How Can God Be Good ALL The Time?
Discovering the Attributes of God
Episode 16
God’s Goodness in a Broken World
What does it mean that God is good all the time? How can that possibly be true when the world is full of pain, hardship, and suffering? And what bearing does God’s goodness have on our everyday lives? Today, we’re going to be talking about these questions. We’re glad you’re here, New Creations. Let’s dive in.
Defining God’s Goodness
Welcome to episode 16 of the We Are Recreated podcast. I’m glad you’re here because today we’re talking about the goodness of God. This is the first of ten character traits we’ll be exploring that make up God’s personality and identity.
Our general outline will be:
- Define: We’ll define the attribute we’re studying.
- Discover: We’ll examine common questions or problems people have regarding that character quality.
- Apply: We’ll discuss how this trait impacts our day-to-day lives.
To begin, let’s look at Luke 18:19, where Jesus says, “No one is good except God alone.” Similarly, Psalm 119:68 declares, “God, you are good, and you do good; teach me your ways.”
“Good” is a word we use often, but what does it really mean? A simple dictionary definition includes terms like kind, helpful, selfless, friendly, morally excellent, honorable, or worthy.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for good is tab, meaning pleasant, delightful, or favorable. In the New Testament, the Greek word is agathos, meaning beneficial, useful, or morally excellent.
Theologian A.W. Tozer described God’s goodness by saying:
“God is kind-hearted, gracious, good-natured, and benevolent in intention. And let us remember that God is cordial—all this He is infinitely. It is impossible for God to be anything and not be completely and infinitely what He is. When I say that God is good, that God has a kind heart, I mean that He has a heart infinitely kind, and there is no boundary to it.”
God is perfectly and immutably good. He never changes. His goodness is demonstrated in His grace, kindness, and benevolence toward us.
God’s Goodness Toward Us
Psalm 139:18 tells us that God thinks about us constantly. Jeremiah 29:11 reveals that God has great plans for us:
“For I know the plans I have for you… plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
God’s goodness is the highest measure of anything that is good. Dr. Wayne Grudem, in his book Systematic Theology, writes:
“The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.”
God’s goodness is not only reflected in His morality but also in His character and identity. Everything He does is motivated by His heart of kindness and love toward us.
God’s Goodness Amid Suffering
You might be wondering, How can we say God is good when the world is so full of pain and suffering? It’s a fair question. Painful experiences often lead us to question God’s goodness.
Romans 8:28 offers hope:
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Even when we face hardship, God uses every situation for our ultimate good and His glory. While not everything we experience is good, God’s goodness remains steadfast. He uses both the sweet and the bitter to shape us, refine us, and reveal His love and faithfulness.
Genesis 50:20 illustrates this beautifully in the story of Joseph. After suffering betrayal and hardship, Joseph tells his brothers:
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
Even when people intend harm, God can bring about good.
Personal Testimony of God’s Goodness
2024 was a particularly hard year for our family. We dealt with car troubles that lasted for months. Our little soccer-mom minivan kept falling apart, and we were constantly borrowing and begging for rides.
On top of that, I experienced debilitating back pain that left me nearly unable to walk. But the hardest part of the year was discovering that my mom was sick. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Within months, she went from home to hospital to hospice—and then to heaven. She’s with Jesus now.
It was a painful and discouraging year. And yet, through it all, Jesus was so close to us. He was faithful, compassionate, and kind. He provided for us, brought us comfort, and gave us strength and peace.
Even in the middle of the hardship, we experienced God’s goodness. Though the situation was not good, He was.
Theological Reflection on Evil
From a philosophical perspective, we can understand evil as the absence of God’s goodness. In the beginning, when God created the world, everything He made was good. The problem of evil arose because humanity chose independence from God, leading to sin and brokenness.
Romans 3:23 states:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
GotQuestions.org explains this concept by comparing evil to darkness or cold. Darkness is not a thing—it is simply the absence of light. Similarly, cold is the absence of heat. Evil is the absence of good, or more accurately, the absence of God.
Though we live in a fallen world, God does not remain distant from our suffering. Instead, He entered into it. Jesus, God incarnate, walked among us, bore our grief, and carried our sorrows. Hebrews 12:2 says:
“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising its shame.”
Jesus willingly entered into our brokenness to redeem and restore us.
Application: God’s Goodness in Daily Life
What bearing does God’s goodness have on our daily lives? It shapes how we view God, the world, and ourselves.
If we don’t believe God is good, we may hesitate to trust Him or expect good things from Him. We might turn to other sources for fulfillment, satisfaction, and love.
However, when we trust in God’s goodness, we experience hope. David expressed this in Psalm 27:13:
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Believing in God’s goodness allows us to hold on to hope, even in the face of trials.
God’s Goodness Through Us
As we mature in our faith, God’s goodness begins to be expressed through us. The fruit of the Spirit, which includes goodness, is produced in us by the Holy Spirit. This goes beyond mere moral behavior—it is God’s own goodness flowing through us.
As we trust Jesus, His goodness empowers us to be kind, generous, and compassionate toward others. It equips us to act in ways that benefit those around us.
Jane Goodwin, a longtime worker with Worship with Us Ministries, wrote a children’s book on the fruit of the Spirit. She explains:
“Goodness is the best part of anything. When we are loving, joyful, at peace, and patient—when we are kind, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled—we show others who God is. We show them His goodness.”
Conclusion
God is good—all the time. Even in the middle of pain and suffering, He is close, faithful, and kind. His goodness shapes how we live, trust, and love.
Ask Him to reveal His goodness to you in the days ahead. Watch for His kindness in the details of your life. And if you have experienced God’s goodness, we’d love to hear about it—either in the comments or by email at hello@weercreated.com.
We’re eager to continue exploring God’s character with you. If you haven’t already, subscribe to the channel and check out the next episode where John Matthew unpacks what it means that God is love.
Until next time, remember: We are recreated.
