God’s goodness (God is love and just)

The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and all that God is and does is worthy of approval.

In this article, we will explore and unpack God’s Divine Goodness and Love.

Stephen Charnock (17th Century theologian) helpfully comments in his book (The Existence and Attributes of God) on God’s divine goodness by saying:

 “God only is originally good, good of himself. All created goodness is a rivulet from this fountain, but Divine goodness hath no spring; God depends upon no other for his goodness; he hath in and of himself, man hath no goodness from himself, God hath no goodness from without himself, his goodness in no more derived from another than his being; is he were good by external thing, that thing, must be before him or after him, if before him, he was not then himself from eternity; if after him, he was not good in himself from eternity.”

 Furthermore, the term “Summum bonum”- is a Latin phrase that means “the highest good’ or “the ultimate good”. We might call God the summum bonum, the supreme, highest, greatest good that can be imagined. All good is measured against him, for he is the greatest good.

Considering this, we must think about this: if God is goodness in and of itself, then behind all of this world’s good, He must be the perfect and exclusive source of our goodness and blessedness

 God is therefore the final standard of good. Jesus hints at this truth when he speaks to the rich young ruler as recorded in Mark’s gospel:

  “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. Mark 10:18.

 Jesus attributes all good to God and affirms that no one is good except the Ohane which all good flows out of, the source of divine goodness itself.

 In addition, the Psalms clearly display that God is the embodiment of divine goodness

 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; Psalm 34:8a.

 “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; Psalm 106:1.

 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” Psalm 107:1.

 Furthermore, the Psalms connect the goodness of God with the goodness of His actions:

 “You are good and what you do is good; teach me your decrees” Psalm 119:68

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “goodness” is defined as: The quality of being morally good, virtuous, or beneficial.

 In Theology, Divine Goodness is defined as:

(1)   The perfection of God’s nature by which he is worthy of His own self-love and self-satisfaction,

(2)   That perfection of His nature by which He is the only proper object of man’s ultimate desire and the source of highest satisfaction.

 While Paul encourages us to discover in practice how God’s will for our lives is “good and acceptable and perfect”. Romans 12:2.

 In consideration of the goodness of God and how we should imitate the goodness of our Heavenly Father, we should ourselves do good – meaning we should do what God approves and instructs. The scriptures contain many references commanding Christians to do good,

 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Gal 10:6

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Luke 6:27.

 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:33-35.

 … so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (Paul speaking of the usefulness of scripture) 2 Tmothy 3:17.

 The Love of God,

 The Love of God is an expression of His Goodness (as also are his grace, mercy and patience), and like His goodness is identical with His being. Meaning, God is love.

“ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8

This love is also directed towards His creatures.

Frances Turretin (17th Century theologian) helpfully comments on Gods’ love by saying 

“From goodness flows love by which he communicates Himself to the creature and wills to unite Himself with and do good to it”.

 God most perfectly demonstrates His love towards us in sending His Son to bring us life and to make satisfaction for our sin:

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.

 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20.

 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10.

 We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19.

God’s Justice

God’s justice, deeply rooted in His goodness, reflects His perfect righteousness and unwavering commitment to uphold what is right. As the ultimate standard of justice, God gives to each creature what it deserves, provides for our needs, and commands only what is true and glorifies His nature:

 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. Psalm 111:7

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:4. 

His justice is both retributive, rendering judgment on the wicked, and distributive, rewarding the righteous in accordance with their faithfulness.

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done. Romans 2:5-6.

 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked. Psalm 58:11.

 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. Romans 2:7.

 Ultimately, God’s justice is fully satisfied in the sacrifice of Jesus, who, through His death, enables God to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith.

 He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:26.

 God’s justice, far from being in conflict with His mercy, is beautifully revealed in the gospel, where righteousness and peace meet.

 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalm 85:10.

To summarise…

God’s love and justice are fundamental to understanding His character. His love, shown through the sacrifice of Jesus, offers grace and salvation to all who believe, while His justice ensures that He upholds what is right, rewarding the faithful and holding the wicked accountable. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, God’s justice is satisfied, allowing Him to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith. Ultimately, God’s love and justice meet in the gospel, demonstrating His perfect balance of mercy and righteousness.

Contributed by: Odisho Odisho