God and His Attributes

Thou art good, and doest good– Psalm 119:68

God is good. He is not just partially good, or occasionally good, but He is goodness itself.

As John reminds us, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God’s perfect character does not have even the slightest shade of imperfection or sinfulness about it. He is so good that His own character is the standard by which He will righteously judge the world.

His goodness is not merely an internal attribute, however. God is good and so He does good! When He created the world, he made it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). And even now the sin-cursed earth benefits daily from the sheer goodness of God to send the rain and sun and food that we need.

God is working all things together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and the sanctifying work He performs in us by His Spirit is “according to his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

So, what should our response be, as creatures of such a good God? The psalmist justifiably cries, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness!” (Psalm 107:8). Our worship and devotion are the only reasonable response to the purity and goodness of our God.

Not only that, but we should also pray to God, as the psalmist, “Thou art good, and does good; teach me thy statutes” (119:68). If you truly admire the goodness of God, you will wish to learn and emulate His ways in your own life.