“But the fruit of the Spirit is…goodness” Galatians 5:22
Christmas may be over, but I still remember the song that claims we should be good because Santa is watching, “you better be good for goodness sake,” or you can’t expect gifts. Among all the sloppy theology I hear, this may top them all. If we do good to benefit ourselves, to get something we want, can we really call that goodness? Sounds like self-centered pragmatism to me. But maybe we can have a better motivation for being good. Maybe desiring goodness shows we value closeness with God more than what we get.
Our culture has pretty much abandoned a common sense of good and evil, an overarching set of values that transcends individual preference. I hope you feel shocked at this, “…a new study from the Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University shows that some 58% of Americans surveyed…say it's up to the individual to decide what is true or moral.” But followers of Jesus should not feel proud, we’re close behind, “those believing the Bible to be the true, reliable word of God, amazingly, are almost as likely to reject absolute moral truth (46%) as to accept it (48%)” (source below).
If we rule out God, then who can tell us what to do? What is right or wrong? Only those with the power to enforce it. Good is doing what we want that we can get away with, if there is no comprehensive standard. Frankly, if I thought God did not exist, I would only be good when it benefits me.
It seems like goodness only makes sense if we have a source of goodness that exceeds our individual desires and culture. Only God qualifies.
In our continuing series on how to nurture the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, goodness transcends our pragmatic self-benefit and becomes an expression of the character of God in our lives. Our goodness flows not for personal benefit, but to enhance God’s presence in our lives. So, how do we “be good for goodness’ sake?” A few tips.
1 Realize goodness from God’s character, according to Jesus, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). How do we do good? By linking our lives to God, and do the good things he commands. Combining relationship and action (You might read Matthew 25 about the good and evil servants to explore this more).
2 Nurture internal goodness by choosing a standard of right and wrong beyond yourself, then strive to do God’s good. Intentionally and prayerfully examine each potential choice for how it measures up on the good scale, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).
3 Spend time with him personally. In his word. In daily life. Get to know him better. Become a friend. Yearn to match your character traits to his.
You’ll find that brings a good life.
Kick Starting the Application
To you, how essential is the concept of absolute moral truth in being good? What aspect of God’s goodness most intrigues you? What weeds in your life most threaten to choke out your goodness? How can you deal with them?
https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2020/05/19/a-nation-unmoored-crc-study-shows-americans-reject-moral-truth-rooted-in-gods-word/
PS This series contains brief snippets of my first book, Deep Down: Character Change Through the Fruit of the Spirit. If you’d like to delve into the fruit more deeply, a signed new book with tax and postage is just $7.