Author: Gary Witcher

Christian Walk: By the Spirit - Goodness

     "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh;" Paul laments in Romans 7:18-19, "for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
     "For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish."
     "I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good," Paul continues in verse 21.
     "Wretched man that I am!" the apostle cries out in verse 24.  "Who will set me free from the body of this death?"
     It's not hard to see from these words that it is not possible for any human to earn the description "good."  How, then, can we hope to follow the Christian walk described in Galatians 5:22-23, since one of the things that is required is goodness?  As always, we must look to God's Word for the answer.
     In the 18th chapter of Exodus we have the account of Moses explaining to his father-in-law Jethro what God has done for the Israelites.
     "And Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel," verse 9 says, "in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians."
     In the Old Testament, then, goodness was a characteristic that was attributed to God.  However, God's people were also required to strive for goodness.
     "He has told you, O man, what is good;" Micah 6:8 instructs, "and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
     Where, then, could the Old Testament person look for goodness?
     "So, then, the Law is holy," Paul writes in Romans 7:12, "and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."
     "But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good," he adds in verse 16.
     "But we know that the Law is good," Paul explains in 1 Timothy 1:8, "if one uses it lawfully."
     So Paul says that the Law of Moses is good.  But he also adds a disturbing qualifier when he says, "If one uses it lawfully."  This phrase is disturbing because of what Paul says between the two verses we just read in Romans chapter seven.
     "For we know that the Law is spiritual;" Paul points out in verse 14, "but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin."  So, while the Law is good, it cannot make us good.
     In fact, we learn from Paul's discussion in the rest of chapter seven that the Law convicts us of sin.  It brings sin to life.  But what we are trying to do is put sin to death.  We're trying to find freedom from sin.
     According to passages such as James 2:10-13, goodness based on law keeping requires perfect obedience to that law.  One failure results in condemnation.  Galatians 5:3 says exactly the same thing.  The next verse in Galatians points out that we cannot mix two systems.  It is either law or grace.  There is no mixture of the two.
     This is why God did away with the Law of Moses when Jesus died on the cross.
     "For Christ is the end (or goal) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes," according to Romans 10:4.
     Galatians chapter three discusses the same subject.  Pay special attention to verses 23-25.
     "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things," Hebrews 10:1 explains, "can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near."  Remember that we are looking for goodness.  Notice that the Law had only a shadow of the good things to come.
     How, then, could the Old Testament person seek goodness?
     Jeremiah 32:33-40 points to a time when goodness would prevail through the Messiah.  How do we know that this passage is speaking of the Messiah?  Hebrews 10:10-22 says so.
     "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news," Isaiah 52:7 says, "who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"
     So the person living under the Old Law could not seek goodness through perfect obedience to the Law, but rather through faith in the coming Messiah.

     A person living under the Law of Moses could seek goodness through faith in the coming Messiah.  Paul has a good discussion of this in Romans chapter four.  But we are not living under the Law of Moses.  How can we seek goodness?
     We found in the Old Testament that goodness was a characteristic attributed to God.  What do we expect to find in the New Testament?
     "Why are you asking Me about what is good?" Jesus says in Matthew 19:17.  "There is only One who is good."
     We remember that Paul points out in Romans 7:18 that goodness is not natural for us.  But we notice verses such as Romans 13:3 where we are commanded to do what is good.  Galatians 6:10 commands us to do good to all men.  What’s more, we read that first-century Christians attained goodness.
     "And concerning you, my brethren," Paul writes in Romans 15:14, "I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness."
     So we find ourselves in the boat with the people who lived under the Old Law.  Only God is good.  But God expects goodness from us.  And we have examples of those who have done just this.  What are we going to do?
     Of course, it is obvious that only God is good if we are talking about perfection.  But that doesn't mean we can't strive for goodness.  However, even striving for goodness is beyond our reach if we rely upon our own abilities.
     "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," Romans 8:28 promises."  Goodness, then, is caused by God and not by our own power.  Goodness is the result of God's providence.
     "And do not be conformed to this world," Romans 12:2 instructs, "but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
     If goodness is not part of our nature, then we must look for a transformation, a renewing.
     "For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth," Ephesians 5:9 tells us.  Goodness follows the light.
     "For we are His workmanship," we learn in Ephesians 2:10, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  Goodness comes from being God's workmanship.
     "For I am confident of this very thing," Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, "that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."  Goodness is the result of the efforts of God and not our own.
     "So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord," Colossians 1:10 states, "to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."  Goodness comes when we seek to please the Lord.
     "See that no one repays another with evil for evil," 1 Thessalonians 5:15 says, "but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men."  Goodness comes from having the right attitudes and goals.
     "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith," Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:5.  "This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son," he continues in verses 18-19, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith."  A good conscience and the good fight result from abiding in proper instruction.
     "And keep a good conscience," 1 Peter 3:16 admonishes, "so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."
     "And corresponding to that," Peter continues in verse 21, "baptism now saves you-not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."  A good conscience is the result of an appeal to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ when we are baptized.
     Goodness is no easy thing to achieve.  In fact, it is impossible to attain it without the help of God.  But what can we expect if we follow God's map to goodness?
     "But glory and honor and peace to every man who does good," Paul promises in Romans 2:10.
     "To this very end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling," Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12, "and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power; in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
     Remember Paul's dilemma that we noticed at the beginning.  It is the same as ours.  To find the happy ending to Paul's situation we have to read the next two verses.  We read through Romans 7:24.
     "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Paul adds in the last verse of the chapter.  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," he adds in the first verse of chapter eight.
     Sin binds us and keeps us from finding goodness.  But the truth will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."