“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
-Galatians 5:22-23
The sixth description of the fruit of the Spirit is “goodness.” In our daily conversation, we may use words like “good” or “goodness” in a very vague or general way to describe anything that is pleasing in any way. However, the word is not vague – it carries a great deal of meaning and is a very broad subject, but it is not vague. When properly used, “good” conveys the idea of a morally upright character. In fact, goodness is an attribute of God (Psalm 100:5 and many other passages of scripture; this is well worth a study beyond what I have space to write of here). Therefore, goodness in Christian conduct is inseparable from godliness.
Another very important part of the meaning of goodness is “fit for the intended purpose.” If I make something for a purpose, it is only good to me if it is useful for that purpose. For example, if I make a cake, I will only describe that cake as “good” if it is tasty, fluffy, moist, and unspoiled. Otherwise, the cake would not be suitable for its intended purpose and therefore not be considered “good.”
When God created Adam, He looked on His creation and declared that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). That means that God’s creation was both morally upright and also perfectly suited to His purpose. What was His purpose in creation? “For thou [God] hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). If we are created for God’s pleasure, how do we please Him? The Bible tells us we please Him when we obey His word (I Samuel 15:22), repent from wickedness (Luke 15:7), and when we fear Him and hope in His mercy (Psalm 147:10). In short, we were created to be good in the sight of God.
God created a “very good” Adam. However, after Adam’s fall, he and His posterity are described as being incapable of good. “There is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). There is nothing good in the carnal nature of man which wars against the spirit. To restate with different words: the fleshly nature of man has been corrupted by sin so that it is unable to please God (Romans 8:8). Only a person who has been born again by the Spirit of God can be good. Therefore, goodness is fundamental as fruit of the Spirit!
Goodness reaches to the very heart of what our conduct ought to be. If we have heard and believe the gospel of Jesus – that He is God manifest in the flesh, that He was born into this world for the suffering of death, that His death accomplished salvation for all of His people, and that He was resurrected as the firstfruits of the dead – then we should be motivated to be like that Jesus, our good God. It should be our sincere desire to abandon sin and the disobedience of our gracious God, and instead turn to follow after God in godliness and goodness. This is the pattern: God is good, therefore we must be good to be His disciples.
Just as Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father, we likewise submit ourselves to God’s ordinances. When His word commands us to treat one another in a certain way, we humbly do that. When His word teaches us to pray, we pray in the way clearly prescribed. When His word demonstrates the correct order of worship, we worship in that simple way, adding nothing to it and taking nothing from it. After all, God Himself is all good, and He has left us an example and instruction. May the Lord help us to walk in those ways which He has taught us so that we may be upright before Him. In doing so, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit, goodness.
“The Lord has been so good to me,
From The Lord has been so Good to Me, by Elder RH Pittman
I want to sing His praise,
I want to glorify His name
All my remaining days.
I want to follow in His steps
And show my love this way;
I want to lift His banner up
Each fair or cloudy day.”