The Goodness of God’s People (1)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2.8-10

The pursuit of goodness
David longed to see the goodness of God in his day (Ps. 27.13, 14). He’d seen plenty that was not good, and even contributed a fair amount of that himself. But his soul longed for the goodness of God, for that “very good” condition of unity, holiness, harmony, order, creativity, and love that existed at the end of the creation week, when the vast cosmos reflected and refracted the glory of God in whole and part (Gen. 1.31).

All who know the Lord and have tasted of His goodness share that longing. We want to know more of God’s goodness, and to extend that goodness to as many people and as much of creation as we can. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord (Ps. 33.5), but that goodness is largely overlooked or overshadowed by the evil that people perpetrate against one another and the creation.

But God has not given up on His original work. The course of history is flowing toward the new heavens and new earth, when everything will be just as God intends and His goodness will be visible, abounding, and acknowledged on every hand. In the interim, God calls His redeemed people to prepare for that glorious age by doing such good works as will manifest His goodness to the world, thus both experiencing and expressing the new creation which is coming.

As we continue to look for resources that can help us to understand the goodness of God, and how we can discern and contribute to that goodness, we need to look at God’s calling and commission for His people. God intends the followers of His Son to be instruments of His goodness in all the earth. In this study we’ll examine the forms such goodness must take, and in our final study in this series, we will consider theways we may improve in goodness, that the goodness of God may be more consistently evident in the land of the living.

The goodness of God
We have been looking at the goodness of God as it is revealed through a variety of sources – Scripture, creation, culture, the Law of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the heavenly court, in particular. And we have been considering God’s goodness as coming to expression in unity, holiness, order, harmony, creativity, and love. The goodness God intends for His creation will consist in such attributes as these, thus simultaneously reflecting Himself and bringing His good and perfect will to fruition on earth.

God has redeemed, saved, and appointed His people as instruments of His goodness (Eph. 2.8-10). He has given us His Word to equip us for every good work (2 Tim. 3.15-17). He has promised that we may expect to know marvelous success in doing good works like Jesus (Jn. 14.12). He calls us to be zealous for good works and ready at all times to perform whatever the situation requires; and He urges us not to grow weary in this aspect of our calling (Tit. 2.14, 3.1, 8; Gal. 6.9, 10). If the goodness of God is to become more evident and abundant in the land of the living, it will be through the efforts of His people, the Church.

The world should be able to look at the Church and see the very embodiment of the goodness of God. When that happens, people are drawn to God through the Church, recognizing the benefits of His goodness and eagerly desiring them (Mic. 4.1-8). Churches cannot fulfill their mission from God unless they understand the formsin which His goodness should appear through them and make those forms work to that end.

To experience and to express
God’s plan for His people – all those who believe in Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life – is a plan for good. He promises to bless us and to make us a blessing to the world (Gen. 12.1-3). He has given us His holy and righteous and good Law, and all His Word, to prepare us for good works, so that we might dwell in His wisdom and goodness (Rom. 14.12; 2 Tim. 3.15-17; Deut. 4.5-8). He promises us peace and deliverance from the destructive powers of evil (Jer. 29.11). He has established us in the hope of glory, so that we may live in the power of His Spirit and know the fruit of goodness in all our ways (Rom. 5.1, 2; Gal. 5.22, 23).

God intends His Church to know His goodness in increasing measure. Our experience as Christians should be one of abundant and increasing goodness, one that we enjoy in our personal lives and share with our fellow believers in all our labors together.

But the Church is also called to bring the goodness of God to the world, to express God’s goodness in a variety of forms, and thus fulfill our calling as agents and conduits of grace to the world (Jn. 7.37-39). We who know God’s goodness, discern and enjoy it from every source, and realize increasing measures of goodness in all aspects of our lives, want to show that goodness to the world. The goodness of God leads people to repentance (Rom. 2.4). The more of His goodness we can bring to the world, the more powerful and effective will be our proclamation of the ultimate goodness of God, which is the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom.

Thus churches must take as a driving force, in all their activities, both to experience the goodness of God in increasing measure, and to express that goodness in their local communities. This is how the glory of God becomes known, and the knowledge of that glory can cover the earth (Hab. 2.14). 

For reflection
1.  We are not saved by good works, but we’re not saved without them. Explain.

2.  We do not work for salvation, but we must work out the salvation we have freely received. How do good works factor in here?

3.  What opportunities does your church have for experiencing and expressing the goodness of God in your community?

Next steps – Preparation: How do you experience the goodness of God? How do you express His goodness to others? What other opportunities for experiencing and expressing the goodness of God can you identify?

T. M. Moore

Heaven is where Jesus is, seated in glory. We can know Him there, and build up our heavenly treasure through meditation, prayer, and imitating what we see in heaven. Our book, To Know Him, can lead you in making those deposits in your heavenly treasure that will find you increasing in the knowledge of Jesus day by day. Order a copy today by clicking here, and we’ll send you a second copy to share with a friend.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.