Fruit of the Spirit - Goodness
As we continue working through the Fruit of the Spirit as laid out in Galatians 5, we come to the word goodness. This is a tough one to dissect because of the various meanings that it can carry. Even just a quick Google definition search would show you 4 different meanings right off the bat:
Good as an adjective means “to be desired or approved of.” For instance a “good quality of life.”
Good as an adjective also means “having the qualities required for a particular role.” For instance “the schools here are good.”
Good can also be a noun meaning “that which is morally right; righteousness.” The balance of good and evil.
Good can also be a noun meaning “a benefit or advantage to someone or something.” For the “good of mankind.”
We use this word all the time. That taco was so good. He’s really good at basketball. When I was in middle school if a girl was cute you would say “she looks good,” which always felt like a weird saying to me. Good morning. Good night. Good riddance. And because we have so many uses in our modern vernacular, it can become difficult to parse out the specific meaning of goodness in Galatians chapter 5. But it gets even more difficult when I tell you that the specific Greek word for goodness that is used as a fruit of the Spirit is only used 4 times in the New Testament. In fact, it is believed that it was never used in any secular Greek writings, at least none that have been found.
The Greek word is “agathosune” and comes from the root word “agathos” which means “inherently good,” in other words having a nature that is characteristically good. With that as its root, we can define goodness as “high moral character that is reflected in both nature and effectiveness.” So there are 2 main characteristics; nature and effectiveness (action).
Here’s why I suspect that we don’t see this type of goodness anywhere else but in Scripture. It’s because this type of goodness is impossible without the empowering of the only One who is inherently good. We see evidence of this in Scripture:
Psalm 14:2-3 - “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Paul, in Romans chapter 3 quotes David’s Psalm and explains that he is talking about everyone who is under sin’s rule. We see evidence in Scripture that all are born into sin. 1+1=2. All of humanity is born with a sin nature, our sin nature goes in opposition to that which is good, therefore no one is inherently good.
This is important to emphasize because we have to understand that none of what we are talking about is possible without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Of our own fruition, we cannot be good by God’s standard. This is why morality in our culture is so convoluted. There are different ideas of what is good. Even the Pope recently said that “people are fundamentally good. There are some sinners, but the heart itself is good.” What a dangerous teaching in light of what Scripture reveals.
In order for us to understand goodness, we have to understand God’s standard of goodness. God’s standard of goodness, of high moral character, of righteousness, is His own nature.
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
“Good and upright is the Lord.”
“The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
Jesus Himself addresses it! When talking to the rich young ruler in Mark 10, Jesus says “no one is good except for God.”
Listen to what Peter says in 1 Peter 1:14-16: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” In all your conduct, be holy because God is holy.
Let’s just be clear that we can very quickly cross the line into legalism if we aren’t careful. It can sound a little bit like our conduct determines our righteousness. I want us to be on the same page that our conduct does not lead to righteousness, but our righteousness through Christ leads us to a high standard of conduct, of goodness. Alright, hopefully we are all clear on this, let’s get into some Scripture.
Scripture on Goodness
What would a “high moral character that is reflected in nature and effectiveness” look like?
Read Luke 10:25-37
Remember, we are talking about goodness, high moral character reflected in nature and effectiveness.
Jesus mentions a priest and a Levite passing by the man. There are a few different thoughts on this, but the one that makes the most sense is that the priest didn’t want to defile himself by touching what appeared to be a dead body, nor did the Levite. Their strict adherence to the Law, their conduct, determined their righteousness. But then Jesus talks about a Samaritan. At the mere mention of this man, the Jews would have shuddered. They were beyond enemies. The Jews and the Samaritans had a deep hatred for one another that had lasted generations. It would not have made sense to a Samaritan either to hear about one of their own stopping to help a dying Jew. But, we see that this man was “moved to compassion.”
To the Samaritan, morality trumped any cultural expectation. Human life meant more to him than historical norms. He was a man that had a high view of life, regardless of who it was. This would imply that “high moral character” was reflected in His nature, driven to compassion. But we also see this high moral character reflected in his effectiveness. He bandaged his wounds. He placed him on his own animal and walked the rest of the journey. He brought him to an inn and cared for him. Once he was in a better place, the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to keep up the care, no matter how long it would take or how much it would cost.
“High moral character in nature and effectiveness.” This is why we can, with confidence, call him a “good” Samaritan.
Goodness In Us
This is how we are called to live our lives as well. Morality not marked by cultural norms, but marked by God as the standard. And while in our humanity this is an impossible marker to achieve, through the sacrifice of Jesus it becomes possible. Listen to what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” One of the implications of the death and resurrection of Jesus is that we “become the righteousness of God.” In the theological world we call this “imputed righteousness.” So when God looks at us He no longer sees our sin, but He sees Jesus in us.
The only way for us to live out the gift of goodness is to have the righteousness of Jesus implanted into our soul. And the supernatural moment that this happens is at the moment of salvation when the Holy Spirit enters into us and empowers us to do so. There is a monumental change that happens. David in the Psalms writes “there is no one good, not one.” But then we see in 3rd John 1:11 that “whoever does good is from God.” The difference between the one who can’t and the one who can is a transformational relationship with God fueled by the Holy Spirit.
So what can this look like in our lives?
Application
The conversation around morality can be a tricky one in 2024. Webster defines morals as “a person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do.” This means that human morality is all relative depending on where you live, what your experiences are, what you have been taught, what you feel at any given moment... Sam Harris in his book “The Moral Landscape” says in essence that morality has little to do with truth. Our societal morals are birthed through consensus. We all vote and agree on what is right and what is needed by the people in order to have harmony and order in the community.” When our morality aligns with the culture, our morals will shift and crumble under the pressure of the latest culture war being fought. It’s hard to deny that the standard of morality in America has decreased rapidly, at least in my lifetime. That which is sinful is now being called good and right. That which opposes righteousness is being celebrated.
This is why I believe it is of the utmost importance that we align our morality with the standard that is the character and nature of God. And the beauty of the Fruit of the Spirit is that we have been given the Holy Spirit who helps us to discern what is good when measured against God’s standard. We have been given the ability to think clearly about what God says, and place it up and against what culture says. The Bible should be our standard of thinking, our standard of belief, our standard of right and wrong, our standard of practice.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 - “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
So what are some examples of God’s standard? What would biblically “good” life look like?
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion…Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:29-32)
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. …” (Colossians 3:12-17)
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25)
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Jesus talks about money, relationships, divorce, lying, how we respond to authority, anger, lust, retaliation, anxiety, judging others and so much more. Scripture addresses gender, sanctity of human life, homosexuality, justice for the oppressed.
To live a life marked by “high moral character in nature and effectiveness” is to align our standards with who God is and the absolute truth found in the Scriptures. How do I think and respond to what’s going on in Israel? Scripture will lead you to a place of understanding and conviction.
And when our morality is embedded in the standards of God, it will influence how we interact with the world around us, how we interact with the news, how we interact with one another. Trust the Spirit’s work in your life, and trust in the goodness of God.
