Good or Bad?

Goodness can sometimes be confused with gentleness. Find out what the bible says about it as we continue our series on the fruit of the Spirit.

The sixth fruit of the Spirit that is mentioned in Galatians 5:22 is goodness. According to Dictionary.com, goodness is defined as the quality of being morally good or virtuous; and the beneficial or nourishing element of food. The bible tells us that the Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him (Nahum 1:7). From here we can see that goodness does not come apart from God. Have you ever heard someone say that they are a “good” person? Well, this statement is only true if the person saying this is in a relationship with God, otherwise, this is simply not true. No amount of “goodness” can save us from hell fire so to be good in our own minds is deceptive because only God determines who is good and we cannot truly be good if we are not connected to Him.

We overcome evil by doing that which is good.

Scripture continues on to show many examples of goodness. A famous verse in Matthew says to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Here we see that the good that we do should always bring glory to God, without this it is not truly a good work. Psalm 37:3 reminds us to trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. We see that doing good comes with rewards, one being physical provision. While we do not serve God or do anything just to be rewarded, this is a very real result of operating in the fruit goodness. Romans 12:9 tells us to “let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). From these scriptures, we see that we have a part to play in doing good and resisting evil. We are told the way to overcome evil is by doing good. To reiterate, we cannot truly do good if we are not in fellowship with God. It is all connected with the ultimate link being our Father in heaven.

Goodness helps our witness to be strong and allows us to shine bright in a dark world. We cannot shine if we are not kind to others. We represent God inaccurately when we are not good to our fellow man. Goodness is more than saying the right things; it is also doing the right thing even when we think no one is watching. To be good is also to be merciful. Goodness and mercy are closely connected. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful (Luke 6:36). There is no further explanation needed to understand the meaning of this verse. Since mercy is a part of God’s character – and the fruit of the Spirit allows us to take on the full character of God – mercy must be on that list.