God Is Good

Editor’s Note: the Bible has a lot to say about the goodness of God. It’s easy to slip into the thinking that God is a curmudgeon who give us rules and tells humans what they shouldn’t be doing. But God is good, and He loves is, and Scripture makes that clear. Here is Dr. Kevin Zuber exploring this idea.

Psalm 100:5
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 145:6-9
Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.

Lamentations 3:25
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.

Matthew 5:45
“So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Matthew 7:11
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

Acts 14:17
“And yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

God’s goodness is His benevolence. The psalmist links His greatness to His goodness, and His goodness to His righteousness and His mercy and His patience and His lovingkindness (ḥesed). His goodness is mostly seen in His provision for His creation. He gives sun and rain in order that His creation will produce the food they need for life, and the food He gives is good and brings His creatures much joy (see Ps. 104:15; Eccl. 10:19). His goodness exceeds the relative goodness of an earthly father.