Goodness of God

As our holiday season approaches we are preparing for our Thanksgiving meeting on November 18. Come enjoy, the food will be stellar and the message will proclaim the “goodness of God.” The Bible tells us God possess all perfections—he is the sum total of these perfections—and “no one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19), God is perfect (Matt. 5:48). “That which is good in itself is also good for others. And God, as the perfect and blessed One, is the supreme good for his creatures,” (Ps. 4:6-7; 73:25-26; Bavinck 2:212). 

Goodness—perfect benevolence if you will—is offered in Hebrews 2 as the man Jesus suffered for the transformation of his creation. He gave it all, out of his perfect love.  

Hebrews 2:9 (CSB)  

9 But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.  

The Incarnation, Son of God in the flesh of a man, was able to give himself through perfect goodness (benevolence) “for the sake” of transferring some of his goodness to the people he created. 

Hebrews 2:10–11 (CSB)  

10 For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,  

The author of Hebrews writes on the suffering Christ endured as a man to sketch the likeness of Jesus to the people he created. As a man he suffered like us so that as God he can give a portion of his perfections to us. He gives for our recovery so we can give that goodness to others in need, and others for support. We are praying with you through our time in Principle 7, “daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow his will.”