God’s Goodness: His Unexplainable Benevolence

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Opening Prayer:

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.  He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry (Psalm 147 7-9).  Your goodness to us has no end.  To God be all glory for He alone is good, Amen.

Today’s Bible Verse: Read Corinthians 2:9, NLT

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT)."

Associated Scriptures:

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind (Psalm 31:19)!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him (Psalm 34:8!

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance (Romans 2:4)?

Supportive Quotes:

Turn the truths you glean into a time of worship, praising and thanksgiving to Him for His infinite, eternal goodness poured out richly through Christ Jesus our Lord.[1] – Charles Spurgeon

Biblical Analysis:

Benevolence is an action.  Even though it is a noun, it is still a verb.  Benevolence is the action of doing good to another person or object.  We can show goodness to another person by providing comfort or support in the time of need.  However, we also perform an act of goodness when we pick up a piece of trash that destroys the beauty of creation or could possibly be harmful to an animal.

God is Benevolent

  1. God’s Goodness is Revealed in God’s Limitless Provision

1 Corinthians 2:9 tells us that our human eyes cannot see, our human ears cannot hear, and our minds cannot fathom in any way the good things that God has prepared for those who love Him.  In our wildest dreams we cannot conceive, in our finite minds we cannot perceive, all that God has planned for us. 

In the chapter on the transcendence of God, we discussed the incredible love that God has for us.  Now, in this chapter, we see that the shoe is on the other foot.  God loves us and is willing to provide for all our needs with his limitless supply of all things.  But, on the other hand, He requires that we love Him.  How do we do that?  How do we love God? 

Love is and always has been connected to faithfulness; obedience.  If I say I love someone and continually disobey them, my love is all words and no action.  That great theologian Clint Black sings, “Love isn’t something that we’re in, it’s something that we do.”  Jesus says, “If you love Me, obey (keep, NKJV) My commandments (John 14:15, NLT).” 

The promise of God found in 1 Corinthians 2:9 is so unfathomable, how do we claim it?  One of my favorite expressions concerning God is, “God is good all the time, all the time God is good.”  To me, this means that God is good to me all the time because God is a good God (Psalm 106:1).

To be God is to be good.  An important aspect of God’s goodness is His benevolence.  Romans 8:28 confirms God’s benevolence when it says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  “Working together for good” is the act of benevolence.

  1. Benevolence is tied to holiness

Is there any god who is as great as our God,” asks the Psalmist in Psalm 77:13-15?  The answer to this rhetorical question is “no.”  Verse13 says, “Your ways, O God, are holy”.  Our God has worked wonders and miracles on this earth with mankind watching.  He continues to work these miracles every day. 

We see the power of God all around us, the entire universe speaks our God’s great strength and power.  (Hebrews 1:3).  God uses His power for our benefit (Ephesians 1:19-20). 

God has not only saved us, but in His goodness, He will raise us from the dead according to 1 Corinthians 6:14.

  1. Benevolence is expressed in His mercy

His love for us and goodness to us knows no boundaries. God’s mercy is included in this everlasting love.  In God’s mercy, we see His deep and abiding compassion for us, His kindness towards us, and His unending forgiveness (Titus 3:4-5)

Spiritual Application:

God is the embodiment of perfect goodness and is kind, benevolent, and full of goodwill toward all creation (Psalm 119:65-72). Since God is benevolent toward all His creation, and we are his children, we should follow the example of our Father.

Lesson Within the Lesson:

How do we define God’s Goodness?

How do we imitate God’s Goodness in our own lives?

How is God’s grace tied to His goodness? Read Ephesians 2:8-10 and Romans 5:8.

Why are God’s mercy and His love not enough to save us from eternal punishment? Read Romans 5:6.

[1] Charles Spurgeon, The Goodness of God, Public Domain, preceptaustin.org/notes_for_attributes_of_god#goodness of god table with references