THE GOODNESS OF GOD – PART 1
JournalPublish date: 06/01/2009
THE GOODNESS OF GOD – PART 1
“Therefore you have no excuse or defense or justification, O man, whoever you are who judges and condemns another. For in posing as judge and passing sentence on another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge are habitually practicing the very same things [that you censure and denounce]. 2 [But] we know that the judgment (adverse verdict, sentence) of God falls justly and in accordance with truth upon those who practice such things. 3 And do you think or imagine, O man, when you judge and condemn those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment and elude His sentence and adverse verdict? 4 Or are you [so blind as to] trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience? Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will)? 5 But by your callous stubbornness and impenitence of heart you are storing up wrath and indignation for yourself on the day of wrath and indignation, when God’s righteous judgment (just doom) will be revealed. 6 For He will render to every man according to his works [justly, as his deeds deserve]: 7 To those who by patient persistence in well-doing [springing from piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honor and [the eternal blessedness of] immortality, He will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and self-willed and disobedient to the Truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be indignation and wrath. 9 [And] there will be tribulation and anguish and calamity and constraint for every soul of man who [habitually] does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile). 10 But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile). 11 For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another].” Romans 2:1-11 AMP
There is no excuse, before God, for those who judge others, especially when they are doing the same things themselves. Those who are judgmental of others show that they have underestimated, and even perhaps despised, the riches of God’s grace. They either do not realize or they have forgotten that it is the goodness of God that leads all men to repentance, including them themselves. If we deny that God is a good God, then we are being disobedient to the truth. Your stubbornness is opening the door for the judgment of God to come upon you. Remember that God is not a respecter of persons. That means that He loves us all the same and He treats us all the same. No matter what a man or woman has done; no matter how bad they have been; if God can have an opportunity to show His goodness to him or her, He will. It is His goodness that melts hearts and draws sinners to Him. How can you fight with someone who is only kind and loving toward you? It is a hard-hearted person indeed, who can reject such a wonderful Lord!
“Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: 34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. 35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.” Nehemiah 9:33-35 KJV
Only the wicked despise God’s goodness. In God’s goodness, He blessed the Israelites and forgave them over and over, because of His love and because of His covenant promises to them as a nation. He was only good to them and blessed them with everything they could possible want and need and yet they rejected Him over and over. He did not reject them, they rejected Him, therefore He had to lift His hand of blessing and protection off of them and the enemy was able to afflict them. However, when they came to their senses and genuinely repented for their wickedness and rebellion, He always received them back into His blessing.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:6-11 NKJV
People quote this scripture out of context to explain tragedies: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.” They blame God for the bad things that happen. However, in context, we can see that it is God’s love, mercy and forgiveness that is higher than our thoughts and higher than our ways. We have a hard time grasping how God can forgive certain people, because we think that some sins are too great to be forgiven. Sometimes we don’t want God to forgive someone, because we don’t want to forgive them. But God is good! And He never changes! Psalms 145:9 NKJV says, “The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.” The Lord is indeed good and He is good to ALL!