CHARACTER AND NATURE OF GOD: "GOOD"
INTENTION:
When we think of God, we do not always think of Him as being a good person—as we would ourselves judge a person we see or meet living in this world. We oftentimes give more “good” credit to people around us than to God. Yet it is God that lives up to His own “Good” standard and will always Himself follow the guidelines He gives us.
Additionally, we can
falsely assume that even if God sends hurricanes, earthquakes, famine, or
hardship on me, that this is somehow “good” of God to do out of some
mysterious, incomprehensible plan He has.
But we will learn
that God’s true nature of “Good” does not involve such trauma and hardship.
Good actually means it is wonderful, pleasing, glad, happy, kind, prosperity,
etc. This is the God we need to know!
( DOWNLOAD THIS BIBLE STUDY AS PDF )
I.
TOPIC (PART 1 – GOOD):
We want to look at the Character and Nature of God as “Good”.
This four-part series will look into, and help to clarify,
whom God is. Oftentimes, we may feel we don’t know what God is doing, can do,
or will do in our lives or this world. We may think one day He is out to bless
me; and the next, out to ‘get’ me. Leaving us wondering if He even cares for
us.
For many of us, how we perceive our own earthly dad is how
we also portray God.
This applied to me as I grew up with the notion that God was
always disappointed in me, never heard my voice / thoughts / opinions, was
angry with me, controlling, abusive, unpredictable, and loving / caring.
As such, I complicated God into some “multiple-personality
being” that I could not trust in any fashion, because I never “knew” what He
was going to do or how He was going to react—whether I did something wrong or
not.
The way I, as a child, perceived (feared) my own dad, I
feared God. So much so, that if I messed up (sinned), I would pre-emptively
punish myself before God punished me—like sleeping on the hard floor for a week
instead of the comfy bed. All to save me from getting (“God giving me”) a flat
tire, having my photography negatives stollen, or finding myself in a financial
bind. I really thought it was God doing those things to me for the “error of my
ways”.
And this is how I also interpreted scripture—enforced, as
well, by the “Christian religion” (church) I was in.
If God was punishing me (bringing me harm), how could I ever
see Him as good or loving? Or even worse, I defined good and loving as Him
being able to punish me (bring misfortune on my life). But is God like that
(like my dad / like so many people we experience in this word), as being
confused and short-tempered? NO!
We can know He is not through the example of Him that is
Christ Jesus. Jesus only did what He saw His Father (God) do. And never did we
see Jesus punish someone for their sins. He even admitted that He did not come
to Judge, and neither was His Father (God) Judging us.
God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit
(Holy Ghost) are “Three-in-One”—in that although they are three separate
beings, they each follow the same principal. One cannot do what another does
not do; nor not do what the other does. They each have a role and function, yet
they cannot and will not contradict each other. This is why Jesus said a
“Kingdom divided cannot stand”. If they did not think alike, act alike, and be
alike, they would be a Kingdom divided (not united); and always be at odds with
one-another. And who would “win” the discrepancy???
So, if we ever see something in our lives, or hear someone
say something about God that does not align with what Jesus demonstrated, it is
not “good” nor of God. We can then see that “good” is not sickness, disease,
birth-defects, misfortune, hardships, war, natural disasters (storms, drought,
famine), lack, nor death.
When God creates something (as we will read in Genesis
1:1-26), He will claim it as “good”. That being perfect and without flaw. So,
if we see something that is flawed in us or the world, we can know it is not of
or from Him.
He is Love too (and not a confusing kind of Love, one that
can be clearly seen and experienced). He only desires us to have the most in
life—for He gave His only Son in exchange for us that we may have Life and Life
more abundantly! He also gave His Holy Spirit to us, with the Gifts and Fruit
provided by Him.
We will dig into better understanding the character and
nature of God through these 4 parts:
1. The
first part looks at what it means that God is “Good”.
2. The
second part is looking at God as “Love”.
3. The
third part is looking at God as “Jesus”.
4. The
fourth part is looking at God as the “Holy Spirit”.
When we see these aspects of whom He is, it will alleviate
any cause for fear of Him and be able to see Him as Jesus did: His Father. And,
as a believer, you are His child (son/daughter) just as Jesus is to God—you are
Jesus’s brothers and sisters…how awesome is that! And this same Father treats
you the exact same way He treated His own Son Jesus: with Love, Care, and
someone He is “well pleased” with.
Let’s come to an understanding that “God is for us and not
against us”, and that He is not out to punish us.
When you go through the following scripture reading, focus on the times God says something is “good”. This term “good” really is what it means, without the notion of hurt or pain. The Hebrew word is:
Good – H2896: towb
II.
READING: Genesis
1:1-26 (NLT)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the
Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be Light,” and there was Light.
4 And God saw that the Light was good. Then he separated the Light from the
darkness. 5 God called the Light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening
passed and morning came, marking the first day.
6 Then God said, “Let
there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from
the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God made this space to
separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8 God called
the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow
together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened.
10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it
was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of
seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will
then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is
what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing
plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and
trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And evening passed and
morning came, marking the third day.
14 Then God said, “Let
lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs
to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down
on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the
larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also
made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to
govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God
saw that it was good. 19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the
fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other
life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” 21 So God created
great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the
water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And
God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them`, saying, “Be fruitful and
multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
23 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of
animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that
scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25 God
made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to
produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to
be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the
livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry
along the ground.”
•
Refer also: Bible Study Lessons 012-017 – Tabernacle (Body, Mind, Soul, Heart, Spirit)
III.
RELATED VERSES AND QUESTIONS:
A. Isaiah
61:1 / Luke
4:18-19 (NLT) {PoG}
The Spirit of the
Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news {Gospel}
to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted and to proclaim that
captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed.
Question: How is this “Good News”? In what ways
can you or have you spoken “good news” to someone?
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B. Psalms
23:6 (NLT)
Surely your goodness and
unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the
house of the Lord forever.
Question: Do you feel that God follows you with
anger and wrath; would that make you want to dwell with God?
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C. Psalms
34:8 (NLT)
Taste and see that the
Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Question: Have you experienced (“tasted and
seen”) in your own life that the Lord is good? How have you trusted (taken
refuge) in the Lord, and have seen it come through in your life?
D. Luke
12:29-32 (NLT)
“And don’t be concerned
about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These
things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father
already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he
will give you everything you need. 32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it
gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”
Question: Does God want to give to you? Have you
ever feared something that never came to pass?
E. John 10:10-11 (NLT)
The thief’s purpose is to
steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying
life. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the
sheep.
•
Refer also: Bible Study Lesson 029 – The Thief (Discernment &
Battle)
Question: Does God “steal, kill, and destroy”? How has the Lord been a good Shephard in your life (Psalms 23)?
F. Romans
2:4b {PoG}
It is the Goodness of God
that leads to repentance.
Question: Do you fear the Lord when you do something wrong?
G. Galatians
5:22-23 (NLT) {PoG}
But the Holy Spirit
produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, {faith}, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against
these things.
•
Refer also: Bible Study Lesson 007 – Faith & Belief / Unbelief
Bible Study Lesson 044 – Our Duality (Flesh & Spirit)
Question: Do you feel the Holy Spirit provides
you with all these gifts?
H. Philippians
1:6 (NLT)
And I am certain that God,
who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally
finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
•
Refer also: Bible Study Lesson 023 – Salvation / Saved
Question: Is there something the Lord is
perfecting in you every day?
I. Philippians
4:8 (NLT)
And now, dear brothers and
sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable,
and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are
excellent and worthy of praise.
Question: Why should we think (meditate) on
these things?
IV.
FURTHER THOUGHT:
A. Philemon
1:6 (NLT) {PoG}
And I am praying that you
will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you {correctly}
understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
•
Refer also: Bible Study Lesson 051 – {Correct} Knowledge
Thoughts: It’s important to have the correct
knowledge of the Lord. Without it, we can tend to lead a life unsure what is
the Will of the Lord or what is actually Good. When we align with knowing Him
correctly, we then flow more freely with Him and have a deeper intimacy and
trust with Him.
And a good litmus test to
determine if the knowledge of the Lord you are exposed to is “correct” is if it
multiplies Grace and Peace in your life!
2
Peter 1:2 (NLT) {PoG}
Grace and peace be
multiplied unto you through the {correct} knowledge of God, and of Jesus our
Lord.
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & SUPPORT:
A thank you to Kelly and Joshua who are inspirational in this life-journey. And to all the family, friends, sponsors, and donors who have fed into this ministry and outreach.
If you would like to support this ministry and outreach, you may do so via our website or at:
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