduce the Biblical material to manageable form for consumption on the part of the finite mind of man. Under the caption of greatness, attributes that describe the metaphysical dimensions of God are listed. Under the caption of GOODNESS, attributes that describe the moral disposition of God are arranged.

In the very nature of the case man conceives of God as good. If it is possible to conceive of a self-existent and eternal God as morally bad, the mo­ment one is confronted with His perfection he is face to face with a paradox. Since God is perfect, then He must also be good. To this, man unconsciously bears witness, and the Lord Jesus Christ gave explicit testimony. "There is none good, but one, that is, God" (Mark 10:18). The adjective good, though used in the positive degree, carries the superlative sense. God is good in the highest sense, and there are no degrees of variation in Him.

The exact meaning of the word good when used in relation to God requires a careful analysis of its usage in the Scriptures. The word means so many things to so many people that apart from the Biblical definition it could be misunderstood. The word is used of God first in the wilderness, when Moses sought assurance concerning the disposition of God toward him and the people of Israel (Exod. 33:13-17). Moses besought more. He wanted an exhibition of God's glory, and God promised, "I will make all my goodness pass be­fore thee." Then He uses the words "gracious" and "mercy" in further explana­tion (Exod. 33:18-19). When God exhibited Himself, "He proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exod. 34:5-7).

From this it seems evident that the goodness of the Lord sums up a whole collection of moral attributes that disposes Him to move in mercy and love and blessing toward men. "Good and upright is the Lord" (Psa. 25:8). "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" (Psa. 33:5). He gives "rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). "He makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). "The goodness of the Lord endures continu­ally" (Psa. 52:1). A refrain runs through one Psalm, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men" (Psa. 107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31). All this calls for an answering response from men in order to enter into the full meaning of God's goodness. "The goodness of God leads thee to repentance" (Rom. 2:4). "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psa. 34:8).

When a complete survey is made of the goodness of God, it becomes evident that there are certain moral attributes of God that may be classified as absolute or immanent, and others that are relative or transitive. The absolute describe what God is in Himself, such as holiness, truth, and love. The transitive attributes describe what God is in relation to others, such as right­eousness, faithfulness, and mercifulness. To put it another way, the first three are attributes of character, the final three the expression of character. The study for this chapter will be confined to the goodness of God in relation to Himself, considering HOLINESS, TRUTH, AND LOVE, that is, the attributes of character.