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STUDY THREE: GOD’S ESSENTIAL NATURE – 2

©Rosemary Bardsley 2023

In this study we look at four further aspects of God’s essential nature that both support and are supported by God’s goodness. Each of these helps us to understand the extent and nature of God’s goodness, and each of these is best understood in association with God’s goodness. We could go so far as to say that God’s goodness is not an individual quality, but the sum of all God’s qualities. That together his attributes make up his unique, unequalled goodness.

As mentioned in the previous study, God is not in tension with himself. His various qualities do not clash with each other. He is not divided: he is one. All of his attributes mutually expressing and enhancing the other.

A. GOD IS LOVE

Here we are focusing on the mercy, compassion, grace and loving kindness of God that are revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. And it is not at all difficult for us to see in these qualities the goodness of God.

Bible study question: What does God reveal about his love in these Old Testament verses?
Exodus 34:5 – 7a

1Chronicles 16:34

Nehemiah 9:30, 31

Psalm 13:5, 6

Psalm 25:6, 7

Psalm 31:7 – 9

Psalm 36:5, 7

Psalm 51:1, 2

Psalm 69:16

Isaiah 38:17

Jeremiah 31:3

Hosea 11:1 – 4

How is God’s love described and defined in these New Testament verses?
John 3:16

Romans 5:8

Romans 8:31 – 39

Ephesians 3:14 – 19

1John 4:7 – 10

Discussion questions:
What is the most desperate human context in which God’s love is expressed?

How does this confirm God’s goodness towards us?

 

How is God’s love impacted by the characteristics of God that we looked at in the previous study?

 

B. GOD IS LIGHT (AND TRUTH)

In 1John 1:5 we read ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.’ Jesus said of himself ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ – John 8:12. John said of Jesus: ‘In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it ... (John the Baptist) came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe ... The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world’ – John 1:4,5,9. But Jesus reflected on this ‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil’ – John 3:19.

Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, brought God’s light and truth into the world. Face to face with him we see the glory of God, we see the light, we see the truth. The Old Testament people of faith also knew that God is light and that God is truth. This concept of God as light and truth was and is part and parcel of his goodness.

Bible study question: what do these verses reveal about God as light and truth?
Job 29:2,3

Psalm 27:1

Psalm 36:9

Psalm 43:3,4

Psalm 89:15,16

Psalm 119:105, 130

Psalm 139:11,12

Isaiah 42:6,7

John 1:14, 17

John 8:31,32

John 12:35

John 14:6

John 14:17; 16:13

Ephesians 5:8

Colossians 1:12,13

Discussion questions:
How does the fact that God is light and truth contribute to his goodness?

 

What would a god be like who was neither ‘light’ nor ‘truth’?

 

How does God’s nature as ‘light’ and ‘truth’ help you do trust him?

 

C. GOD IS FAITHFUL

[Note: The KJV often has the word ‘truth’ where the NIV has ‘faithful’ or ‘faithfulness’.]

The concept of God’s faithfulness has two important connections:

[1] God is faithful to himself. He will never act contrary to his nature.

[2] God is faithful in keeping his word – to what he has recorded in the Bible. Faithful to his promises, faithful to his warnings. We can trust him to do what he says.

God’s faithfulness thus is an extremely important component of his goodness. If God was, for example, kind-hearted, but unreliable, his goodness would be compromised. If God said one thing but meant another, we would never know if or when to believe him.

But because he is faithful, both to himself and to his word, we can safely believe him. Indeed, we must believe him. And it is this believing God (rather than just believing in God) for which the old people of faith were commended.

Bible study question: What do these verses say about the faithfulness of God?
Deuteronomy 7:9, 10

Psalm 36:5

Psalm 89:1,2,5,8

 

Isaiah 25:1

Lamentations 3:22 – 24

1Corinthians 1:8,9

1Thessalonians 5:24

2Thessalonians 3:3

2Timothy 2:13

Hebrews 10:23

1Peter 4:19

Revelation 19:11

Discussion questions:
Which of the above statements about God’s faithfulness is most significant for you? Why?

What is the relationship between God’s faithfulness and his goodness?

 

If God was not faithful, how sure could you be of the salvation promised all who believe in Christ?

 

D. GOD IS JUST

God’s justice is the final quality we will look at. It is not something that is mentioned much in churches; but in the world, from those who are genuinely puzzled, and from the sceptics, we hear questions like ‘How could a loving God let all those innocent people suffer?’ These questions express doubts about God’s justice and challenge the concepts that God is both powerful and loving. They thus undermine the concept of God’s goodness. [Later in this study series on the goodness of God there will be an entire study focused on God’s justice.]

Here we look at Bible verses that affirm the justice of God. By ‘justice’ we understand that God is ‘just’ – that is, that he does what is legally right. [Note that the word ‘righteous’ also includes the concept of legal rightness.]

Bible study question: How do these verses describe and affirm the justice of God?
Genesis 18:23 – 25

Deuteronomy 32:4

Psalm 36:6

Psalm 89:14

Isaiah 9:7

Isaiah 45:21

Jeremiah 23:5

Zephaniah 3:5

Romans 3:21 – 26

1John 1:9

Revelation 15:3

Discussion questions:
If God was not just, how would that impact the concept of his goodness?

 

Is your belief that God is just a matter of faith, or is it something based on visible proof?

 

How do you respond when people question the justice of God?

 

REVIEW
In this study we have looked at the love, light, faithfulness and justice of God. Each of these contributes to his goodness; without any of them his goodness would be either denied or diminished.

Review questions:
Which of these four aspects of God’s nature has impacted you most? Why?

 

Explain how each of these attributes of God are essential for his goodness.

 

 

 

How have these two studies on God’s essential nature enriched your understanding of the goodness of God?