Good, Day 3

Scripture Defines Good

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Psalms 73:28

“Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

Acts 14:17

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalms 107:1

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

Romans 8:28-30 (CSB)

Adam and Eve’s future was tragically changed by their attempts to define good for themselves. Death was introduced into paradise. They were driven from the garden. Our evaluation of what is good must be based in what God says, not in what seems good to us. Psalm 73 states, “But it is good for me to be near to God.” One thing God defines as good is having people near to Him in a relationship. In the book of Acts, we read, “He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” What is good in this passage? The Lord’s provision for all of the people on earth is good. These gifts should point us back to Him as the giver of all good things.

The central topic of Psalm 107 is the way that God delivers His children from distress when they cry out to Him, and the psalm opens with a declaration of His goodness and love. The words “because” and “for” may be used interchangeably. So a paraphrase of Psalm 107:1 might be, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, because he is good, because his steadfast love endures forever.” This helps us to see how we know that the Lord is good—because we see that His steadfast love endures forever. Likewise, Romans 8:28-29 can be paraphrased, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Because those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” The because in this passage introduces the purpose that is good. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, but how do we know? Because those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. There is an unbreakable sequence of promises in these verses. Those whom God foreknew as His children He also predestined. All of those who are predestined, He also called, then justified, and He also will glorify. This glorifying will be the completion of our sanctification, when God will finish the process of conforming us to the image of His Son. Once God has foreknown and predestined, the process is so assured that “glorified” is in past tense, as if it has already been completed. Please notice that this entire paragraph in Romans 8 is about the work that God is doing, and therefore, it cannot fail. But notice also that this work is not completed until future glory. All the things that God is working toward now will not be finished until Jesus returns. The final good purpose of God here is the completion of our being conformed to the image of Christ, when we are glorified.

Those who love God can rest assured that He will use every painful and difficult circumstance in their lives for good, but not necessarily good as we would like to define it. This is not a promise that believers will be healed of every disease or rescued from every tragedy. This is not a promise that we will see good purpose in this life for every painful thing that happens to us. God has much higher intentions for us than just happiness in this world. Sometimes God delivers us from troubles by transforming us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ so that we are fully equipped to face our troubles the way that Christ faced the cross. The challenge is to find hope in the goodness of future glory.

Action Step: Since an ultimate goal of God’s goodness is to conform you to the image of His Son, are you willing to grow toward that goal now in this life? Are you willing to be transformed by trials? Do you see trials as a time when God has withdrawn from you, or do you draw near to Him and embrace the goodness of being made to look like Jesus? Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you trust God and His process.