The Goodness of God
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
In the fruit of the Spirit, I think “goodness” is the one that is misunderstood the most. So often in this world, I hear people say, “I’m a good person,” or, “She was a good person,” or, “What if they’re a good person?” But what they really mean is, “I don’t do many obvious bad things.” But that isn’t what makes a person good. “Goodness” according to the fruit of the Spirit is connected to integrity and character more than a balance of good or bad deeds. This goodness comes from the Holy Spirit within us, and it will then change our heart, our character, and then the deeds will follow.
Goodness is not karma
The idea that our good deeds can outweigh our bad deeds is comforting when we have a human perspective, but sobering and terrifying when we acknowledge God’s perspective.
For there is no distinction:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:22b-23 (ESV)
When we consider the goodness and holiness of God, we cannot stand by the idea of our good deeds outweighing our bad deeds. Our individual goodness falls severely short of God’s goodness, and our sin stains everything about us, especially when compared to the perfect and holy God. Goodness is not about merit, or karma, or self-righteousness. Goodness is about staying in step with the Holy Spirit.
Goodness: Integrity. Same with one group as another. Transparent. Same in public and private.
Galatians 5 and Romans 8 have an echoed sentiment of the importance to walk according to the Holy Spirit and not according to the flesh.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
Galatians 5:16-17 (NIV)
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6 (NIV)
Goodness glorifies God
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance.
Romans 2:4 (NKJV)
God is good. It is Who He is; and His goodness draws us to Him. He is faithful, just, and loving. God establishes and sets the example for what goodness is. If we are to have goodness in our lives, we must remain in the presence of God. We must seek Him and obey Him as the good Father that He is. Remember, the fruit of the Spirit are not God’s list of demands for us to adhere to, it is what He longs to grow in our lives because He loves us and because He is good. He gives to us out of His goodness, He blesses us from His goodness. That goodness reveals the wickedness of the sin within us, and draws us to Him in repentance. From there, we just need to be with Him. As God changes us to more closely resemble Jesus in this world, His goodness will be increasingly on display in our lives. He is good, and in Him, we are good. The fruit of goodness grows in our lives, affecting every aspect of who we are and what we do, because God is good. The goodness that the world sees in Christians points clearly to the goodness of God.